With regards to shopping for a brand new cellphone, your handset’s modem could also be the very last thing in your thoughts. However Pixel customers have lengthy complained about mobile connectivity points with Google’s line of smartphones, and with the Pixel 9, the search big could lastly make an overdue improve.
The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Professional, and new bigger Pixel 9 Professional XL shall be geared up with a brand new modem, Android Authority stories. In keeping with an unnamed Google insider who spoke with the outlet, that modem shall be part of Tensor G4, coming first to the Pixel 9 sequence, and remains to be being sourced from Samsung. The subsequent-gen Samsung Modem 5400, up from the 5300 paired with Tensor G3 discovered on the Pixel 8 sequence, will even reportedly be used within the upcoming Pixel Fold 2 in addition to a beforehand unknown 5G-connected Pixel Pill codenamed “clementine.” In our Pixel Pill overview, we discovered Google’s first pill to be an awesome on-the-go machine however provided that you are ready to hook up with Wifi, because it doesn’t provide mobile connectivity.
The brand new modem will reportedly characteristic a software program improve, however how issues will change on the {hardware} facet stays unclear. One of many modem upgrades coming to the Pixel 9 sequence contains satellite tv for pc connectivity, Android Authority stories. It’s going to pack help for 3GPP Rel. 17, which brings help for 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN), or satellite-based communication in different phrases. With this, Pixel telephones with satellite tv for pc help would characteristic a Satellite tv for pc Gateway app to inform contacts and ship messages to emergency companies in occasions of disaster.
In recent times, Google has pivoted from the Qualcomm modems paired with Snapdragon processors present in earlier Pixel telephones in favor of Samsung modems, because the Google-designed Tensor and Tensor G2 processors are rooted closely in Samsung’s Exynos chips. The final time we noticed a real modem improve was from the Exynos Modem 5123 on the Pixel 6 to the Exynos Modem 5300 on the Pixel 7 and eight. And whereas the latter is enough for probably the most half, it has been dogged by complaints of being much less energy environment friendly and struggling in areas with low connection.
A irritating difficulty that, hopefully, the Pixel 9’s modem improve will repair. We’ll simply have to attend and see, because the Pixel 9 is not anticipated to drop till October 2024.
