- Pixel 6 pixel models onwards are achieving improved reference results
- This is likely to be below, the newest GPU drivers will be added in recent software updates
- In less positive news, Pixel 6a lacks satellite communication characteristics
Today there are good and bad news from Pixel, but the good news will affect more people than bad, so let’s start there.
Reddit users are discovering that pixels phones with tensioning chips sets (which means everything from Google Pixel 6 onwards) is achieving much higher GPU scores in Geekbench 6 than at launch. This is widely attributed to Android 16 Beta, but Android Authority reports that he has seen a similar performance in Android 15.
Therefore, you do not need to obtain a beta version of Android to see improvements, but the recent stable software updates have greatly increased the performance of the GPU.
The exact impulse varies according to the model, but Android Authority states that its Pixel 6A unit saw an increase in performance of almost 23% of GPU, while in other places there are reports of a 62% improvement for Pixel 7A, a 31% improvement for pixel 8, and even a 32% improvement for the recent Google Pixel 9.
Android Authority speculates that Google achieved this by including new GPU controllers in recent Android updates, since, although all recent pixels use a Mali ARM GPU, they do not always send with the latest available GPU controller version.
It remains to be seen how much impact these performance improvements will have in the real world, but they are pleasant to see and could help extend the useful life of the oldest pixels.
Without satellite SOS for pixel 9a
Now, for the bad news, and this is specifically related to the new Google Pixel 9A, which we have learned is not compatible with the SOS satellite. Google confirmed both Android Authority, and this is a feature that is found in other Google Pixel 9 models that allows you to contact emergency services in areas without Wi-Fi or cell signal.
Therefore, it is a potentially wild tool of life, and although Google did not say why it is absent here, it is likely because Pixel 9A uses an older modem 5300, instead of 5400 used by the rest of the Pixel 9 series.
While this is a characteristic that, hopefully, will never need to use, it would be reassuring, and this is not the only omission in Pixel 9A, since we also recently learned that it lacks several tools offered by the rest of the Pixel 9 line.
In fact, this phone has had a slightly problematic launch, with not only these emerging omissions, but also a delay in telephone sales, while Google investigates a “quality problem of the components.”
Even so, the positive side there is that this delay allowed time for these omissions to be discovered, so I might think twice before buying the Google Pixel 9a. Certainly, we would wait until we have the opportunity to spend a complete review before buying one.
