Opinion post by
Robert Triggs
Rumor has it that the Google Pixel 6 will debut Google’s long-rumored custom smartphone silicon, codenamed “Whitechapel.” In other words, the Pixel 6 appears set to ditch Qualcomm’s Snapdragon brand for something built in-house with the help of Samsung’s System Large-scale Integration (SLSI) division. Those are the folks at Samsung that integrate CPU cores, memory, modems, and other integrated circuit components into a single silicon chip (SoC).
Pundits have been quick to peg the story as Google finally taking on Apple’s processing dominance. Meanwhile, Pixel fans are already dreaming up the perfect silicon features to fit their perfect phone. As with all potentially major industry shifts, it’s important to take stock of the big picture, evaluate what’s possible, and reign in those lofty initial expectations.