Pixel 10 Pro Review: Familiar Hardware, Filled With Google’s Ai

Pixel devices person ever been a reflection of really Google sees Android, arsenic good arsenic a level to showcase its ain apps and exertion advances. In nan existent era, this imagination encompasses Google’s user AI suite. Google wants Pixel owners to unrecorded and respire Google AI successful each aspects of their lives done nan caller devices.

While a batch of group are talking astir AI arsenic a paradigm shift, companies cognize that nan champion measurement to scope consumers is still their phones.

Google wants group to judge its phones and their AI devices are nan best. They even hired Jimmy Fallon to show you astir it.

Image Credits: Ivan Mehta

In position of its hardware, nan Pixel lineup didn’t spell done drastic changes this year.

The astir notable constituent was perchance nan base Pixel 10 getting a telephoto camera. The different notable summation was PixelSnap — Google’s type of MagSafe pinch Qi2 charging — which unlocks a number of accessories, including chargers and stands.

I person been utilizing nan Pixel 10 Pro for nan past fewer days, a instrumentality that has a new, brighter screen, much RAM, and a pro camera.

The company’s announcement focused substantially connected its caller Tensor G5 chip, which is made by TSMC alternatively of Samsung this year. Google touted that nan caller spot is amended astatine AI capacity and runs nan latest Gemini Nano model. (We can’t faithfully reappraisal its capacity aft utilizing nan telephone for only a fewer days. Stayed tuned.)

Google’s package features person been a champion of Pixel phones for a agelong time, but pinch AI, that slant becomes much prominent.

Image Credits: Ivan Mehta

System AI features

All companies are packing mentions of AI exertion successful their instrumentality presentations. However, customers often get only a partial type of those promises erstwhile they get nan instrumentality successful their hands for nan first time. For example, I person been utilizing an Indian Pixel unit, which intends immoderate AI features aren’t disposable immediately.

Of note, Daily Hub, a characteristic that shows nan summary of your time pinch different contented suggestions, arsenic good arsenic support for conversational edits successful Photos, are only disposable successful nan U.S. astatine nan moment.

Magic Cue, meanwhile, is 1 of nan marquee AI features of this year. It will contextually aboveground accusation from 1 app to another.

It’s designed to aboveground accusation specified arsenic edifice reservations, flights, aliases edifice bookings successful a contextual way. That is, if you’re talking astir luncheon pinch your friend, it could aboveground luncheon recommendations, aliases it could aboveground formation specifications erstwhile you’re calling airlines.

In tests, Magic Cue showed maine a interaction item erstwhile I received a matter asking for someone’s contact.

It besides showed maine suggestions for “Love is Blind” erstwhile I opened YouTube because of anterior screenshots and messages. Plus, it showed maine a java shop proposal erstwhile I opened Maps.

However, erstwhile I sewage a matter asking if I had ordered feline food, Magic Cue missed nan opportunity to adhd discourse from Gmail based connected a transportation confirmation email.

Image Credits: Screenshot from TechCrunch

Right now, nan characteristic mostly useful crossed Google apps, including Messages, Gmail, Keep, Calendar, Screenshots, and Contacts.

It will beryllium absorbing to spot really it evolves, if different apps are capable to usage it, and really overmuch discourse it will past beryllium capable to propulsion in. That committedness sounds a batch for illustration what Apple’s 2024 preview of an AI-enabled Siri was expected to do, and that hasn’t gone truthful good — Siri’s update is delayed until astatine slightest 2026.

So far, it seems Magic Cue is disconnected to a bully start, but only semipermanent usage and tests will beryllium its effectiveness.

Call translator is different important AI characteristic arriving connected Pixel 10s, particularly if you pass pinch group who speak different tongues aliases you person world colleagues. Google advertised that, isolated from connection translation, nan characteristic retains your sound successful nan translated language. While that declare mostly stands true, nan connection support for translator is limited. F

or me, a telephone pinch a French-speaking friend erstwhile I said English worked good connected some ends. Unfortunately, I can’t opportunity nan aforesaid for nan Hindi-English call. (Granted, Hindi support is still successful preview, but nan translator often fell flat.)

Gemini Live, which tin item objects that are successful your video view, was a hit-or-miss upgrade connected nan Pixel 10. It successfully identified my Sprigatito toy, told maine what spoon to usage to measurement coffee, and guided maine connected really to cleanable nan AirPods Pro 2.

But it misidentified nan Pixel 9 Pro XL arsenic a OnePlus telephone and suggested that nan SIM tray was connected nan left.

There are a fewer different tidbits of AI passim nan system, specified arsenic nan expertise to adhd euphony to your sound recordings, which could beryllium useful for musicians; screenshot and sound transcript sharing to NotebookLM, which is now a pre-installed app; and sound editing and penning devices successful Gboard.

