5 hours ago
5
Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL
ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- The latest Pixel flagships are priced the aforesaid arsenic past year, but get meaningful upgrades crossed the board.
- The Pro XL model, with its basal retention of 256GB and faster wired and wireless charging, is the champion Pixel telephone close now.
- You'll conscionable person to settee for the aforesaid plan and camera hardware arsenic past year.
Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.
It's hard to judge that we're officially astatine twelvemonth 10 for the Google Pixel, but adjacent conscionable a look backmost astatine the past 3 generations of the hunt giant's telephone lineup paints a wide representation of its maturity and wherever things are headed.
Case successful point, the Pixel 10 Pro series, consisting of the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL, is, astatine archetypal glance, a harmless upgrade. Their designs look astir identical to past year's models, you'll conflict to spot the differences successful specs betwixt the 10th and 9th generations, and they're priced squarely successful the threshold of modern flagships.
Also: I compared the Pixel 10 Pro to each older Google flagship exemplary - the biggest upgrades
But they besides person a software suite that genuinely advances the mode we interact with our smartphones -- oregon astatine least, that was my takeaway aft utilizing the phones for the past week. With the Pixel 10 bid (standard exemplary included), I've ne'er been much convinced that AI connected phones is present to stay. It doesn't person to beryllium forced, intrusive, oregon excessive; it conscionable has to beryllium intelligent capable to cognize its place.
Before I dive into each the AI madness, there's a captious taxable that deserves conscionable arsenic overmuch attention: eSIM. It's the archetypal hurdle each caller Pixel 10 proprietor (in the US) volition brushwood -- whether they're switching from an older Pixel oregon jumping vessel from an iPhone -- and thankfully, it's 1 Google has made amazingly painless.
To comparison the setup processes, I ported my carnal SIM from T-Mobile onto the Pixel 10 Pro XL and my secondary eSIM from Mint Mobile onto the Pixel 10 Pro. Both methods took little than 5 minutes and were lone a fewer QR codification scans distant from moving cellular connections.
Also: Google made a bold determination with the Pixel 10, adjacent if it's not evident yet. Here's why
I'd ne'er had a much burdenless enactment astatine my section bearer shop, but thing did drawback maine disconnected guard. At 1 point, the T-Mobile subordinate congratulated maine connected switching to a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. That's not a typo. With the Pixel 10 Pro series, the year-over-year quality successful hardware plan is astatine an all-time low, and I don't blasted Google for that -- oregon the subordinate for mixing up the models.
The Pixel 10 Pro successful Moonstone (left) and Pixel 10 Pro XL successful Jade (right).
The contoured edges inactive greet your fingers with a lukewarm embrace, the polished aluminum framework exudes premium, and the camera barroom perpetually reminds you however earnestly Google takes its mobile optics.
Allow maine to pursuit my geekery with 1 of the fewer downsides of this year's Pixel design: the weight. At 232 grams, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is 1 of the heaviest phones connected the market, beating my erstwhile regular driver, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (218 grams), and iPhone 16 Pro Max (227 grams). The telephone isn't needfully apical oregon bottom-heavy, either, meaning you'll consciousness the dilatory build-up of wrist strain nary substance however you clasp the instrumentality up.
Google tells maine determination are respective reasons wherefore its phones measurement much this year, which I tin lone motion successful support to. First, the Pixel 10 Pro bid features upgraded apical and bottommost speakers, producing a alteration successful loudness that I noticed astir instantly erstwhile playing my accustomed look videos by J. Kenji López-Alt successful the kitchen.
The Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL besides person larger 4,870 and 5,200mAh batteries, respectively, up from past year's 4,700 and 5,070mAh capacities. Throughout the weekend, I was ending my days with astir 35% of artillery remaining connected the XL model, a insignificant but inactive appreciated betterment implicit its predecessor. The faster 45W wired charging, exclusive to the XL, was different invited touch.
Perhaps the biggest caller feature, and the 1 that whitethorn beryllium astir effectual successful convincing iPhone users to power over, is Pixelsnap, a strategy of in-body magnets that tin propulsion successful wireless powerfulness astatine the Qi2 standard. Think MagSafe for Android. This enables the phones to drawback onto the thousands of magnet-based accessories connected the market, from tripod stands to wallet cases to charging docks.
Also: The champion Google Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro cases of 2025
Google has afloat embraced the exertion by offering a slew of surface savers that look erstwhile you're charging its Pixel 10 phones. These see a full-scale upwind display, a Google Photos slideshow, astute location controls, and a clock. As idiosyncratic who often sets their telephone connected a wireless charging basal bedside and astatine the bureau desk, the ambient diagnostic is casual to appreciate.
The enactment to proc the surface saver erstwhile the Pixel 10 Pro is charging or charging and acceptable upright is simply a bully touch. You tin besides restrict the diagnostic to erstwhile the instrumentality is successful wireless charging only, arsenic it would different look with adjacent a wired connection.
However, the surface savers aren't perfect. For one, the upwind panel, particularly erstwhile I saw it demoed connected the Pixel 10 Pro Fold astatine the Made by Google event, tin look excessively conspicuous and show an excessive magnitude of accusation for what volition apt beryllium thing I look astatine each fractional an hour. And portion the timepiece surface saver tin besides show the temperature, it doesn't amusement incoming notifications, making it consciousness much similar a downgraded always-on display.
One of the looming questions going into my Pixel 10 Pro investigating was however important an upgrade the caller Tensor G5 chipset brings. Since Google took the substance of processing powerfulness and silicon into its ain hands, the marque has ever played 2nd fiddle to Qualcomm's Snapdragon models. Based connected benchmarks, that inactive holds true, with the Tensor G5 performing worse than the Snapdragon 8 Elite recovered connected competing flagship phones.
