It looks like Google is ready to follow Apple's example with the Pixel 6 and develop its own processor to power its latest smartphone.

This comes from 9to5Google, which claims that this fall's Pixel lineup will be the first to feature the GS101 Whitechapel chip, co-developed by Google and Samsung. 9to5Google, basing its report on documents confirming the move away from Qualcomm's Snapdragon system-on-chip.

This news does not come out of the blue. An Axios report last year claimed that Google and Samsung had begun a partnership to develop custom chipsets.

All previous Pixel phones have used Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset, but the Pixel 5 is a bit of a departure for Google. [With this phone, Google used the Snapdragon 765G.

As a result, the Pixel 5 was cheaper than many phones running on the Snapdragon 865, but it lagged behind those devices in terms of performance.

By creating its own processor, Google would have more control over its own hardware and could further differentiate the Pixel from other smartphones. Perhaps the chip could also be used in other Google products, including Chromebooks.

A further explanation for why Google might go its own way with processors would be none other than its biggest competitor, Apple. Apple's iPhones have long been powered by Apple-designed silicon, and Apple has the upper hand when it comes to device design.

iPhones with Apple's A-series chips routinely outperform the best Snapdragon chipsets in benchmark tests. Apple is taking chip manufacturing a step further by beginning to move Mac laptops to its own M1 processors.

According to documents seen by 9to5Google, Google is calling this chip the GS101. The chip is expected to be in two Google phones this fall: the Pixel 6 and a second model that could be its XL version.