Yesterday, Google began delivering its latest feature update for Pixel phones, which includes AI and productivity-oriented enhancements. The new update also has an added bonus that will greatly benefit the phone's performance, especially where the GPU is concerned.

The Pixel 8 has been criticized for how poor the performance upgrades are, despite significant gains in computing and graphics performance in benchmark tests. Heavy workloads like gaming have been particularly criticized, especially when compared to performance on the best Android phones.

The latest degradation also includes an updated kernel driver for the Tensor G3's Arm Mali-G715 GPU, which according to Android Police has led to early favorable reviews, especially when playing Genshin Impact.

The site quotes one user who claims that the game's frame rate jumped from 20-25 FPS to 45 FPS without generating any extra heat. This is quite an accomplishment; YouTuber TechDroider also noticed an improvement after installing Android 14 QPR2 beta 1.1, stating that Fortnite now runs at 60 FPS consistently at the highest graphics settings

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The new drivers may also help with the slow scrolling that some Pixel 8 users have reported in the weeks since the Pixel 8 was released. In other words, it won't just benefit hardcore mobile gamers.

Android Police states that all Tensor-equipped Pixels will also receive the new mali GPU driver. Whether the improvements are as pronounced as in Pixel 8 is unclear, but the upgrade should still be there.

Of course, this does not mean that Tensor G3 will magically be able to compete with the Apple A17 Pro or Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Still, improvements, especially in a relatively underpowered chip like the Tensor chipset, can only be a good thing for Pixel owners.