When Google took the wraps off the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, it stayed quiet about the Pixel Visual Core inside.
Eventually, it did reveal the hidden image processor, and now it has confirmed that Intel had a hand in its development.
What The Pixel Visual Core Brings To The Table
The Pixel Visual Core works alongside the Pixel 2's Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, and its initial purpose is simple: to improve the performance of the phones' HDR+ technology, which is touted to run five times faster and use up less than one-tenth the power compared with running on the application processor.
That's just one thing to expect from it, as it'll also increase the flagships' performance when it comes to artificial intelligence or AI in apps.
At the moment, the Pixel Visual Core isn't alive and kicking just yet, but Google is expected to flip the switch on the processor with the developer preview version of Android 8.1 Oreo, which should roll out any day.
Intel Confirmed To Have Helped Out With Pixel Visual Core
Nowadays, Google seems to like surprise people — or at the very least, keep things hidden, such as the Pixel 2's LED notification light. That's also evidenced by how it kept mum about who codeveloped the Pixel Visual Core, which is Intel. Perhaps there wasn't a good reason to announce that, but that's not important.
On an interesting note, repair outfit iFixit recently tore down the Pixel 2 XL, giving a closer look at how its squeezable sides work and, more importantly, the Pixel Visual Core.
It revealed that the processor was labeled "SR3HX." Some Intel chips start with "SR3," and because of that, some got curious about whether or not Intel had something to do with the component.
It was only a matter of time before someone got in touch with Google to ask about it, and that someone is the folks over at CNBC, who got a confirmation through an email from the Mountain View company that Intel did indeed codevelop the Pixel Visual Core. The Google rep also said that there wasn't a chip currently available in the industry that the company wanted for the Pixel 2, which explains why it reached out to another chip maker.
Intel declined to comment about the matter at hand, though.
The Bottom Line
Intel's foray into the mobile chip scene has been a bit shaky, but from the look of things, it's getting a stronger presence in the market by way of Google and the Pixel 2's Pixel Visual Core.
