It looks like Google is making a rare but very welcome update to some of the best Pixel phones you can buy: it's apparently preparing a kernel update for every Pixel with a Tensor chipset, which is the Google Pixel 6 from 2021 onwards.
This is coming from a serial informant. Mishaal Rahman (via Android Central), who spotted signs of the impending update in comments attached to a recent Android update, left by Google software engineers.
In simple terms, the core of a chipset is the low-level software that runs directly on top of the hardware: the basic code that communicates between the silicon and the Android operating system. The kernel is involved in almost everything that happens on a phone, from memory management to security controls.
In the case of Google's Pixel processors, the cores are based on Linux. Tensor G1 and G2 Pixels are currently running Linux 5.10, while Tensor G3 Pixels (Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro) are on Linux 5.15. It seems that all of these models, and the upcoming Google Pixel 9, will soon move to Linux 6.1.
Heck, Google may be planning to push a major kernel update to all of its Pixel (Tensor-powered) phones! Current Tensor Pixels can be updated to the Linux 6.1 kernel, according to comments left in an AOSP patch by Google engineers. Tensor G1 and G2 Pixels are currently running on Linux 5.10,… pic.twitter.com/DyTXg09SsPJanuary 9, 2024
Behind the scenes improvements
Because this software code is a fundamental part of how a phone works, it's typically never updated on existing phones: new versions require a lot of work to test and implement so that unexpected problems don't appear in the way a phone works. . The phone works.
However, these kernel updates can bring many benefits. They ensure compatibility with newer components, help protect against the latest security threats, and can improve device efficiency.
There's no clue as to when exactly this kernel update might arrive, but it should improve your Pixel phone when it does. However, all improvements will be made behind the scenes; Don't expect a new list of features like we get with Android updates.
When the time comes, Google should roll out these kernel updates over the air, the same way Android updates are applied. You won't have to do anything to install them except reset your phone when prompted.
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