Google wants to dump Qualcomm

© Qualcomm.

Have you noticed that most Android phones are pretty much functionally identical? That’s because they all rely on the same processors, built by Qualcomm. With a shared processor, phone builders have a hard time differentiating their offer with new features. Apple, on the other hand, designs its own processors in-house. Back in 2010, the iPhone 4 was the first phone to run on a proprietary SoC. Now, Ina Fried, the well-known tech reporter, has revealed that Google is actively working on developing a processor for its Pixel phones and Chromebook laptops. According to Fried, Google has worked with Samsung to develop an initial 5-nm, eight-core ARM SoC, codenamed Whitechapel. Google has already received the first working versions of the chip, and could equip its Pixel phones with them as soon as next year.

⇨ Ars Technica, Ron Amadeo, “Google wants to dump Qualcomm, launch smartphone SoC as early as next year.”

⇨ Axios, Ina Fried, “Scoop: Google readies its own chip for future Pixels, Chromebooks.”