9to5Google can report today that Google’s upcoming phones for this fall, including the presumed Pixel 6, will be among the first devices to run on the “GS101” Whitechapel chip.
[…]First rumored in early 2020, Whitechapel is an effort on Google’s part to create their own systems on a chip (SoCs) to be used in Pixel phones and Chromebooks alike, similar in to how Apple uses their own chips in the iPhone and Mac. Google was said to be co-developing Whitechapel with Samsung, whose Exynos chips rival Snapdragon processors in the Android space.
Per that report, Google would be ready to launch devices with Whitechapel chips as soon as 2021. According to documentation viewed by 9to5Google, this fall’s Pixel phones will indeed be powered by Google’s Whitechapel platform.
Google’s been hinting at this for a few years now. I’m curious to see how these will stack up against Apple’s and Qualcomm’s chips, because unlike what some people seem to think, Google has a lot of experience designing and building chips – just not for consumer devices.
Let’s also hope that the Pixel 6 will not be as much cursed by the ugly stick as the previous Pixels. I mean, Pixel phones have too much HTC DNA in them which results in bigger bezels. Take away HTC’s excellent industrial design, and you are left with pretty much nothing in terms of attractiveness.
Let’s be real for a moment: We know this phone will not be cheap, so Google is essentially selling to the vanity crowd and the few people who want stock Android. That’s why I am concerned about industrial design.