Google Tensor outpaced by iPhone 11's A13 Bionic chip on Geekbench but this is comparing Apples with Pixels

Praises have been sung from the highest mountain tops for the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro so far, especially for things like the strong camera equipment, the advanced machine-learning capable software, and, of course, Google’s custom Tensor chip. Just like Apple has seemingly shaken up the establishment in the laptop/desktop space with its ARM-based M1/M1 Pro/M1 Max silicon, it appeared Google was going to do the same thing in the smartphone space with Tensor. While benchmark results have been very positive, both for the CPU part and GPU part, it’s clear neither the Pixel 6 nor the Pixel 6 Pro is the fastest phone on the market.

Some evidence of this has been posted on Twitter, with focus lying on an imaginary battle between the Google Pixel 6 Pro and the Apple iPhone XS Max. Original poster @9lekt points out two Geekbench records, with the Pixel 6 Pro scoring 1,012 points (single) and 2,760 points (multi) while the iPhone from 2018 managed 1,117 points (single) and 2,932 points (multi). However, these are two random records pulled out of Geekbench, which means either of them could be outliers. Fortunately, there are enough Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro listings on Geekbench now to suggest the shared record for the Android device is a reasonable representative. But the listing for the iPhone XS Max with its A12 Bionic is not as accurate.

The 2018 Apple phone has an average single-core score of 1,108 points and a multi-core mark of 2,416 points, with the latter being lower than that of the Pixel 6 Pro. A fairer opponent would be the iPhone 11 with A13 from the end of 2019. This device averages 1,306 points and 2,971 points, respectively, thus firmly putting Google’s Tensor in its place. While Android and iOS charts and benchmark results on Geekbench can be compared for curiosity, it really is still a case of comparing apples with oranges. Tensor can hold up well against Android rivals such as the SD888 and Exynos 2100, and the Pixel 6 phones have a lot more to offer than just raw processing power.

So yes, the Pixel 6 Pro and its Tensor SoC tests slower than a two-year-old Apple chip. While there are some users who will choose their next purchase based on pure power and speed, it seems safe to say that the majority of smartphone buyers are more concerned about things like the price, battery life, screen size, and cameras than how many points its processor can rack up on Geekbench. With elements like Magic Eraser, Live Translate, Face Unblur, Real Tone and many more machine-learning linked abilities, the Google Pixel 6 phones appear to be more for those who want to interact with their smart devices rather than just boast about possessing them.

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