Google Pixel 11a and Pixel Tablet 3 to have inferior chips compared to the flagship Pixels

According to a new rumor, Google will only launch a new Pixel tablet every two years. The Pixel Tablet 2 is thus coming in 2025, and the Pixel Tablet 3 in 2027. Also in 2027, the company will launch the affordable Pixel 11a.

These two devices will theoretically use the same Tensor chip as the flagship Pixel line, but in practice things won't quite be identical. Google is allegedly going to fuse off defective parts of the TPU to save chips that normally would have to be discarded. These chips will then be used in the Pixel 11a and Pixel Tablet 3.

Thus, they could have reduced AI performance compared to the flagship Pixel smartphones. This move would create a gap in performance between devices. This could be felt in the form of an actual performance difference, or it could mean that some features won't be available to the Pixel 11a and Pixel Tablet 3.

The Pixel 9a also has a downgraded modem compared to the other Pixel 9 phones, and that trend could very well continue into the future.

All of this said, keep in mind we're in 2024 and talking about 2027 here - these devices aren't even in development yet, so obviously a lot can change between now and then.

The Pixel Tablet 3 is also said to come with an extra USB-C port, which will support DisplayPort output with up to two displays when used with daisy-chaining.