Pixel 10 Finally Gets Long-Awaited PowerVR GPU Driver Upgrade

Google's Pixel 10 series is finally getting its long-awaited GPU driver update with Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1. The update introduces Imagination Technologies' v25.1 PowerVR driver, which boasts Vulkan 1.4 support, Android 16 compatibility, and expanded OpenCL extensions to help fix the months-long performance complaints from owners.

The Pixel 10 series launched with Tensor G5's new PowerVR GPU but ran an outdated v24.3 driver. Users didn't take long to report poor gaming performance, frame drops in demanding titles, and throttling issues, despite the chip's on-paper capability. Imagination Technologies released a newer v25.1 driver in August 2025 with Android 16 and Vulkan 1.4 support, but Google did not include it at launch or in the Android 16 QPR2 update that arrived earlier this month.

Last week, a Reddit user found that the QPR3 Beta 1 now uses driver version 1.634.2906 ...