The upcoming Pixel 8 smartphone is rumored to feature the Tensor G2 chip with a seven-core Arm Mali-G710 GPU. While the Pixel 7 can still handle games, the gaming experience may not be top-notch, and demanding games cannot be played at the highest settings. On the other hand, flagship phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the new iPhone 15 Pro are capable of handling intense games effortlessly. The iPhone 15 Pro, in particular, is being compared to handheld gaming consoles due to its improved GPU, which supports upscaling and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. It even allows for playing native versions of big-budget games.

Initially, it was expected that the Tensor G3 chip in the Pixel 8 would come with a ten-core Arm Immortalis G715 GPU, offering around a 15% improvement in graphics performance. However, even with the G715, the Pixel 8 would have lagged behind Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered phones in terms of graphics performance. The Arm Immortalis-G715 also supports ray tracing.

Unfortunately, none of these improvements are expected to be included in the Pixel 8, assuming the rumors are true. However, there are other enhancements to look forward to, such as a new 1+4+4 core layout with newer ARM cores, improved heat management, and slightly smaller screens compared to the previous models. The Pixel 8 lineup will be unveiled by Google on October 4, revealing additional features like a bigger main camera, a new ultrawide shooter, bigger batteries, and faster charging speeds.