Google Tensor G4 phones: benchmarks, gaming & which to buy

What the Google Tensor G4 is

The Tensor G4 (2024) is Google's fourth-generation in-house chip, and unlike Apple or Qualcomm, Google designs it for machine learning throughput rather than benchmark peaks. Geekbench 6 numbers — about 1,707 single-core and 4,431 multi-core — sit well below contemporary Snapdragons, and the 1.52 million AnTuTu result tells the same story. On paper it loses; in the hand, the phones it powers feel flagship-smooth because the work Google cares about (photo processing, speech, on-device AI features) runs on dedicated accelerators rather than the CPU.

Gaming and GPU

This is the honest weak spot. Our gaming score for Tensor G4 phones lands in the low 30s out of 100 — comfortable for casual and mid-weight titles, behind the sustained 3D performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 class. Demanding games run, but frame rates are midrange-tier and long sessions warm the body. If mobile gaming is a priority, a Snapdragon-powered flagship of the same year is the better buy; if it is not, the gap will rarely be visible outside of benchmarks.

Where the Tensor approach pays off

The G4 generation carried Pixel software features that define the line: best-in-class computational photography, call screening and transcription, live translation, and the seven-year update promise that ships with every Pixel 9-series phone. The chip's strength is consistency — the everyday experience of G4 phones scores in the low 90s in our catalog, flagship territory, because none of the AI-assisted features ever feel bolted on.

Phones that ship with it

Buying advice

Used Pixel 9 units typically trade around $325 and the Pixel 9a around $284 — the latter is our default value pick of the entire midrange segment. With updates promised into 2031 for the 9-series, a used G4 phone is one of the longest-lived software platforms on the market. Choose it for camera, longevity, and clean Android; choose a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 rival instead if raw gaming performance decides your purchase.