Leaked details hint Google might go with a custom wearable Tensor chip in 2026. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Starting in 2026, Google might go in-house with a custom Tensor processor for the Pixel Watch 5.
The rumor comes courtesy of Android Authority, which cites leaked documents from Google’s gChips division. According to the leaked plans, the wearable Tensor chip, codenamed NPT, sports a core configuration of an ARM Cortex A78 and two Arm Cortex A55s. These are older CPU cores, but that’s a fairly typical move with wearable processors. Other than that, details are scant and it’s currently unknown which process node technology the planned wearable Tensor chip might have.
Chips aren’t usually as heavy a focus for smartwatches as they are for smartphones. So long as performance is snappy, smartwatch makers tend to focus on ways to prolong…