Google had a smaller Pixel smartphone with a Tensor SoC in development, possibly the Pixel 5
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are the first devices to launch with Google's in-house SoC, but there is more evidence that that was not the company's initial plan. in August, Marques Brownlee commented during his Pixel 5a review:
...I'm actually pretty confident, based on conversations I've had with people at Google, that they really actually wanted to launch Tensor with Pixel 5.
Supposedly, Google were unable to do this, so they integrated Tensor in the Pixel 6 series instead. Incidentally, @MishaalRahman notes that a device codenamed 'whitefin' shares many specifications with the Pixel 5 but with a Tensor SoC. Seemingly, 'whitefin' amalgamates 'whitechapel' and 'redfin', the codenames for Tensor and the Pixel 5, respectively.
Additionally, @mile_freak07 has discovered that 'whitefin' has a different variant of Tensor than the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro. While these utilise GS101-B0, 'whitefin' relies on an earlier revision, GS101-A0. Other source code states that GS101-A0 has different CPU clock speeds than GS101-B0, which we have summarised below:
| CPU cores | GS101-A0 | GS101-B0 |
|---|---|---|
| 4x ARM Cortex-A55 | 2.0 GHz | 1.8 GHz |
| 2x ARM Cortex-A78 | 1.9 GHz | 2.25 GHz |
| 2x ARM Cortex-X2 | 2.3 GHz | 2.8 GHz |
Ultimately, @mile_freak07 and @MishaalRahman's findings demonstrate what could have been for the Pixel 5 and the Pixel series. Theoretically, Google could release 'whitefin' as the Pixel 6a, which would bring the Tensor SoC to a smaller form factor. Seemingly, 'bluejay' is Google's next mid-range smartphone. However, past performance has us doubting that it would re-use the Pixel 5's chassis for the Pixel 6a as Apple has with both versions of the iPhone SE.
Source(s)
Google (1) (2) (3) (4) via @mile_freak07 & @MishaalRahman, Jonas Elia - Image credit
