Pixel 10 Tensor G5 GPU Looks Weak Now, But Fixes May Unlock Real Power

Google’s bold move to debut the Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 series was supposed to be a defining leap, with the chip built on TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm process.

Early CPU benchmarks showed real progress compared to last year’s Tensor G4, but fresh GPU tests paint a very different picture – one that has left many scratching their heads.

According to benchmarks shared by @lafaiel, the Pixel 10 Pro’s GPU reached just 3,707 points in Geekbench 6’s Vulkan test, while the Pixel 9 Pro managed more than double that score

. Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S25+ also outperformed Google’s flagship by a wide margin, making the Pixel 10 Pro look worryingly underpowered for gaming and graphics-intensive tasks.

Adding to the disappointment, Google has confirmed that the new GPU does not support ray tracing, a feature now standard on rival devices. On paper, it looks like a major step back. Even more confusing is that some tests show the Pixel 9 Pro being up to 323 percent faster than the Pixel 10 Pro – a shocking reversal that raised suspicions Google might have cut costs in the wrong place.

But the story may not be so grim. Enthusiasts who dug deeper into the data spotted that the GPU was running at just 396MHz instead of its normal 1,100MHz. Even more telling, the Pixel 10 Pro is currently stuck with outdated Vulkan 1.1 drivers, despite the PowerVR DXT graphics core being capable of Vulkan 1.4 compliance. These mismatches suggest that the disappointing performance is tied to immature drivers rather than weak hardware.

In short, the Tensor G5 may still have plenty of untapped potential. Once updated drivers and proper GPU clocks roll out, Google’s latest SoC could close the gap – or even flip the narrative. Until then, the Pixel 10 Pro’s graphics story remains a tale of what could be, rather than what is.