2026 Pixel 11 series could be historic for this reason
For a couple of years now we’ve been talking about the Tensor G5 application processor (AP) that will power the Pixel 10 series. Unlike all of the other Tensor models, the G5 is built using Google designs from the bottom up. Previously the chips used Samsung Exynos designs mixed in with some customization from Google. And all of the previous Tensor APs were manufactured by Samsung Foundry which was just happy to have any business at all thanks to the Foundry’s poor yields.
With Google designing the Tensor G5 from the bottom up, the Alphabet subsidiary has the ability to build key features into the new processor to support certain Pixel 10 features. In addition, as if the break from using Samsung’s Exynos AP as the foundation of the Pixel’s AP weren’t enough of a positive change, the new Tensor will be built by TSMC using an enhanced version of its initial 3nm process node (N3E). Using the latter process node will bring improved performance, power efficiency, and thermal management to the Tensor chip.
And the improvements don’t appear to be ending anytime soon for the Tensor AP. A new report says that next year, the Pixel 11 series could be powered by the Tensor G6 which might be built by TSMC using its 2nm process node. In other words, the Pixel 11 could be one of the first smartphone lines to employ a 2nm application processor. Right now the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+, in most markets outside of the U.S., China, and Canada, could be first in line to be powered by a 2nm AP. That would be the Exynos 2600.
The Galaxy S26 line could be released in late January to mid-February next year. The Pixel 11 will probably be launched in August 2026. Should Samsung Foundry be able to clear up its yield problems and Samsung decides to use the Exynos 2600 for the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+, those two flagship devices will make history as the first smartphones to be powered by a 2nm AP. Should Samsung decide to once again go with the latest Snapdragon 8 AP for the Galaxy S26 series, the Pixel 11 could be the phone making history as the first to sport a 2nm chipset.
