We’re skeptical of the claim that Google switched the Pixel 5 from a Tensor chip to a Snapdragon one “at the last second.”
In a recent video discussing the history of Google’s phones – well worth a watch! – YouTuber MKBHD shared a tidbit about the development of the Google Pixel 5. However, we’re skeptical of the claim that Google switched the Pixel 5 from a Tensor chip to a Snapdragon one “at the last second.” Citing past conversations with Googlers, Marques Brownlee shares in the video that the Pixel 5 was once intended to run on a Tensor chip. They were actually planning on Pixel 5 being the first phone with Tensor. But then with COVID, and the supply chain issues, and a bunch of things getting in the way, at the last second, they kinda had to bail on that. Without access to Google’s internal roadmap, we can’t deny it’s possible that there were once plans for the Tensor chip to launch in 2020 alongside the Pixel 5. That said, the finer details of this claim – particularly the “last minute” nature of the hardware change and the impact of COVID-19 – don’t quite pass muster. Beyond that, others have since made further claims that don’t reflect the evidence of Google’s development timeline. So let’s take a look at the development history of the Pixel 5, or at least what’s publicly available. From our own reporting, the first evidence of Pixel devices in development with the Snapdragon 765 was uncovered in January 2020. A month later, we were the first to suggest the possibility that these would actually be the Pixel 5, moving the series away from its “flagship” roots. Shortly after a Pixel device is released to the public, much of the code related to that device is also made available through the Android Open Source Project.
