According to 9to5Google, the next additions to Google’s line of Pixel phones, one of which will presumably be the Pixel 6, will be powered by the “GS101” processor, Google’s first proprietary System on a Chip (SoC) designed in-house under the codename ‘Whitechapel’.
Reports suggest Google is working with Samsung, which has an extensive history in the semiconductors and SoC space, on developing the ‘Whitechapel’ program.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai talked about “some deeper investments in hardware” and said there was a “terrific roadmap ahead” during an earnings call last year, and a Google-made chipset for phones (and more!) would certainly justify those teasers.
According to documents viewed by 9to5Google, the first Made by Google phones powered by chipsets that are also made by Google are currently being developed under the code names “Raven” and “Oriole” for a fall 2021 launch.
Google’s partnership with Samsung doesn’t necessarily bode well for the endeavour, though. After all, smartphones with the South Korean electronics company’s Exynos chipsets get beat by their Qualcomm Snapdragon-toting counterparts year after year.
However, we’ve already seen how powerful Apple silicon can be (for both phones and computers) — could Google’s efforts yield something similar that would put the company right back in contention with Apple?
