Pixel 10 benchmarks show how little ground Google’s Tensor G5 has gained

Now that we finally know what Google’s new Tensor G5 processor is made of, it’s about time we compare it against the best in the business. For today’s benchmarking session, I’ve grabbed rival handsets to compare against the more budget-friendly $799 Pixel 10 and the top-of-the-line, $1,199 Pixel 10 Pro XL.

I don’t think anyone has particularly high hopes that the Pixel 10 series is going to contend for the performance crown. Google is far more focused on AI and features than traditional performance metrics, and has been for countless Pixel generations. Still, how far behind the Tensor G5 places is an important question, especially when spending upwards of $799 on a new phone.

One of the interesting things about modern smartphones, unlike a lot of other gadgets, is that the same processor can often be bought at multiple price points. For example, spending $799 on the Google Pixel 10 or Galaxy S25 nets you the same chip as the far more expensive Pixel 10 Pro XL or Galaxy S25 Ultra.

However, thermal limitations and the suspected use of chip binning sometimes mean that the results aren’t always the same at the top-tier models. With that in mind, let’s see which of the big three has the best chip in the mainstream flagship price segment — anything under $900.

Starting with CPU performance via GeekBench 6 and a broader systems-level look with PCMark’s Work 3.0, it’s clear that the Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 sits at the bottom of the pack, even at this price point. It trades blows with the Nothing Phone 3 and its Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, eeking out a small advantage in single-core workloads but trailing slightly in multi-core scores. The two are pretty much neck and neck in our PCMark test, suggesting that the two phones will feel roughly as responsive in daily workloads, from document drafting to video editing.

This result is hardly surprising, given that the two chips share a Cortex-X4 big core, albeit with higher clocks on the Pixel, and a middle-heavy CPU setup. However, the Pixel 10 sits some way behind the iPhone 16’s impressive custom single-core showing and the multi-processing powerhouse Snapdragon 8 Elite phones in its price bracket. Performance is still perfectly suitable for everyday needs, but if you’re looking for the fastest flagship on a tighter budget, the Pixel 10 is not it.

The Pixel 10’s fortunes are equally unfavorable when it comes to our graphics test, courtesy of 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress Test. While the Tensor G5’s new PowerVR GPU helps it temporarily close the gap with Apple’s poorly sustained 5-core custom GPU, the processor can’t maintain its peak performance for very long either, leaving it far at the bottom of the pile after a 20-minute run. In fact, the Pixel 10’s stability scores are worse than last year, with performance ending in roughly the same ballpark by the end of our stress test.

Even the Nothing Phone 3’s “not-quite-flagship” Adreno 825 GPU has the Pixel 10 handily beaten, though it does have the benefit of a larger chassis to assist with cooling. Still, the Pixel 10 is satisfactory for a spot of light gaming, but it is still far behind the leading 8 Elite phones for those longer play sessions, demanding emulators, and top-tier graphics settings.

If money is no object, the very top of smartphones have additional cooling and memory that can, in theory, extend their peak and sustained performance a little further than their compact siblings. But when you’re spending over $1,000, gaming phones like the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro also enter the mix, which allow gamers to run the latest flagship silicon virtually flat out if required. If the little Pixel 10 struggled to compete, just how far away does the XL land from the very best?

Unfortunately, for the Pixel 10 Pro XL, it is the same story as the smaller model. Despite its higher clock speeds and more aggressive middle-core CPU arrangement over last year, the Tensor G5’s older Arm Cortex CPU cores can’t catch the beefier custom cores designed by Apple and Qualcomm. A roughly 30% performance difference is not a gap that Pixel will be making up even in the next generation or two, especially given that next-gen chips from its rivals are right around the corner.

A frame of reference is essential, however, and just because the Pixel 10 Pro XL sits at the bottom of this year’s flagship benchmarks doesn’t mean it’s not suitable for some demanding daily workloads. My unit has flown through my multi-tasking needs without issue, and even Google’s older models perform well as a drop-in PC replacement. Still, when you’re thinking about a purchase to last the next five, six, or seven years, and with Android poised to move into the desktop space, other smartphones are undouidbly more futureproof from a raw performance perspective.

Temperatures and stability are again the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s Achilles heel for gaming. Its toasty peak temperature of 44.4°C isn’t as bad as the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s 46.9°C or the ROG’s 48°C in X-Mode, in our extreme stress test. Likewise, its 60% stability score bests the miserable 52% stability result the Galaxy S25 Ultra scored. However, the low starting point means that even phones sporting the rather hot Snapdragon 8 Elite can outlast Google’s most powerful flagship under more intensive gaming sessions.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL isn’t a hot phone, but it’s not cool either. The benefits of its new TSMC 3nm manufacturing node have clearly been used to push clock speeds and performance higher, rather than focusing on lower power and thermals. That’s not strictly a bad thing, but it all goes to show that Google’s latest Tensor G5 is trying hard just to keep up rather than seriously challenging the fastest mobile silicon that money can buy.

This story will feel familiar to Pixel fans. Every year, we have to debate whether Google’s focus on AI features and unique tools is worth the performance deficit compared to other flagship phones at the same price. Unfortunately, the Pixel 10 series is no different.

Personally, I think the Tensor G5 is a perfect fit for the baseline Pixel 10. It’s in the mix with some other good buys in and around this price point, such as the Galaxy S24 FE and Nothing Phone 3. These phones also don’t quite offer top-tier benchmark results, but still provide performance that would have been considered top-of-the-line just a couple of years ago. That’s undoubtedly good enough at $799, especially when paired with the phone’s impressive AI capabilities and a new 5x telephoto camera that gives it more than enough advantages to make up for its benchmark standings.

The performance argument is tougher to make for the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL. If you’re really banking on using Google’s AI tools and enhanced photography capabilities, then they’re still fine buys as their performance is more than ample for other daily tasks too. However, if you’re looking for a powerhouse phone for powerhouse use cases, such as gaming on the go, then you might be better off with rivals like the Galaxy S25 Ultra.