Google reportedly breaks away from Qualcomm, opts for MediaTek modems in Pixel 10

Google has decided to break from its long-standing partnership with Qualcomm and instead utilize MediaTek's T900 modem in its Pixel 10 lineup. This decision marks a significant shift in Google's mobile strategy as the company looks to distance itself from reliance on Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms.

According to a source close to Google (via Android Authority), the search giant weighed all options for 5G modems available on the market, including Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75, which powers Apple's iPhone 16 series. However, Google has chosen MediaTek's T900 modem for its next-gen Pixel phones.

The T900 is part of MediaTek's "M85" generation of modems, which were expected to support the newest 3GPP Release 17 5G specifications and possibly even standards newer than that. Meanwhile, the previous "M80" series topped out at Release 16 support, making this a sizeable upgrade— beyond that high-level specification. However, details about the T900 are less clear.

In this regard, it is a bold move on Google's part to go with an unproven MediaTek solution when an option existed to use Qualcomm's modem technology. This shows that Google is increasingly focused on establishing its in-house mobile ecosystem, independent of any third-party chipset vendors.

The fact that Google's in-house Tensor chipsets have already started to reduce the company's reliance on partners like Samsung and the shift to a MediaTek modem suggests that will continue. However, the risk with an unproven solution like the T900 is that it may affect the connectivity performance and compatibility of the Pixel 10.

In other news, Google's new Tensor G5 will also come with some key camera upgrades. In particular, it said that the chip will support 4K 60fps HDR video, which the current Tensor G4 does only with a cap of 4K 30fps HDR. Also mentioned in the document, Pixel 11 could offer 100x zoom capability.

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