The Pixel 10 lineup will be Google’s first flagship smartphone series to switch foundry partners, with the Tensor G5 powering the three models reportedly being mass produced on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, also known as ‘N3E.’ Samsung will probably not be an option to manufacture future chipsets, because the Mountain View behemoth’s executives had recently visited Taiwan to secure a deal with the world’s largest semiconductor firm for up to five years. This partnership is expected to include the Pixel 11’s Tensor G6, and surprisingly, Google will keep pace with the competition in 2026 because the SoC will reportedly use TSMC’s 2nm process.

Based on the latest report, Google will skip TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process and jump straight to the 2nm node for Pixel 11’s Tensor G6

TSMC opened up its 2nm orders from April 1, but there was no mention of which customers will opt for this technology. Our guess is that Apple will be the first to secure the initial wafer batch, given how it requires millions of chipsets on advanced lithography to have an edge in this competitive race. Now, China Times reports that another TSMC customer that will take advantage of the 2nm lithography is Google, and surprisingly, the company will skip the N3P node and move to a significantly more advanced lithography with the Tensor G6.

However, this decision could be a costly move for Google, because the company does not even close to shipping the same volume of smartphones as its competitors Apple and Samsung, so shifting to TSMC’s 2nm process for the Tensor G6 means that the latter could be an expensive SoC to produce. Fortunately, the company could rekindle its business partnership with Samsung for its 2nm GAA process, as the Exynos 2600’s prototype has entered trial production, with the Korean giant’s initial yield target for the next few months said to be 50 percent.

Then again, given how reliable TSMC has been as a foundry partner for a bevy of customers, Google might absorb the excessive wafer costs and exclusively place Tensor G6 orders for the 2nm process. For now, we recommend readers to treat this report with a pinch of salt, because Google could investigate its costing structure in the future and decide that it wants to utilize TSMC’s 3nm N3P node for the Tensor G6 and save millions in the process.