It sounds like Google has a technical challenge on its hands to bring Pixel 6 features to older phones.
One thing that you can count on with new Pixel flagship launches is that at least some of the newest features will come to older Pixel phones. We saw that with the astrophotography mode, Cinematic Pan option, and Call Screening, to name a few.
The Pixel 6 range is a slighty different case though, as Google is leaning heavily on its in-house Tensor processor for some of these features. These features include Live Translate, Motion Mode, and more. Now, Google has revealed whether some Pixel 6 features could come to older devices.
“As with all Pixel features, we aim to bring as many features as possible to older Pixels where technically possible — though it might take some time to develop and offer a different experience,” a Google representative told Android Authority.
“Some technologies will require additional technical investments, such as Live Translate, as our on-device language models are engineered to run on Pixel 6’s proprietary Tensor chip on TPU (which older Pixel models don’t have),” the representative continued.
“We currently do not have a firm date for rollout to older Pixels at this point in time, but stay tuned for future announcements.”
In other words, it seems like Google is well aware that it will need to work on finding ways to port some of the latest Pixel 6 features to the older Pixels. But we’re guessing that the transition to custom silicon could mean some new features simply don’t make it to older Pixels. Here’s hoping Google proves us wrong.
