Pixel 5 apparently showing impressive GPU performance gains after latest update

Turns out the April security patch is not the only thing to look forward to in Google’s latest Pixel update. Multiple reports now suggest that the Pixel 5 is exhibiting some impressive GPU performance gains after getting the new update.

The Snapdragon 765G-powered phone previously registered much weaker results in GPU benchmarks conducted by AnandTech. After the recent update, the publication’s reviewer Andrei Frumusanu says that performance on the Pixel 5 has “essentially doubled.”

Andreas Proschofsky, Editor at The Standard, also reran some benchmarks on the phone and noted that the results are “30-50% better” compared to what they were back in March.

His Pixel 5 scored around 2278/2260 on the graphic performance tests in 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme before the update. After installing the update, the phone scored 3286/3083 in the same test.

Of course, benchmarks don’t always translate into real-world performance. Google mentioned in its update changelog that it is introducing “performance optimization for certain graphics-intensive apps and games.” However, we haven’t found any testers mentioning specific games or apps that are functioning better owing to the update.

One theory that Proschofsky has is that Google probably did some kind of throttling earlier because the Pixel 5’s GPU performance was always below expected results for Snapdragon 765G phones. Folks over at XDA Developers are digging into what really caused the benchmark regression. We’ll update this article if and when we know more. Until then, get the update and let us know in the comments section if you notice any actual differences.