Is Google Ditching Samsung's Modem After Six Years?

Leaks reveal the Pixel 11 will run a first ever 2nm Tensor G6 chip and finally drop its Samsung modem for MediaTek's M90

13 July 2026 2 days ago 2 min read
M
Media Wing (LetsxOtt)
Journalist
13 July 2026 · 2 days ago
2 min read
Is Google Ditching Samsung's Modem After Six Years?
Source: LetsXott
   Google's next Pixel phones are about to get a chip nobody else has used yet. Leaks point to the Pixel 11,Pixel 11 Pro,Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold all running a new Tensor G6,and it's built on TSMC's 2nm process, which would make it the first smartphone chip ever to use that node.That's a real jump from the 3nm node found in last year's Tensor G5, and there's a new modem coming too, one that's been rumored for months and might finally fix Google's biggest hardware headache.

   The Tensor G6 runs a seven core layout instead of the usual eight, with a single ARM C1 Ultra core at 4.11GHz paired with four C1 Pro cores at 3.38GHz and two more at 2.65GHz for efficiency. Graphics come from a PowerVR CXTP-48-1536 GPU, which is a real change since Google's leaned on Arm Mali chips for years. Some early reactions call the GPU pick a bit cautious, and honestly, that tracks with how Pixel phones have handled gaming in the past. Titan M3 covers security, a new TPU handles on device AI work, and a fresh image processor rounds things out. Battery numbers floating around put the standard Pixel 11 at 4,840mAh, oddly bigger than the Pro model's 4,707mAh cell, and storage might shift too, with the 128GB base tier reportedly getting dropped for 256GB as the new starting point. But the modem is really the story here. Google looks set to drop the Samsung Exynos modem, the same one blamed for years of dropped calls and weak signal indoors, in favor of MediaTek's M90, model number MT6986D, which handles sub 6 and mmWave 5G, dual sim with both lines active, and satellite connectivity for emergencies. And after six years stuck with Exynos modems, that swap alone might matter more to daily users than the fancy 2nm chip does.

   Google hasn't confirmed a date , but the Pixel 11 lineup is widely expected to launch in August,following the same late summer pattern as the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 before it.

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