Your Pixel phone quietly got a big boost in GPU performance in the latest Android update

Pixel phones with Tensor chips are seeing significant increases in GPU benchmark scores, likely due to GPU driver updates

Mar 20, 2025 - 20:56
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Your Pixel phone quietly got a big boost in GPU performance in the latest Android update
  • Multiple Pixel phone users are reporting significant boosts in Geekbench GPU scores after updating to the Android 16 beta.
  • Android Authority can confirm that Pixel phones are performing better in this benchmark since launch, but that this is also the case on the most recent Android 15 stable release.
  • The reason for this performance increase hasn’t been confirmed but likely has to do with recent GPU driver updates.

While Google Pixel phones certainly aren’t the cream of the crop when it comes to raw GPU performance, they can still play most of the best mobile games and handle a lot of graphically demanding tasks. They may not perform as well as other flagship phones with different chipsets, though. However, all hope’s not lost for Pixel fans, because GPU performance isn’t set in stone from the factory. Post-launch software updates can eke out more performance from the GPU, and recent Android updates appear to have given Pixel phones a big boost in GPU performance.

Pixel users on Reddit’s /r/Pixel_Phones community recently reported achieving significantly higher Geekbench 6 GPU scores. The increase is particularly evident in Vulkan API benchmark results, compared to historical Pixel Geekbench 6 averages. Typically, benchmarking is performed around a device’s launch, so the average score likely reflects initial performance. Seeing percent increases like 62% for a Pixel 7a, 31% for a Pixel 8, and 32% for a Pixel 9 highlights a significant improvement across the board.