Google Pixel 5's chipset may be barely better than the Pixel 4a's

Google Pixel 4a
Google Pixel 4a (Image credit: TechRadar)

The Google Pixel 5 is expected to be Google's top-end smartphone for the year, but it seems it might not have the processing power of other premium smartphones - in fact, it could be only a small step above the recently-launched budget Google Pixel 4a.

This news comes from leaked Pixel 5 AI benchmarks, as discovered by MyFixGuide, which lists the phone as having the Snapdragon 765G chipset.

We'd expected the handset to have the Snapdragon 865 or even 865 Plus processor - those are the best chipsets available to Android phones right now, and would give the phone a lot more processing power than the 765G.

We've heard previous rumors that the phone won't be as top-end as, say, the Pixel 4, and perhaps the chipset is one area the company has decided it doesn't need to go all-out in. When the phone launches later in the year, we'd hope the price tag reflects any sacrifices though.

Basically a Pixel 5a

If this information is correct, the Google Pixel 5 will likely have processing power similar to the Pixel 4a. That has a Snapdragon 730G chipset, and on the Geekbench website we can see it often scores roughly 1600 in multi-core tests.

Compare that to the OnePlus Nord and Moto G 5G Plus, two Snapdragon 765G phones, which scored 1877 and 1822 respectively - those scores aren't much higher than the Pixel 4's.

When you consider that Snapdragon 865 phones like the Xiaomi Black Shark 3, Sony Xperia 1 II and OnePlus 8 all got above 3000 in that same test, it becomes clear that the 765G is much closer to the 730G than the 865.

In short, the Google Pixel 5's processing power might barely beat out that of its 'budget' relative. We'll be testing the phone when it's released to find out, but if it does indeed coming running the Snapdragon 765G then that's likely to be the case.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.