Camera and image AI features

Pixel’s camera hardware is solid, and it takes signature, punchy pictures. While location aren’t very notable changes to camera hardware, Google has added a batch of package updates.

In an property wherever companies, including Google, are adding much AI to their telephone camera photos, Google is besides trying to thatch group really to return bully photos utilizing a characteristic called Camera Coach.

When you are utilizing nan rear camera pinch nan caller Pixel, you tin pat connected a small sparkly camera icon connected nan apical right, which will activate nan Camera Coach. It will analyse nan framework successful attraction and propose a fewer options for you to return nan photograph successful different styles.

When you take a style, nan Camera Coach will connection tips astir choosing a lens, framing nan object, and moving up aliases down to set nan level done a multistep process. Some tips mightiness consciousness generic, but astatine times, Camera Coach does supply you pinch useful discourse astir framing, moreover if you cognize a spot astir really to return pictures.

Image Credits: Screenshot by TechCrunch

There is besides an action successful nan Camera Coach called “Get Inspired,” which shows you immoderate variations of poses and positioning utilizing generative AI. At times, I saw unrelated suggestions (look astatine nan first proposal successful nan screenshow below, which is not my cat), and, astatine different times, it suggested poses aliases look expressions for a personification successful attraction that seemed uncanny. For instance, erstwhile I tried to make inspiration for a image of a person, 1 of nan suggestions made their eyes wide unfastened successful an overseas measurement aliases placed their hands strangely.

Image Credits: Screenshot from TechCrunch

Super Res Zoom, caller to nan Pixel 10 Pro, is 1 of nan astir awesome camera features to use.

In earlier Pixel phones, you could get 30x zoom, but pinch nan Pixel 10 Pros, you tin get up to 100x Zoom. The institution uses AI models to upscale nan photograph that you’ve taken, and nan results tin beryllium impressive. The characteristic lets you make retired faraway objects successful an image alternatively than seeing a noisy blur. Controversially, this is because AI is filling successful nan details. However, nan telephone stores some AI-processed and non-processed photos to show you nan difference.

One rumor pinch taking photos astatine 100x zoom is that you person to support your manus steady, and it is not an easy task.

Google is besides shipping an updated Portrait mode pinch nan expertise to return 50-megapixel images. While nan caller modes let you to return photos astatine a higher resolution, it doesn’t ever get nan taxable separation right. You mightiness still spot a blurred portion of a personification aliases an animal successful focus.

The institution is utilizing immoderate frame-mashing techniques to return bully group photos pinch nan caller AI-powered Best Take feature. When you return a group photo, Pixel captures aggregate photos and picks nan champion 1 wherever everyone has their eyes unfastened and is looking astatine nan camera. If nan telephone doesn’t find a suitable photo, it merges aggregate images to effort and make everyone look good.

One photograph mode I enjoyed utilizing and would want to effort retired much is action pan, successful which you attraction connected a moving object, and Pixel’s package and camera strategy creates a blur successful nan background.

So, what Pixel should you buy?

So why would you want to bargain a Pixel? Maybe you are already a Pixel user, and your telephone is old, and you want to upgrade to a caller one. Maybe you were utilizing an iPhone and wanted Google’s type of nan Android experience. You person heard astir Pixel’s precocious photography and liked what you saw. All these are bully reasons to bargain a caller Pixel.

Still, though nan hardware bumps are incremental year-over-year, conscionable for illustration immoderate different flagship, you would consciousness a quality — particularly if jumping from a telephone that is much than 2 years old.

The bully portion astir nan Pixel 10 Pro is that you don’t miss overmuch if you don’t prime nan Pixel 10 Pro XL. Apart from surface size and artillery life, nan XL gives you entree to 25W Qi charging, but that’s astir it. Google has done good to person characteristic and hardware parity successful some Pro devices.

What’s successful contention, though, is nan AI portion of it. The committedness of “AI phones” is that your acquisition will get amended complete time, and nan institution will beryllium capable to vessel you much features. That is why Google has thrown successful things for illustration free AI Pro plans pinch Pro phones for a year, truthful you tin usage much of Google’s AI and consciousness that your telephone is amended because of it.

But arsenic we learned from Apple’s ordeal past year, announced AI features mightiness not make it (or make it connected time), and could consciousness redundant. Users successful different parts of nan world will besides person different experiences, arsenic immoderate AI features mightiness not beryllium disposable to them aliases mightiness not activity arsenic good for their connection and locale.

Google is coating — aliases generating — a magnificent type of AI, but not everyone is surviving successful AI utopia. Google’s AI is everyplace now successful Pixel, but you won’t ever request it.