More evidence that the Google Pixel 6 may ditch the search engine technology it has relied on Qualcomm's mobile chips for an in-house chip

We first heard about the "Whitechapel" processor last month, and now the mention has resurfaced: according to XDA Developers, a URL reserved for Android engineers mentions both Whitechapel and the GS101 with which it is associated It mentions both the model name

The URL was submitted to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) as part of a code change It turns out that a team is trying to update the SELinux policy for the OsloFeedback app responsible for the Pixel 4's Soli radar gestures Unfortunately, the URL itself is not publicly available, so one cannot hunt around for new information

The message also mentions a Google device, the P21, which is expected to be available later this year This device will most likely not be the Google Pixel 5a, which is rumored to be powered by the traditional Snapdragon chipset, with the Pixel 6 being the most likely candidate

The message does not give any specifics about what to expect from this chip, but XDA speculates that the "GS" line probably stands for "Google Silicon" 101" would indicate that it was probably the first one manufactured

This wouldn't be the first time Google has leaked information about new features in Android code, as when the Android 10 source code accidentally revealed that the Pixel 4 would have a 90Hz display While not very useful information, we can expect the Pixel 6 to be quite different from its predecessor, at least at the silicon level

Whether Google's own chips can replicate the success Apple experienced remains to be seen: not only do iPhone chips generally perform better than those made by Qualcomm, but they were the basis for Apple's M1 chip, now the latest MacBook, iMac 2021, iPad Pro 2021, and is a key part of the iPad Pro 2021

Also, Pixel devices have not always been about killer power, and the Pixel 5 used a mid-range chip rather than the best Qualcomm had to offer at the time So Google may not be as focused on power as Apple However, manufacturing its own chips means that Google can better optimize performance on its own devices, which could lead to better overall performance

We will just have to wait and see what happens, and no doubt we will have more information as the year progresses