One of the biggest criticisms of the latest Pixel devices has been the underwhelming SoC tensor. The recently announced Pixel 7a is no exception with its Tensor G2. However, the famous leaker @Za_Raczke spotted an interesting difference between the Tensor G2 variant used in the Pixel 7 and its A-brand variant.
Google’s code contains references to the Tensor G2 variant, which is specific to the Pixel 7a Tensor G2. It uses IPOP (Interposer Package on Package), an old packaging method from 2008, as opposed to FOPLOP (Fan Out Panel Level Packaging) from 2020 on the Pixel 7. Another leak: RGCloudSclaims that FOPLOP offers better electrical and thermal performance and greater transistor density compared to IPOP.
However, the difference in performance is negligible in practice, as our extensive review of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7a confirmed. The effects are noticeable in thermals though, as the Pixel 7a gets significantly hotter (up to 48.3C/119F) than the Pixel 7 (up to 43.2C/110F). However, an apple-to-apple comparison would not be fair since the two smartphones use different cooling methods.
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