Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL review: Android’s safe bet

In today’s flagship smartphone market, photography has become a key differentiator. Google’s Pixel smartphones have consistently been defined by their photographic capabilities, setting benchmarks for computational photography since the early days of the series. Over successive generations, features such as Night Sight, Super Res Zoom, and advanced portrait processing have made the Pixel line a gold-standard for mobile imaging.

The Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL arrive as the latest entries in this lineage, positioned at the top of Google’s hardware portfolio. But with increasingly hot competition from rivals both in camera hardware and software smarts – can Google's latest offerings do enough to cling onto the crown?

Google Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL: Specifications

Google Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL: Price

The Pixel 10 Pro starts again this year at $999/£999 for 128GB of storage – which might undercut the base iPhone 17 Pro by $/£100, but the iPhone starts at double the storage. The base model Pixel 10 Pro XL, on the other hand, now starts at $1,199/£1,199 ($/£100 more than last year) due to its minimum 256GB of storage rather than the rather paltry 128GB. Which now places it at the exact same price and storage as the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

While I am always grateful for additional storage, usually when the base model gets more storage, it is because the price of the parts has come down. Pixel prices are sneaking up year after year, and I can't help but feel it might have won Google a little more love to go with the consumer-friendly move to swallow the cost and stick to last year's price.

While 256GB is likely enough for most people, you can configure the phone with up to 1TB of storage for $1,549/£1,549 in the Pro XL and $1,149/£1,149 in the Pro.

But does the Pixel 10 Pro justify its price? This is not the old Pixel days of great cameras, but a compromised phone. The Pixel 10 Pro is the most premium phone Google has made yet. An all-round complete package, it looks and feels every bit as good as something coming from Samsung and Apple, both of whom you’d expect to be charging this sort of money.

Google Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL: Design

Google seems to have found its stride with its Pixel Pro designs. The Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL look almost identical to last year's models. Not that this is a bad thing. I think that the Pixel 10 Pro is a really good-looking phone. Yes, the divisive yet signature camera bar is still prominent on the back, again in a raised plateau rather than the bar merging with the sides of the device, but it's a design that, from initially thinking it was a little wacky, is one I’ve grown to love – and it's still a standout design from everything else on the market.

For colors, this year, the phones' matte glass backs come in the usual Obsidian (black) and Porcelein (a slightly yellowish white) with color-matching polished side rails and camera bar. These regulars are joined by two new colors. Moonstone (which is the model I have for testing) is kind of grey, kind of blue, depending on the light, but it's a really nice shade and my personal favorite. There is also a Jade color, which is a soft green, and the only color that doesn’t have a color-matched rail and camera bar, instead opting for gold.

Around the edge, there is the usual power button and volume rocker on the right-hand side. I really like the placement, but I am right-handed, and these just happen to fall perfectly under my thumb. Shortcuts are limited but useful. A double-tap of the power button jumps straight into the camera, while holding it down summons Gemini.

Again, Google has resisted the urge to add action buttons or camera buttons to its devices. While I do detest the iPhone’s camera button, I do wish there were another customizable action button on the Pixel 10 Pro, as I’d love a shortcut for silent mode or one of my Google Home routines.

The Pixel 10 Pros have a fingerprint reader underneath the screen. The reader is ultrasonic, which means it doesn’t light up to scan – very useful at night if your partner is trying to sleep – and is also very quick and accurate. The Pixel also has face ID using just the front-facing camera, which is also lightning quick, and thanks to Google’s impressive AI face recognition tech, has even been approved to log into your banking and other sensitive apps.

For durability, the 10 Pros have Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and rear of the devices, as well as an IP68 dust and water resistance rating to survive an accidental dip in the bath. Although, unfortunately, I've found the shiny side rail is vulnerable, I have managed to scratch up two of my corners in just a few weeks of use.

The big change this year is the introduction of PixelSnap – Google’s MagSafe competitor. This is the first major Android phone we have seen with magnets built directly into the phone, which means not only is the Pixel 10 now compatible without a case with thousands of magnetic wireless chargers and power banks – it also opens the Pixel line up to creatives to use in cages, on gimbals, or the hundreds of other creative tools previously only targeted at Apple’s devices – and hopefully the a step towards Android phones being seen as competive content creation tools.

Google Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL: Screen

I sometimes feel Google doesn’t shout enough about its Super Actua displays, which on the Pixel 10 Pro, and Pro XL especially, are absolutely gorgeous. The screens are bright, sharp, colorful, with great viewing angles. With maybe the exception of the Oppo Find X8 Ultra, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is my favourite screen I have used on an Android phone.

