Future Technology[Hardware Weekly] Google's phone chip beats everyone to 2nm
Google finally has a phone chip nobody else can match on paper, Nvidia wants to put a data centre in your backpack, and AMD is quietly building a 256 core answer to Intel. Here is what actually matters this week.
The Big 3
Google's Pixel 11 line lands with the first 2nm phone chip
Google unveiled the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL and 11 Pro Fold on 12 August 2026, all running the Tensor G6, the first smartphone chip built on TSMC's 2nm N2 process. Google claims 25 percent faster web browsing and 15 percent faster app launches over the Tensor G5, plus a new Titan M3 security chip and a 256GB storage floor across the range. US prices run from 899 dollars for the base Pixel 11 to 1,899 dollars for the Pro Fold, with general availability from 20 August 2026.
Why it matters: everyone else is still shipping 3nm silicon. Whether Google's software makes proper use of the process lead is the real question, and it will take independent benchmarks to answer it.
Nvidia wants to put a data centre chip inside your laptop
Nvidia's RTX Spark Superchip, unveiled at Computex 2026, fuses a 20 core Grace CPU with a Blackwell RTX GPU, 128GB of unified memory and up to 1 petaflop of AI compute. Nvidia says it can run 120 billion parameter AI models locally and hit above 100fps at 1440p in current games. Laptops and compact desktops arrive fall 2026 from Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft Surface and MSI, with Morgan Stanley pricing flagship models near 2,899 dollars.
Why it matters: this is Nvidia's pitch that a laptop can replace what people currently rent from the cloud for AI work. Big claim, no independent numbers yet, so treat it as a promise until reviewers get their hands on one.
AMD's Zen 6 Venice CPU is aiming a 256 core rifle at Intel's data centre business
AMD's enterprise roadmap confirms the Zen 6 based EPYC Venice CPU, scaling up to 256 cores, arriving alongside the Instinct MI400 series AI and HPC accelerators later in 2026. This sits on top of AMD's existing Helios rack platform push, aimed squarely at the same hyperscaler customers Nvidia and Intel are chasing.
Why it matters: core count wars in the data centre rarely make headlines the way consumer GPUs do, but this is where the actual money is. AMD closing the gap here matters more to your cloud bill than to your desktop.
Quick Hits
Budget battery beast: the POCO M8 Power 5G launches this week with an 8000mAh battery, 45W charging and a 7-inch 120Hz OLED display. More on the launch.
Seven years later: Vivo revives its S-series in India with the Vivo S2, unveiled 6 August and on shelves from 11 August. Details here.
Every RTX GPU gets smarter upscaling: Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction ships this month with a second generation transformer model that unifies denoising and Super Resolution into one network. More from Tom's Hardware.
Samsung's ears are open: reports point to Samsung developing open-ear earbuds, tentatively called Galaxy Buds Able, aimed at people who hate in-ear tips. More on what's coming.
Pick of the Week
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Bose's second generation QuietComfort Ultra ships 2 October 2026 for 449 dollars, with USB-C wired lossless audio, reworked noise cancellation modes, and a genuine battery life bump over the 2023 original. This is for anyone who wants the best over ear noise cancelling on the market and does not mind paying for it. Skip it if you already own the first-gen Ultra and are happy with it, the upgrade is real but not transformative. Preorder now through Bose and you can catch a 50 dollar discount if you buy before 23 August 2026.
Buy from Bose. No affiliate link available for this product yet, so this is a straight recommendation, not a commission.
Worth Waiting For
Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar
Spotted across regulatory filings in multiple countries, the T-Rex Dual Solar adds solar charging to Amazfit's rugged watch line and is expected in early September 2026. Solar charging on a rugged outdoor watch is a genuinely useful feature rather than a gimmick, if the panel is efficient enough to matter in real use. Confirmed: the solar charging hardware and the filing dates. Rumour: exact pricing and full spec sheet. Track the latest here.
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Happy building.
Nath, Future Technology
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