Technical tests of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro show that they are far from being the most powerful. But a Google spokeswoman says the Tensor 2 that powers them is more than enough to provide a smooth, high-quality day-to-day experience. She also explains that benchmarks offer a biased view of smartphone capabilities. Explanations.
We recently published the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro tests in our columns, as well as on our YouTube channel. These are two good smartphones, worthy successors to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. These are two phones that benefit from very good qualities: a design that is still assertive, but more elegant; a perfectly calibrated screen; a controlled interface; and always a very qualitative photo experience, nourished abundantly with artificial intelligence.
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If the Pixel 7 offers an excellent experience at a very affordable price, many testers, including us, were a little disappointed with the power offered by Tensor 2, the second platform developed by Google. Like the first, Tensor 2 does not shine in classic benchmarks, such as AnTuTu and 3DMark. This means that this smartphone, sold for 899 euros, sometimes has some difficulty running the most demanding games, such as Genshin Impact.
Pixels were developed to support artificial intelligence
On the other hand, it performs much better in tests involving the neural coprocessor. And that’s what Google relies on to promote the Pixel 7. The firm posted a podcast dedicated to Tensor 2 on its official website. Monika Gupta, one of the people in charge of SoC development at Google, explains the choices made on Tensors. And she argues why the benchmarks are not representative.
As mentioned during our tests, Tensors were created for artificial intelligence. Algorithms run faster and consume less energy. ” We focused on artificial intelligence, because we believe this approach is the right one to improve the daily experience of users (…). Classic benchmarks were created at a time when artificial intelligence and phones did not exist. »
Benchmarks only tell part of the story
In fact, yes, they existed. As much to be clear: artificial intelligence and smartphones do not date from Tensor 1. But they are certainly not not adapted to the particular positioning of Google. ” They tell part of the story, but we think they don’t tell the whole story. “, she adds. Understood, the power does not meet all needs. Especially to new needs.
But the opposite is also true: artificial intelligence cannot make up for the lack of raw power when it comes to decoding 4K or displaying 3D graphics on a demanding game. And that’s what we point out in our tests: if this vision centered on artificial intelligence is enough for a phone at 649 euros, it is not enough for a mobile at 900 euros.
Source : Google