The screen is completely flat, with no beveled edge, which I much prefer. The bezels are equal around the four sides and very minimal, with the earpiece speaker blending seamlessly into the top bezel. There is also the front hole punch camera, which, for better or worse, Google has decided not to turn into any sort of interactive iPhone-style pill.

The only criticism I can level at Google right now for its screens is that it hasn’t jumped aboard the eye-care train. Yes, Google has added new eye-care sensitivity options, but these pale in comparison to brands like Honor, Xiaomi, or OnePlus. Pulse Width Modulation (or PWM) is just 480Hz on the Pixel 10 Pro XL; meanwhile, the Honor Magic 7 Pro can reach 4320Hz. For many people, this is a non-issue, but for people with sensitive eyes, it can mean a lot.

Google Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL: Camera Performance

Despite their size difference, both the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL have the same camera setup with an ultrawide, main camera, and 5x periscope telephoto squeezed into the camera bar.

Google has long been right at the top of the pack when it comes to the best camera phones. Sure, there is much more exciting camera hardware out there, bigger sensors, devices with more cameras, or variable apertures, but, and I mean this as the biggest compliment, the best thing I can say for Google’s cameras is that they are the safest Android phone for photography.

I have taken hundreds of photos with the Pixel 10 Pro, and it has so rarely missed – which I can’t say the same for all the phones I test. Pixel processing is very neutral; there are no stylistic options here, but photos from the 10 Pro are reliably true to life, with accurate colors and a good HDR balance without being overblown. The Pixel rarely pumps the shadows up too much, instead opting for a more natural image.

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Images from all three cameras are pretty strong, but the main camera sensor is the standout. In good light, sharpness is excellent; there is also the option to use lossless zoom for 2x photos, which really works, with photos looking like they have come off their own 2x lens. The telephoto camera is also very good. While 5x is a little long for portraits, it is great for zooming in on faraway subjects like wildlife or sports – and like the main camera, the 48MP sensor can provide perfect 10x images as well. The ultrawide is the weakest of the cameras, but you really have to pixel peep to start seeing its flaws with slightly murky sharpness, but it still offers solid usable images if you don’t intend to blow them up.

In low light, the camera performs really well, even competing with phones with much larger 1-inch sensors. Photos look far better lit than they were in reality, and I was taking photos that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Night Sight has gotten faster as well, with the phone requiring you to hold the phone still for less time – or often no time at all.

Macro continues to be a confusing weak spot on the Pixel 10 Pro. The telephoto lens' close focus distance has been improved, so you can get relatively close – although not true macro – and nowhere near the level of quality that you can achieve with other top phones. When you get closer than the minimum focus distance of the telephoto lens, the ultra-wide lens kicks in, which is just the wrong FOV for macro photography, and the quality takes a significant hit.

Telephoto macro

Ultra wide macro

Google has improved its Super-Res Zoom this year, with the phone now offering an AI-enhanced zoom up to 100x – a number that is such a distance away, I struggled to find good examples to shoot for this review. There is also a caveat that it won’t work on people, so unfortunately can’t be used at sports games or concerts.

The super zoom though is impressive, and puts Google up there with the competition for one of the best AI super zooms I have used. The AI element is actually very underplayed compared to other brands like Honor that lean hard into generative AI. Results from the Pixel are quite natural, looking like a cleaned-up and sharpened version of the original photo – although with slightly too much ethereal glow.

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One of the other big new AI features on this year’s Pixels is Google’s ‘Camera Coach’. This uses Gemini’s visual AI to determine a scene and give suggestions on framing, composition, or just general inspiration – the camera app can then guide you through step by step on how to achieve your desired photo. I am always a little sceptical of AI, but this is a use case where it actually really works. The scene recognition is very accurate, suggestions are genuinely useful, and for novices to photography, the guide could be invaluable. We all have that relative who can’t frame a photo to save their life – I'd get them a Pixel 10 Pro.

Video is still a weakness for the Pixel. The fastest you can shoot directly on the device is 4K60p, with no 4K120p, and there is no HDR or speech enhancement above 30p, as I am assuming that is too much for the Tensor processor to handle at once. Video itself is fine, although I found the colors, sharpness, and contrast a bit subpar compared to rivals.

