Google Tensor G3: Pixel 8 Pro fails to outperform its predecessor in Genshin Impact

Google made it abundantly clear that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro's Tensor G3 was all about its software trickery and not raw performance. That could be why popular benchmarking apps such as Geekbench 6.0 and 3DMark don't run on the device, at least via the Play Store. Golden Reviewer has now put the Tensor G3 through Genshin Impact, and to nobody's surprise, it fails to keep up with the competition.

With all settings cranked up to high, the Pixel 8 Pro averages 33.5 FPS in Genshin Impact. It struggles to go above 40 FPS in outdoor areas, with the figure dropping down to 24 in animation-heavy fight sequences. It lags behind last year's Tensor G2-powered Pixel 7 Pro, which eked out an average of 37 FPS. Its performance is in the same league as the Exynos 2200 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The result falls in line with an earlier 3DMark Wild Life stress test, which reported a 58% CPU performance degradation under sustained load.

However, other reviewers, such as Dave2D and Linus Tech Tips, got remarkably better results with the Pixel 8 Pro in Genshin Impact. The former recorded an average FPS of 56, with a 1% low of 34, while the latter's figure hovers around the 55 FPS mark. One can't help but wonder what caused such a massive discrepancy in scores other than the test methodology and a different software build. Genshin Impact does not have an in-built benchmarking tool, so there's no "standard" way to test it.

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