Google Pixel 2 XXL Taimen Performance Scores Emerge, Single-Core Ratings Disappoint Fans
The current year would see the release of numerous flagship devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the iPhone 8, and the OnePlus 5. One particular flagship series, however, would possibly be the dark horse of the mobile market this year — the Google Pixel 2, the Google Pixel XL and the rumored Google Pixel XXL. While details about these upcoming handsets remain few, a benchmark leak from what appears to be a Pixel XXL prototype has surfaced, and its single-core performance has disappointed quite a number of Google’s fans.
Google’s Pixel 2 series is speculated to carry the codenames Walleye, Muskie, and Taimen. The search giant has a reputation of associating the size of its devices with their codenames. Thus, considering the names given to the upcoming handsets, it appears that Taimen would be the largest of the three, with Muskie and Walleye being progressively more compact. Interestingly, the Taimen codename has appeared on Geekbench, carrying the benchmark scores of an unreleased device equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 1.9GHz octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM and Android O.
The unreleased device, simply named Google Taimen by the benchmarking site, was indeed equipped with powerful specs. If any, it appeared to be completely on par with the internals of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, Samsung’s first 2017 flagship. Unfortunately, the single-core score of the Google Taimen has been quite disappointing for numerous mobile enthusiasts, since the device failed to fully match the performance of the Galaxy S8, according to a BGR report. According to the benchmark tests, the Google Taimen scored 1,804 in single-core tests and 6,248 in multi-core tests. The Taimen’s single-core scores are notably lower than the Galaxy S8’s 1,929 single-core score, though its multi-core ratings are higher than the Samsung flagship’s 6,084 multi-core score.
The Google Taimen also compared adequately to Sony’s flagship for the year, the upcoming Xperia XZ Premium, beating the device in multi-core performance. Just like the Taimen and the Galaxy S8, the Sony flagship is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and 4GB of RAM. Ultimately, the Xperia XZ Premium earned 1,943 single-core and 5,824 multi-core during tests by the benchmarking site.
Of course, the relatively comparable scores of the Google Taimen could simply be attributed to the fact that the device utilized in the benchmarking tests was a prototype of the upcoming flagship. If this particular factor is kept in mind, the Taimen’s scores in comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Sony Xperia XZ Premium are not bad at all. If any, the scores show a device that has the potential to be one of the most powerful mobile devices in the market this year.
Avid fans of the search giant had also stated that the benchmark scores of Google Taimen could also refer to the fact that the upcoming device would not be a smartphone at all, but a flagship tablet that is set to succeed the Pixel C or the Nexus 9. Inasmuch as this would be interesting, however, Google’s tablet line has been defined by their Nvidia Tegra chips and powerhouse specs. Thus, the Taimen’s 4GB of RAM might be a bit too little to provide ample memory for a flagship tablet.
The Google Pixel 2 series is definitely coming this year, and if speculations are correct, it appears that the search giant would be releasing three devices under the same badge this year. If Google could make these devices unique, powerful, and most of all, balanced, there is a pretty good chance that the upcoming Google flagships might be capable of giving the mobile industry’s top devices a run for their money.
[Featured Image by Eric Risberg/AP Images]
