Google is testing a MediaTek modem within the Pixel 10 collection

Over the previous month, we’ve seen quite a lot of details about the long run, absolutely in-house designed Google Tensor chips leak, together with full specs of the Tensor G5 and Tensor G6, an inventory of options they could allow, and extra. We went from realizing mainly nothing to having a good suggestion of what the long run Tensor chips and the Pixel handset they’ll energy must supply.

One vital unanswered query, nevertheless, is what modem can be used sooner or later Pixels. All of the gadgets utilizing Tensor chips designed in collaboration with Samsung used Exynos modems, presumably as a result of they had been the best to combine, however with Google going absolutely unbiased, it doesn’t essentially have a cause to proceed that observe.

We lastly acquired a solution to this query and it’s not what anyone anticipated. Because of a supply inside Google, Android Authority has realized Google’s plans relating to the modem it intends to make use of within the upcoming Pixel 10 collection.

There are presently solely three corporations with fashionable, 5G-capable modems: Samsung (S.LSI), Qualcomm, and MediaTek. Google didn’t have an excessive amount of selection there, until it wished to construct its personal answer, which even with a premade 5G IP block, like Ceva’s PentaG2, can be dangerous and way more costly.

Earlier than making its determination, Google evaluated all of the out there choices, together with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75 modem, which is identical one utilized in Apple’s iPhone 16 collection. Talking of Apple, it plans to maneuver away from Qualcomm to its inhouse modems within the coming years as nicely. Lastly, although, for one cause or one other, Google determined to go together with MediaTek’s (not but launched) T900 modem.

Sadly, we all know mainly nothing about this new modem, besides that it’s based mostly on MediaTek’s “M85” era modem IP. For reference, “M70” supported 3GPP Launch 15 5G specification, “M80” upgraded to Launch 16, so it’s protected to imagine “M85” will help Launch 17 and even newer.

Sadly, we don’t even actually know that a lot about MediaTek’s earlier era T800 modem to make assumptions. Whereas we do have a specs sheet, it doesn’t inform us a lot (e.g., if it’s manufactured on a Samsung or TSMC’s course of node). So far as I can inform no machine has truly used it both.

We will’t actually understand how good the T900 might be, however I might cautiously assume that will probably be at the very least okay. In spite of everything, Google is nicely conscious that thermals and battery life are a few of the largest points with Tensor-based Pixels, largely as a result of their modems, and I doubt they’d let the catastrophe that was the Pixel 6 occur once more.

A MediaTek modem is unquestionably not what most anticipated — or wished. A number of you’ll most likely even criticize this transfer after studying this text and declare the Pixel 10 a dead-on-arrival product, however I feel it’s approach too early to say something like that. We mainly don’t know something particular about this modem and neither do we all know a lot about how Qualcomm’s exterior modems carry out, as the one gadgets utilizing them are iPhones. To not point out that even Samsung, closely criticized by many, managed to launch a comparatively respectable modem — the Exynos Modem 5400 — and because of that, the Pixel 9 collection has a reasonably strong battery life.

In the end, we’ll have to attend and see how issues look when Google releases the Pixel 10 collection, however I doubt will probably be anyplace close to dangerous. Google makes the alternatives it does for a cause, even when it typically doesn’t seem to be it, and this undoubtedly isn’t an exception.