I Went Hands-on With Every Google Pixel 10 Phone, And This Model Stole My Heart

3 weeks ago

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Pixel 10 lineup brings invited changes crossed each models.
Base Pixel 10 suits most, but powerfulness users will for illustration Pro XL.
Pro XL is nan sleeper deed pinch apical capacity and endurance.

Get much in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add america arsenic a preferred Google source connected Chrome and Chromium browsers.

I'll beryllium honest: My expectations going into my Google Pixel 10 demos were connected nan little side. I had conscionable wrapped up testing Samsung's $1,900 foldable phone, and Google each but confirmed nan caller Pixel phones would look identical to past year's, spoiling nan astonishment up of today's event.

The mobility I had going successful was simple: Was this a deficiency of ambition aliases a motion of unwavering confidence?

Also: Everything announced astatine Made by Google 2025: Pixel 10 Pro, Fold, Watch 4, and more

It took only minutes of hands-on clip to find nan reply -- and recognize conscionable really incorrect I was astir which Pixel exemplary I would really want this year. No, nan designers astatine Google haven't tally retired of ideas for decorating a solid rectangle; instead, they've improved thing that was already great. And 1 exemplary successful peculiar near nan biggest belief connected me.

The Pixel 10 conscionable hardly missed nan people

Going into nan Made by Google event, I was afloat prepared to slap my wallet down for nan modular Pixel 10 model, ending a seven-year streak of buying nan XL/Pro variant. The penning was connected nan wall: A dedicated telephoto lens would springiness nan guidelines Pixel nan camera bump it needed to rival its Pro siblings, Qi2 wireless charging pinch integrated magnets group nan shape for Android's MagSafe moment, and a charming Indigo colour (pictured above) had my caseless habits drooling.

But a person introspection of nan instrumentality and its spec expanse revealed immoderate not-so-obvious shortcomings. First, fitting a dedicated telephoto lens into nan rear camera barroom meant that Google had to downgrade to smaller main and ultrawide sensors, resulting successful camera samples that, based connected my albeit constricted sample size, lacked colour accuracy and opposition compared to nan Pro models.

Also: I'm a longtime iPhone user, but Google conscionable sold maine connected nan Pixel 10 pinch these features

Google is besides launching a caller dock mode that passively displays nan time, weather, photos, and moreover smart location controls erstwhile nan Pixel 10 is mounted connected nan caller PixelSnap charging mount. However, nan modular Pixel 10 lacks nan LTPO exertion -- which allows nan show to refresh from 1Hz to 120Hz -- recovered connected nan Pro models, meaning it's little powerfulness businesslike erstwhile docked.

By nan extremity of my Pixel 10 demo, nan glossy backmost screen of my Indigo portion was plastered pinch fingerprint marks -- a gentle reminder of why nan astir costly phones connected nan marketplace opt for satin finishes alternatively of shiny glass.

I almost folded for this Pixel exemplary

That near maine pinch nan Pixel 10 Pro phones, including a Fold exemplary that features slimmer beforehand surface bezels, a larger battery, nan aforesaid Qi2 charging arsenic nan Pixel 10, and a $1,799 value tag that makes you deliberation twice. Coming from nan Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which greatly improved successful lightness and ergonomics this year, I was afloat prepared for nan Pixel 10 Pro Fold to consciousness outdated.

Instead, nan instrumentality felt balanced and, frankly, overmuch much durable successful nan hand. Google's done thing royal pinch nan Pixel 10 Pro Fold; it's nan first foldable telephone ever to beryllium certified pinch an IP68 rating, making it some water- and dust-resistant. Why has this ne'er been done before? The mechanical quality of foldable phones, pinch each their hinge systems and obstruction maneuvers, makes it astir intolerable to fend disconnected dust-sized particles.

Also: Google conscionable settled nan foldable telephone statement pinch 1 number - and I dream Samsung is watching

Achieving this engineering feat automatically puts nan Pixel 10 Pro Fold up of nan title erstwhile it comes to longevity and reliability. (Again, nan designers astatine Google are intelligibly not retired of ideas.)

Then came nan bad news. Like erstwhile years, Google's astir costly hardware merchandise is simply a tier beneath nan Pro and Pro XL models erstwhile it comes to wide specs for illustration camera and charging, a prime that makes nan Pro Fold a reliable waste against much capable, non-folding flagships. This exemplary besides charges astatine up to 30W wired and 15W wireless, compared to nan Pro XL's 45W wired and 25W wireless.

That leaves two, and 1 large quality

EMBARGO -- Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL

Google has kept nan characteristic parity betwixt its Pro and Pro XL models reasonably balanced complete nan years, and from a bird's-eye view, that remains existent successful 2025. But past you commencement to announcement nan insignificant ways successful which nan XL exemplary pulls up and wonderment if nan spread has ever been larger.

Also: Google Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: I tested some Android phones, and here's nan winner

Like pinch nan Pixel 10 Pro Fold, charging and endurance are nan astir notable differences betwixt nan Pro and Pro XL. The second has some a larger artillery (5,200mAh vs. 4,870mAh) and faster wired and wireless charging. It's besides nan only Pixel exemplary this twelvemonth to support nan caller Qi2.5 standard, allowing it to propulsion successful wireless power astatine a 25W rating.

I've besides recovered nan Pro XL model's larger 6.8-inch surface much optimal for Google's various caller AI features, whether it's for displaying Magic Cues successful messages and telephone calls, aliases photograph tips erstwhile Camera Coach is turned on, cementing it arsenic nan telephone I'll apt upgrade to this summer.