Google’s next in-house chip may already be raising red flags. After the Tensor G5 fell short of expectations—despite being Google’s first Tensor reportedly mass-produced by TSMC—a fresh leak suggests the upcoming Tensor G6 could repeat some of the same frustrating patterns. If the early details pan out, the Pixel 11 could once again arrive trailing competing flagship phones by a full generation in certain performance areas.
A new Geekbench 6 listing has surfaced for a device labeled “Google Kodiak,” and it points to a surprising CPU configuration for Tensor G6. Instead of the more typical 8-core setup seen in many modern flagship processors, the leaked chip appears to use a 7-core layout arranged in a 1 + 4 + 2 cluster. The listing also shows 12GB of RAM, a memory capacity that lines up with what’s expected for Google’s next Pixel releases—adding fuel to speculation that “Kodiak” is tied to the Pixel 11.
According to the benchmark entry, the fastest core runs at 4.11GHz, backed by four performance cores at 3.38GHz and two efficiency cores at 2.65GHz. On paper, those higher clock speeds could translate into stronger single-core performance, which matters for everyday responsiveness—things like app launches, UI smoothness, and many common tasks that don’t fully use multiple cores at once.
The potential downside is harder to ignore: dropping to seven CPU cores may constrain multi-core performance. That’s the kind of performance that helps with heavier workloads such as video processing, intensive multitasking, and demanding computational tasks. Even if each core is fast, losing a core can still put the chip at a disadvantage in sustained, all-core scenarios compared to rivals that keep an 8-core (or higher) approach.
What makes the leak especially intriguing is that Tensor G6 is expected to be built on TSMC’s advanced 2nm process. If Google is indeed moving to 2nm, cutting CPU cores seems counterintuitive—unless there’s a strategy behind it.
One plausible explanation is chip binning. Chipmakers have long used binning to separate chips based on how well they perform after manufacturing. The best-performing chips can be reserved for premium devices, while slightly lower-performing versions may be used in more affordable models. Considering that 2nm wafers are expected to be extremely expensive, Google could be exploring a cost-effective approach by pairing a binned 7-core Tensor G6 with the base Pixel 11. Meanwhile, higher-end models—potentially the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold—could still ship with an 8-core variant.
It’s also important to keep expectations in check. Early benchmark leaks often reflect prototype hardware, unfinished firmware, early scheduling and thermal settings, and software that hasn’t been tuned. That means the single-core and multi-core scores from this stage shouldn’t be treated as final. Real-world performance can shift significantly by the time a phone is ready for release.
Still, the core-count detail is worth watching closely. If Google truly ships the base Pixel 11 with a 7-core Tensor G6, it could influence how the phone stacks up in performance comparisons—especially in multi-core benchmarks where rival flagships tend to flex hardest. As more test devices appear and details firm up, a clearer picture should emerge of whether Tensor G6 becomes a major leap forward, or another case of promising tech held back by puzzling trade-offs.
