Google is putting a lot of effort into wooing iPhone users. The new Pixel 9 series looks a lot like the recently launched iPhones. That said, Pixels and iPhones run separate operating systems and are powered by different chipsets. So today, we compare their chipsets – Tensor G4 on the Pixel 9 Pro and A17 Pro on the iPhone 15 Pro – on multiple benchmarks like AnTuTu, Geekbench, 3DMark, etc. to find out which one performs better.
- Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: Specs Comparison
- Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: Geekbench 6 processor
- Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: AnTuTu benchmark
- Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: Extreme Stress Test with 3DMark Wild Life
- Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: Geekbench AI benchmark
- Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: 5G connectivity test
- Google Tensor G4 vs Apple A17 Pro: The Verdict
Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: Specs Comparison
| Specifications | Tensor G4 | A17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Eight-core processor (1+3+4) | Six-core processor (2+4) |
| Processor Cores | 1 x 3.10 GHz (Cortex-X4) 3 x 2.60 GHz (Cortex-A720) 4 x 1.95 GHz (Cortex-A520) | 2x 3.78 GHz (high-performance cores)4x 2.11 GHz (high-efficiency cores) |
| Process technology | Samsung 4nm | TSMC 3nm (N3B) |
| GPU | Mali-G715 MC7 GPU Up to 940 MHz | 6-core Apple Pro GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing |
| Machine Learning and AI | Google’s custom TPU (codenamed Rio) | 16-core Neural Engine35 TOPS |
| ISP | Google’s custom DSP (codenamed Callisto) | Apple-designed image signal processor |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6EBluetooth 5.3 |
| Modem | Samsung Exynos 5400 5G Modem Up to 14.79 Gbps peak download SOS via satellite | Snapdragon X70 5G ModemUp to 10 Gbps peak download speedUp to 3.5 Gbps peak upload speed |
| Others | AV1 Encoder and DecoderTitan M2 Security ChipUltra-wideband ChipNavIC | AV1 DecoderProRes CodecUltra-wideband chipNavIC |
Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: Geekbench 6 processor
In our first test that evaluates processor performance, the Google Tensor G4 doesn’t perform very well. scores 1,897 in the single-core test and 3,721 In the multi-core test, the Apple A17 Pro leads the market by a wide margin, achieving a single-core score of 2,897 (up 34%) and a multi-core score of 7,261 (a massive 49%). Mind you, Apple achieves this level of performance with only six cores, while the Tensor G4 has eight.
| Geekbench 6 Score | G4 Tensor | A17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Single core | 1,897 | 2,897 |
| Multi-core | 3,721 | 7,261 |
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Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: AnTuTu benchmark
In the AnTuTu benchmark, the The G4 tensor gets 1,253,407 points points while the Apple A17 Pro achieves 1,628,672 points. Therefore, the overall performance difference narrows to 23%. In the GPU department, the gap becomes even wider where the A17 Pro’s GPU leads by 26%. Apple’s 6-core GPU easily beats the 7-core Mali-G715 GPU, but we ran more tests to verify this result
| AnTuTu Reference | G4 Tensor | A17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu Score | 1,253,407 | 1,628,672 |
| Processor | 337 131 | 384 208 |
| GPU | 444 488 | 603 504 |
| Memory | 243 643 | 300 838 |
| UX | 228 145 | 340 122 |
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Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: Extreme Stress Test with 3DMark Wild Life
Next, in the intensive 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress test, the Tensor G4 underperforms again. The older 7-core ARM Mali-G715 GPU manages to achieve the best loop score of 2,590 points and the lowest loop score of 1,525 points. Stability remained at 58.9%.
The Apple A17 Pro, on the other hand, achieves the highest loop score of 4,110 and the lowest loop score of 2,820 with a stability of 68.6%. In this test, the A17 Pro’s GPU performs 36% better than the Tensor G4 GPU.
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | G4 Tensor | A17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Best loop score | 2,590 | 4 110 |
| Lowest loop score | 1,525 | 2,820 |
| Stability | 58.9% | 68.6% |
Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: Geekbench AI benchmark
In the Geekbench AI benchmark, the A17 Pro’s 16-core Neural Engine absolutely crushes the Tensor G4’s TPU. Whether in single precision, half-precision, or quantized score, the A17 Pro outperforms the Tensor G4 by 6x to 10x in all of these tests.
Even considering AI performance on CPU and GPU, the Apple A17 Pro delivers multiple gains compared to the Tensor G4. Overall, for on-device AI tasks, the A17 Pro’s Neural Engine performs much better than Google’s mobile TPU.
| Geekbench AI | Tensor G4 Processor | A17 Pro processor | Tensor G4 GPU | A17 Pro GPU | G4 TPU/NPU Tensor | Neural Engine/NPU A17 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Accuracy Score | 1,883 | 3,969 | 720 | 4,928 | 289 | 3,878 |
| Half-accuracy score | 1,837 | 6,855 | 825 | 5,581 | 4 145 | 21,324 |
| Quantified score | 2,899 | 5,976 | 772 | 4,384 | 6 103 | 26 213 |
Tensor G4 vs A17 Pro: 5G connectivity test
Now, let’s move on to our 5G speed test. The A17 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X70 5G modem, which translates to much better radio connectivity. It achieves a maximum download/upload speed of 468Mbps and 20.1Mbps, respectively.
The Tensor G4 now comes with the upgraded Samsung Exynos 5400 5G modem, which manages a maximum download speed of 174.8 Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 35.1 Mbps. For mobile connectivity, iPhones and Snapdragon-powered phones continue to offer better bandwidth than the Pixel 9 series.
Google Tensor G4 vs Apple A17 Pro: The Verdict
When it comes to raw performance, the Apple A17 Pro has the most powerful CPU of any mobile chipset on the market, not just the Tensor G4. Its 6-core GPU is also considerably more capable than the old Mali GPU in the Tensor G4. Not to mention that Apple’s Neural Engine is an order of magnitude faster than Google’s TPU in the Tensor G4.
Finally, when it comes to mobile connectivity, the A17 Pro also outshines the rest, as it packs Qualcomm’s 5G modem. In all segments, the A17 Pro outperforms the Tensor G4. So, to conclude, there is simply no competition between the A17 Pro and the Tensor G4 on paper or in the real world. If you want a smartphone with a powerful chipset, you should get an iPhone rather than a Pixel.
