Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A new leak claims Google is preparing to upgrade the Linux kernel on most Tensor-based Pixel phones to version 6.12.
- The new kernel could potentially bring real performance and efficiency improvements, thanks in part to Google’s AutoFDO.
- Judging by the leak, the Pixel 6 will not receive the update.
It looks like Pixel phones are in for another kernel upgrade. A new leak claims that Google’s getting ready to update the Linux kernel Android is built over on Pixel 7, 8, 9, and 10, and while kernel updates don’t bring new user-facing features, the version Pixel phones are upgrading to could still make for performance improvements.
A post in the Mystic Leaks Telegram channel claims that most Tensor-powered Pixels will soon receive an upgrade to kernel version 6.12, citing an unnamed Google source. Per the leak, the Pixel 6 will not get this update.
Pixel 7, Pixel 8, and Pixel 9 phones are currently on 6.1-android14, while the Pixel 10 series is on 6.6-android15. Once the update lands, Mystic Leaks claims, they should all be on version 6.12-android16.
As for what that’ll mean for end users, we can’t exactly say yet. Newer kernels bring under-the-hood performance tweaks and efficiency improvements, but historically, they haven’t come with dramatic real-world gains.
But Google announced earlier this year that it’s been working to implement what it calls Automatic Feedback-Directed Optimization (AutoFDO) in 6.12-android16 kernels. Google says AutoFDO facilitates faster app launches and smoother performance, among other benefits, by optimizing at the kernel level based on real-world execution patterns. If that all holds up in the wild, this particular kernel update could be a pretty meaningful one.
Linux version 6.12’s hallmark new feature is real-time processing support, which, prior to 6.12’s introduction in 2024, had been in development as a patchset outside mainline Linux for decades. That’s a big get for Linux generally, though it’s not clear how that new capability will affect Pixel phones, if at all.
Pixel phones’ last big kernel update came in March of last year, when Pixel 6, 7, and 8 series devices, as well as the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold, were updated to version 6.1, the same version the Pixel 9 series launched with. Some users did report noticeable performance and efficiency gains following that update, so hopefully the jump to 6.12 will be an appreciable improvement, too.
We don’t know when this update is meant to take place. Given the leak claims the Pixel 6 won’t be included, though, it stands to reason that the new kernel will come as part of Android 17 QPR2. We’re expecting that update to land in December, just a couple of months after the Pixel 6’s five-year update guarantee runs out.
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