It's a different world: could the iPhone 17 Pro Max be cheaper than the Pixel 10 Pro XL?
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Mirror, mirror on the wall… who shall be the priciest of them all: the iPhone 17 Pro Max? Or the Pixel 10 Pro XL?
This is the question that replaces caffeine for me this morning. It's wild to think that we might get to see Google, of all phone brands, release a (non-foldable) phone that's more expensive than Apple.
The thing that started it all was a post by the X tipster Abhishek Yadav whose latest piece of information has to do with Google's 2025 champion:
Yadav's followers quickly put two and two together and commented that: "Yes, but price will also go up" and made suggestions that the Pixel 10 Pro XL – a phone that'll almost surely pack the Tensor G5 chipset – could be more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The Pixel 9 series – the current state-of-the-art Google phones – all feature the Tensor G4 chipset, a collaborative effort between Google and Samsung.
Looking ahead, the Pixel 10's Tensor G5 is a chipset to be designed exclusively by Google.
This is a significant departure from previous Tensor chips.
Earlier Tensor models (G1, G2, G3, G4), used in Pixel 6 through Pixel 9, are modified versions of Samsung's Exynos chips, produced by Samsung Foundry.
However, the Tensor G5 will reportedly be manufactured by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) using its advanced second-generation 3nm process.
The 3nm process refers to the size of components like transistors within the chip, with "nm" (nanometer) indicating a billionth of a meter. Smaller nm technology allows more transistors to fit on the chip, enhancing its efficiency and performance. Therefore, a 3nm chip is expected to outperform its 4nm predecessors.
Also, 3nm means "more expensive", as you can imagine. Cutting-edge technology comes with a price. The Pixel 9 line, for example, came with a price hike. The Pixel 9 costs $799 ($100 on top of the starting price of the Pixel 8). Similarly, the Pixel 9 Pro XL costs $100 more than the same-sized Pixel 8 Pro from last year: $1,099 vs. $999. So, if the Tensor G5 introduces another price hike, we could go off to uncharted territory.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max (and 14 Pro Max) came out for $1,199 for the 256GB model. If the iPhone 16 Pro Max and 17 Pro Max somehow magically retain this price, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL keeps on getting more and more expensive, we could really see Google asking more than Apple for a non-folding phone.
While people are excited about the Pixel 10 line and the Tensor G5, we must not ignore the fact that 2025's Tensor chip will be Google's first fully-developed one. So, mistakes could be made and rarely brands succeed at their first tryout. That's why second-gen technology is so much better than the first attempt.
Of course, there are plenty of things that make the upcoming Pixel 10 line worth the wait, as my colleague Alan has pointed out. Personally, I'm curious to see what the Pixel 9a – and Pixel 10a – will be all about. Google's "budget-friendly" (yes, the quotation marks are not random) phones have been getting really interesting, particularly the Pixel 8a.
This is the question that replaces caffeine for me this morning. It's wild to think that we might get to see Google, of all phone brands, release a (non-foldable) phone that's more expensive than Apple.
All eyes are on the upcoming Tensor G5, which is rumoured to be manufactured on the TSMC node.
— Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) August 18, 2024
The Pixel 9 series – the current state-of-the-art Google phones – all feature the Tensor G4 chipset, a collaborative effort between Google and Samsung.
Looking ahead, the Pixel 10's Tensor G5 is a chipset to be designed exclusively by Google.
This is a significant departure from previous Tensor chips.
Earlier Tensor models (G1, G2, G3, G4), used in Pixel 6 through Pixel 9, are modified versions of Samsung's Exynos chips, produced by Samsung Foundry.
However, the Tensor G5 will reportedly be manufactured by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) using its advanced second-generation 3nm process.
The 3nm process refers to the size of components like transistors within the chip, with "nm" (nanometer) indicating a billionth of a meter. Smaller nm technology allows more transistors to fit on the chip, enhancing its efficiency and performance. Therefore, a 3nm chip is expected to outperform its 4nm predecessors.
Also, 3nm means "more expensive", as you can imagine. Cutting-edge technology comes with a price. The Pixel 9 line, for example, came with a price hike. The Pixel 9 costs $799 ($100 on top of the starting price of the Pixel 8). Similarly, the Pixel 9 Pro XL costs $100 more than the same-sized Pixel 8 Pro from last year: $1,099 vs. $999. So, if the Tensor G5 introduces another price hike, we could go off to uncharted territory.
While people are excited about the Pixel 10 line and the Tensor G5, we must not ignore the fact that 2025's Tensor chip will be Google's first fully-developed one. So, mistakes could be made and rarely brands succeed at their first tryout. That's why second-gen technology is so much better than the first attempt.
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