Google Pixel 10 and the like to boot faster thanks to Android 16's "Performance Mode"

Expensive hardware isn't always necessary for squeezing more performance out of a device, as optimization of the operating system or of the apps running on it can also confer significant improvements in speed. Such an optimization could be in store for Android 16 users, as Android expert Mishaal Rahman recently discovered while browsing the code changes in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) (via Android Authority).

Under the title "Parallel Module Loading: Add Performance Mode", a change to the parallel loading of kernel modules after the Linux kernel boots has been integrated. The title suggests a considerable increase in speed, and the description (see screenshot below) does indeed mention quite high percentages. What's also unusual is that a yet-unreleased Google phone is mentioned by name here.

Accordingly, the module loading time on a Pixel 10 is said to have been reduced by 30%, and 25% on a Pixel Fold from 2023. However, these figures should be treated with caution, as they only affect part of the entire boot process. Since this is a change in the AOSP code, other Android phones are expected to also benefit from this change in the medium term, not just Google's own Pixel portfolio. The reboot of smartphones with Android 16 should be therefore somewhat faster overall than with Android 15 and earlier.