Google Pixel 11 phones to use MediaTek 5G modem instead of Samsung

Google Pixel 11 modem situation has been quietly building for months, and now supply chain documents appear to have confirmed what the industry was already whispering: MediaTek is in, Samsung is out.

Every Pixel since Google launched its custom Tensor chips has run on Samsung’s Exynos modem. Even when Google moved Tensor G5 production to TSMC in 2025, it kept Samsung’s modem on board.

Google Pixel 11 phones use MediaTek 5G modem

MediaTek didn’t just edge out Samsung here. It beat Samsung and Qualcomm during Google’s evaluation process. The Pixel 11 reportedly spans four models, and MediaTek’s modem chips are going into all of them.

Following its entry into the Pixel 11, MediaTek is expected to maintain its steady partnership with Google while expanding its design-win share among other major US clients.

MediaTek cracked Apple’s supply chain in 2025 too, winning Apple Watch modem components. The company’s external modem business, long overshadowed by its integrated SoC work, is looking like a serious revenue arm.

Google didn’t just swap suppliers for cost reasons or experimental flair. Samsung was tested, evaluated, and passed over. Samsung’s Exynos modem division, already battered by its own SoC struggles, just lost one of its most visible Western customers.