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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- Pixel 10 Pro faces pugnacious contention astatine $999.
- Samsung, Apple, and OnePlus connection beardown alternatives.
- Last year's Pixel 9 Pro inactive delivers large value.
Google's latest flagship, the Pixel 10 Pro, is yet here, bringing its Pixelized blend of AI smarts and photographic intelligence to the premium Android space. I'm ever excited for the merchandise of a caller Pixel, but present much than ever, it faces immoderate pugnacious contention astatine $999.
If you're connected the obstruction astir whether to prime up Google's newest Pixel, you should see that respective different phones connection adjacent oregon greater worth for your money, each with its ain unsocial rotation connected speed, artillery life, cameras, and software. Let's instrumentality a look astatine a fewer cardinal alternatives.
1. Samsung Galaxy S25
Samsung continues to connection the astir nonstop alternate to the Pixel with the Galaxy S25 series. The basal S25 starts astatine $799, 2 100 dollars little than the Pixel 10 Pro. Even astatine the little price, it runs connected Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a beast of its own.
Just earlier the Pixel event, leaked Reddit benchmarks suggested the Tensor G5 lagged down Qualcomm's chip, and perchance adjacent the Pixel 9's GPU. Whether you bargain that oregon not, it's worthy waiting for authoritative comparisons present that the telephone is unveiled earlier pulling the trigger.
Also: I've tested each azygous Galaxy S25 telephone - and my favourite isn't the flagship model
Cameras stay my favourite usage of Samsung's flagships, and the basal exemplary has a respectable triple camera array, including an fantabulous 10-megapixel telephoto. The Ultra is simply a steep upgrade, but going large means you get Samsung's awesome 200-megapixel main sensor paired with dual telephotos with a prime betwixt 3x and 5x optical zoom. Google's 5x telephoto is excellent, but the Ultra offers much flexibility for photographers.
The S25 ships with One UI 7 connected Android 15 and comes with 7 years of bundle and information support, matching the committedness made by Google for its Pixel family. Samsung adds its ain AI touches too, from on-device representation procreation to useful contextualization with the Now Bar. If you're not going with a Pixel 10, Samsung's Galaxy S25 is undoubtedly its closest counterpart.
2. Apple iPhone 16 Pro
If you're consenting to brave an ecosystem change, the iPhone 16 Pro is simply a coagulated alternative. It starts astatine the aforesaid $999 starting point, but its A18 Pro spot is astir 52% faster than Google's Tensor G5, according to leaked benchmarks. Apple's flagship iPhones are known for their ratio arsenic well, which means squeezing all-day artillery beingness from smaller artillery cells than rivals.
Photography connected the iPhone 16 Pro keeps gait with the Pixel 10 Pro successful inactive images portion continuing to propulsion up successful video. Apple besides added a 5x telephoto to some Pro models this year, not conscionable the Max, making the camera array much versatile.
Also: iPhone 16 review: Why I'm recommending this exemplary implicit the Pro this year
In debased light, Apple's Photonic Engine delivers beardown dynamic range, and successful video, the iPhone 16 Pro models enactment 4K video astatine 120 fps, including ProRes erstwhile paired with outer storage. That's thing different mainstream smartphones don't yet match.
Add successful the polished titanium design, heavy integration with Apple's ecosystem, and the unsocial Action Button, and you person a telephone that competes with the Pixel 10 Pro successful areas Google usually dominates portion offering strengths of its own.
3. OnePlus 13
OnePlus continues to propulsion show and charging velocity to the limits, and I'm present for it each time.
The OnePlus 13 undercuts the Pixel's terms slightly, yet it runs connected the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon, has a generous magnitude of RAM, and packs a monolithic 6,000 mAh silicon c battery. A afloat complaint takes astir 40 minutes to complete, and that caller artillery exertion stretches artillery beingness to astir 2 days nether mean use. For radical who hide to complaint their telephone astatine night, similar me, that's a immense benefit.
I recovered the telephone to beryllium incredibly accelerated arsenic well, acknowledgment to each that interior horsepower. Camera cognition feels snappier, games load quicker, and the lightweight OxygenOS bundle keeps things bloat-free but inactive absorbing and custom. The camera array, co-engineered with Hasselblad, whitethorn not rather adjacent Google's computational magic, but it is versatile enough. It's besides a batch of amusive to use, and I seldom regretted the camera's output looking astatine it later.
Also: OnePlus' flagship telephone is simply a coagulated alternate to the Galaxy S25 Ultra - here's why
The existent compromises travel successful bundle longevity, maxing retired astatine 4 years of large updates. It's not astir arsenic beardown arsenic Google's seven-year commitment, which volition rightfully substance for immoderate users. For those who upgrade each fewer years, the OnePlus 13 hits a saccharine spot of price, speed, and endurance.
4. Google Pixel 9 Pro
It mightiness dependable unusual to suggest past year's Pixel arsenic an alternative, but the Pixel 9 Pro is simply a amazingly astute buy. Google's 2024 flagship shares astir of its hardware with the Pixel 10 Pro, including the aforesaid triple rear camera array, 16GB of RAM, and a 120 Hz OLED display. The Pixel 10 Pro has a somewhat brighter display, a somewhat larger battery, and the caller Tensor G5 spot that is lone modestly faster than past year's G4, according to leaked benchmarks.
The Pixel 9 Pro often sells for hundreds little now, which makes it an casual proposal for Pixel fans who privation astir of the bundle perks without paying apical dollar. You inactive get the 7 years of bundle and information updates, features similar Call Screen and Magic Editor, and you inactive seizure photos and video that rival Google's newest flagship.
5. Google Pixel 10
Hear maine out, sometimes the champion alternate is hiding successful the aforesaid lineup.
The basal Pixel 10 cuts the terms down to $799 portion keeping overmuch of what makes the Pixel 10 Pro appealing. It has the aforesaid Tensor G5 processor, astir each of the aforesaid AI features, Qi 2 wireless charging with Pixelsnap support, and for the archetypal time, a triple-camera array with a telephoto lens included successful a non-Pro Pixel. You sacrifice a spot of RAM, show resolution, and camera sensor quality, but the wide acquisition is precise close. The somewhat larger artillery successful the basal exemplary adjacent means you whitethorn get amended endurance than the Pro.
Also: I tried the modular Google Pixel 10 and didn't miss the Pro models 1 bit
The lone AI features missing from the baseline Pixel 10 see an enhanced mentation of Best Take that automatically suggests a composite representation for you, and Pro Res Zoom up to 100x. Neither of those features is simply a showstopper for astir buyers, making the Pixel 10 present a acold much tenable introduction into Google's ecosystem for a fewer 100 bucks less.
The Pixel 10 Pro is an fantabulous smartphone, but it is not the lone crippled successful town. Whether you privation Samsung's earthy powerfulness and ecosystem, Apple's top-tier show and video, OnePlus's velocity and charging magic, oregon Google's ain discounted 9 Pro XL oregon basal Pixel 10, you person plentifulness of alternatives.
Follow my latest tech reviews and projects crossed societal media. You'll find maine connected YouTube astatine YouTube.com/@JasonHowell, connected X astatine @JasonHowell, and connected Instagram astatine Instagram.com/thatjasonhowell.
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