Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Tensor G6: This Is Sad

Quick summary: The Pixel 11, 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro Fold are announced today, and leaked Geekbench scores for the Tensor G6 are basically the same as last year’s Tensor G5, and about half of what the Snapdragon in my Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra scores. At iPhone and Galaxy S26 Ultra prices, it’s time for Google to drop Tensor.

The numbers

The leaked Pixel 11 Pro XL score, with a seven-core G6, matches what a Pixel 10 owner gets with the G5. My Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra scored 3,623 single-core and 10,554 multi-core, more than double the Pixel’s multi-core score and roughly 70% higher in single-core. The non-Pro Pixel 11 reportedly scores around 2,600 multi-core, which a $100 to $200 Chinese phone can beat.

In fairness to Pixel

• The Pixel 11 Pro Fold gets 16GB RAM versus 12GB on the Fold 8 Ultra.
• Pixels are probably the smoothest phones on Android day to day.
• My sister has one, and I do recommend them at times.

But friends who use Pixels tell me about overheating and bugs, like a camera that freezes until a reboot.

Why it matters

Google promises seven years of updates, but how will the phone feel in two or three years as games and apps demand more from the chip? You can game on medium settings now, but maybe not later. Rumors of 30 to 40% gains haven’t panned out. Google doesn’t seem to be saving money with Tensor; even last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite would nearly double performance. Clean, smooth Android on a Snapdragon would make these phones great for gaming too.

• Mint Mobile: $15 unlimited data, talk and text