Magic Cue people sifts done your assorted Google services to find applicable accusation and context.
But from a much applicable outlook, I've recovered the Tensor G5 inactive susceptible capable to run nether aggravated workloads, from editing HDR, 60fps videos to gaming to moving Android Auto navigation portion connected a call. The in-house processor, which features a modified architecture that dynamically shifts betwixt afloat and sub models, is genuinely realized successful the assorted caller AI features connected the Pixel 10 Pro series.
I'm talking faster compute times crossed Pixel Screenshots, Recorder transcriptions and translations, and different autochthonal AI tasks that would typically instrumentality seconds longer. That clip adds up, folks.
Also: 7 AI features I'd similar to spot the iPhone 17 clasp from Google, OpenAI, and others
A standout AI diagnostic for maine is Magic Cue, which sifts done your Gmail, Calendar, and different Google services to populate applicable accusation and discourse erstwhile and wherever it makes sense. I precocious booked the incorrect instrumentality formation for a enactment trip, and during my telephone with United, Magic Cue displayed my formation and relationship accusation connected the telephone app screen, reducing the friction of maine parsing done my Gmail and the assorted confirmation messages that typically travel with booking flights.
It's this seamless, intuitive integration of AI that keeps catching maine disconnected defender - successful the champion way. That carries done to the cameras, a acquainted assembly of 50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto sensors. The astir notable alteration with the Pixel 10 Pro camera is the Tensor G5 chip's enhanced representation awesome processing (ISP) and the slew of AI tricks that it handles.
Camera Coach guides your shot, from the framing to the camera mode, to seizure subjects effectively.
I took hundreds of photos implicit the past week with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, 9 Pro XL, and Galaxy S25 Ultra, and I recovered the erstwhile to present the perfect operation of colors, shadows, and highlights. The improved representation stabilization connected the main lens besides helps sphere item with fast-moving subjects and low-lit photography.
Also: Pixel conscionable zoomed up of iPhone successful the camera photography race
Where the Pixel 10 Pro camera genuinely shines this twelvemonth is successful far-distance capturing, acknowledgment to a caller Pro Res Zoom that uses generative AI to close sound and distortion. It's a touchy subject, I know, but the output, adjacent astatine 100X zoom, is what customers who favour idealism implicit realism and convenience implicit labour person been waiting for. The quality betwixt the Pixel Pro Res Zoom and Samsung's Space Zoom leans heavy successful Google's favor.
The AI-enhanced zoom connected the Pixel 10 Pro bid isn't flawless -- astatine times, it overcorrects and makes radical look similar sci-fi characters. But erstwhile it works, which is astatine a 95% occurrence complaint for me, it's genuinely impressive.
Camera Coach is the different large caller AI diagnostic wrong the camera app, and I recovered the on-screen instructions casual to follow, wide to understand, and flexible capable to seizure assorted shots of the aforesaid subject. Where it falls abbreviated is successful capturing moving objects similar impatient children oregon speeding vehicles, arsenic going done the tips and tricks requires clip and changeless focus. So agelong arsenic you're leaving the camera app with 1 adjuvant takeaway each clip you usage the feature, I'd see that a triumph for Google.
ZDNET's buying advice
There's inactive plentifulness to unpack with the Pixel 10 Pro series, but my archetypal week with the devices has shown maine what surviving with AI superphones feels like. For longtime Pixel users eyeing an upgrade, some models are a no-brainer -- showcasing Google's champion hardware to day and an Android 16 acquisition that feels tastefully familiar, delightfully playful, and genuinely useful.
The Pixel 10 Pro is the mode to spell for users who similar a much ergonomic and comfy mobile experience. If mobile amusement and accelerated charging are precocious connected your precedence list, see the Pixel 10 Pro XL. The larger exemplary costs $100 much than past year, but it besides starts with 256GB of retention (versus 128GB), truthful the $1,199 whitethorn beryllium easier to justify.
As always, see the assorted trade-in offers and promotions from your carriers and big-box retailers. There's a bully accidental you'll people a mates of 100 dollars disconnected with minimum effort.
ZDNET's reappraisal squad spends upwards of a twelvemonth investigating the ins and outs of each large telephone release, evaluating the day-to-day performance, camera quality, artillery beingness and endurance, and peculiar features. Here's a breakdown of each origin we see earlier we marque recommendations:
- Design and ergonomics: How bully a telephone looks and feels plays a large relation successful galore users' buying journeys, truthful we see these aspects heavy erstwhile testing.
- Performance: Several factors impact a phone's performance, including LTE/5G signal, artillery life, and inheritance tasks. Therefore, we typically statesman our evaluations with a afloat charged handset, each inheritance tasks closed, and arsenic unchangeable a mobile transportation arsenic possible.
- Camera quality: ZDNET tests telephone cameras by capturing hundreds of photos and videos of assorted subjects and successful assorted lighting conditions. We besides comparison the output to that of older models.
- Battery beingness and charging: It's besides important for america to measure however agelong phones past nether light, moderate, and dense usage, however agelong they instrumentality to recharge, and however they bash it (wired, wireless, oregon both).
- Special features: These features separate tested devices from a bustling smartphone marketplace and hopefully bring added worth to users, not the opposite.
- Pricing and availability: Beyond fund considerations, we besides enactment if a telephone is disposable successful the US oregon lone internationally.
For a much extended breakdown, cheque retired our comprehensive phone investigating methodology page.
English (US) ·