Google Pixel 8 Series Gets Major Boost in Gaming Performance with Latest Update

Google recently introduced a major update for the Pixel 8 series to improve peak sustained performance on its Tensor G3 SoC. The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro arrived earlier this year in October with the new Tensor G3 chip.

And while the new Tensor G3 chipset delivered some key upgrades over its predecessor, it still retained some of the heating issues from the Tensor G2 chip. This saw the Pixel 8 series struggle to maintain good frame rates in graphics intensive mobile games, particularly in titles like Genshin Impact.

Google Pixel 8 Series Gets Performance Boost

However, the search giant recently introduced a major update to fix performance hiccups on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in its latest December 2023 Pixel Feature drop. The update is touted to vastly improve CPU performance on the Pixel 8 series.

Thanks to the latest update, Google is enhancing the ARM Mali's kernel driver by transitioning to a more recent build. The kernel driver has been upgraded from r38p1, which was released on August 18, 2022, to the latest r44p1 version introduced on October 11, 2023.

Improvements in Gaming

Initial feedback indicates a significant improvement in gaming performance. A Pixel 8 user shared that the frame rate in Genshin Impact's Fontaine city surged from approximately 20-25fps to an impressive 45+fps, all achieved without causing excessive heating.
TechDroider, a YouTuber, also observes a similar leap in gaming performance, noting that the Pixel 8 can now smoothly run Fortnite at a stable 60fps on the highest graphics settings.

Google is integrating this updated ARM Driver into Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1.1. Although the GPU performance may not match that of the Adreno GPU found in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the improvement still represents a substantial performance boost.

Google Plotting GPU Update for All Tensor Chips

Google is also rolling out a new drive for its Mali GPU for all Tensor-based Pixel smartphones, which include the Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7 series, and Pixel 8 series. However, this may not result in the same level of performance improvement as compared to the update on the Tensor G3 SoC, but it will be a welcome upgrade, nonetheless.

With both CPU and GPU updates, the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro should offer flagship-worthy gaming performance, something we haven't seen on past Tensor-based Pixels. Check out our full Google Pixel 8 review here to see what the phone does best and where it falls short.

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