David Imel / Android AuthorityIt’s been roughly five years since Google first dropped Snapdragon silicon in Pixel phones in favor of its Tensor processors. But the more I thought about this possibility, the more I realized this probably wouldn’t be a great move for Pixel phones. Pixels with Snapdragon chips would certainly see big performance and battery gains, but this would come at a literal cost. That means the Pixel 7a used the Pixel 7’s processor, the Pixel 8a used the Pixel 8’s chipset, and you get the picture. History also shows that Snapdragon silicon isn’t immune to overheating, suggesting that Snapdragon-toting Pixel phones could run hot in some years.