Google is preparing to make radical changes in the supply chain for its Pixel series smartphones. The company, which has been heavily dependent on Samsung’s modems, display panels, chip design and camera sensors since the Pixel 6 model, is taking an important step towards reducing this dependence. The Pixel 10 series, which is expected to be released in 2025, will stop using Samsung’s modems and switch to MediaTek’s new generation T900 5G modem. In addition to being a turning point in Google’s hardware strategy, this change could also affect competitive dynamics in the industry.
The Pixel 10 series, which will come with Google’s new Tensor G5 processor, reveals that the company has evolved in a different direction in modem supply. This chip, which will be produced by TSMC, is completely separated from the production processes of Samsung Foundry, which Google has been using for years. Thus, Google’s dependence on Samsung not only in chip production but also in modem technology will be significantly reduced. The switch to MediaTek’s T900 modem may not be limited to just providing a performance increase; It can also offer significant advantages in terms of power consumption.
Why weren’t Samsung’s Exynos modems preferred?
Samsung’s Exynos modems have frequently come to the fore with power consumption problems in the past. These modems used in Pixel 6, Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 models were less energy efficient compared to competing devices. Although Samsung has resolved these problems to some extent with the Exynos 5400 model, Google has sought a long-term solution. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon modems were considered as an alternative, but this option was eliminated due to high cost. In this context, it is stated that MediaTek offers a more affordable and technically satisfactory solution.
Initial reports of MediaTek’s T900 modem indicate that the chip is based on the company’s M85 generation modem IP and supports 3GPP’s version 17 5G standards. These features could provide a significant improvement in the Pixel 10’s 5G connectivity capabilities. Additionally, this solution offered by MediaTek allows Google to make more customizations in chip design.
Google’s collaboration with MediaTek could affect not only the performance of Pixel devices but also their pricing strategy. There are currently only three major players in the 5G modem market: MediaTek, Qualcomm and Samsung. In this limited competitive environment, working with MediaTek offers both cost advantage and innovation opportunity for Google. On the other hand, Samsung’s withdrawal from Pixel devices can be considered a significant loss for the South Korean company.