There is an option for 8K video, which involves uploading the video to Google Photos and using Google's AI Video Boost feature. Video Boost also enhances color, lighting, and stabilization, although there are no controls over this, so you just have to let it do its thing and take whatever result it puts out. Frustratingly, Video Boost also turns itself off every time you close the app, so you have to remember to dive into settings to turn it on first, as it can't be applied later.

Google Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL: Phone Performance

The Pixel 10 family comes sporting Google’s latest Tensor G5 processor. Benchmarking will show this is considerably less powerful than the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite processors powering other Android flagships, Apple’s in-house silicon, or indeed the GPU performance of the Pixel 9. But honestly, day-to-day, I can’t notice.

Generally, I wouldn’t say the Pixel 10 Pro has felt slow when I have been using it. Navigating around the phone, jumping in and between apps feels effortless, transitions and scrolling are incredibly smooth. Even when it comes to photo and video editing, trimming and resaving a video on Google Photos was only fractionally faster on my Snapdragon-equipped Xiaomi 15 Ultra than on the Pixel 10 Pro.

As already touched upon, the Tensor chip does show its limitations when it comes to video recording, with a very limited combination of settings available once you go into higher frame rates, including dropping HDR support, speech enhancement, and active stabilization.

I also noticed the phone slowing down when trying to take 50MP photos in quick succession, which would occasionally grey out the shutter button for a second or two while it buffered – but this is not an activity I do a lot.

Battery life on the 10 Pro is just about fine. It got me through a day, although each time by the evening, Google’s battery saver mode had kicked in to save me until I got home. Google’s battery life is outclassed by bigger cells in rival Android phones and less thirsty processors that just last longer. Google really needs to retool its processor or switch to a much higher-capacity battery.

Fast charging can alleviate some battery anxiety. The Pixel 10 Pro tops out at 30W wired and 15W wireless, while the 10 Pro XL goes up to 45W wired and 25W wireless (with compatible chargers) – although these numbers pale in comparison to other brands offering up to twice those speeds. But with around a 20-minute wired charge, I was usually able to get my Pixel up from 10% to over 50% battery.

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When it comes to software, the Pixel is probably my favorite Android phone to use. The Pixel OS is clean and minimal; it looks good, menus mostly make sense, and everything is easy to find. If you're heavily into customizing every aspect of your phone though, then this is not the phone for you. But, I do wish there were a few more customization options for the home screen, like the ability to choose the size of icons or add larger folders like on many other Android devices.

After using the phone for almost a month, I am still none the wiser about what Google's big new AI feature – Magic Cue – actually does. It's meant to pull information from your phone to pre-empt answers to texts or things you might be searching for on an app. It only works in Google apps, and I am a heavy YouTube, Gmail, Drive, and Photos user, but so far, it has not surfaced anything. I am hopeful, but I feel this might not actually become useful until it can use third-party apps, as 99% of my communication is done between WhatsApp and Instagram.

Google Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL: Verdict

The Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL might not boast the kind of headline specs that look set to redefine mobile photography, but that’s never really been Google’s game. Instead, what you get here is consistency – reliable camera performance time after time, now enhanced by meaningful upgrades like a more effective 100x super-res zoom, the helpful new camera coach, and a growing suite of clever AI editing tools.

It isn’t flawless. Video capture still trails behind the best in class, with middling quality and an over-reliance on AI upscaling that feels like a stopgap rather than a true breakthrough. But for stills, which is where most people will spend their time, the Pixel 10 Pro continues to deliver shots that look fantastic straight out of the phone, with minimal fuss.

Beyond the camera, this is one of the most beautifully designed smartphones you can buy. It feels superb in the hand, the display is stunning to look at, and while Google’s latest Tensor chip can’t quite match rivals on raw benchmarks, in real-world use, it never feels overly sluggish. Battery life isn’t the strongest, but it just about holds up for a full day of regular use.

So is it the most powerful camera phone money can buy? No. But is it the best choice for most people who simply want to point, shoot, and get consistently excellent results without thinking about it? Absolutely. The Pixel 10 Pro nails the everyday photography experience in a way few competitors can match – and that’s what makes it such an easy phone to recommend.

Alternatives

Going toe to toe with the Pixel is the OnePlus 13. With an outstanding similar triple camera setup, a stunning screen, and more power under the hood – it's also quite a bit cheaper!

Read our full OnePlus 13 review

The Google Pixel 10 features a telephoto camera for the first time. It is a less powerful sensor than the one found in the Pixel 10 Pros, but for casual photographers who want to save a bit of money – this might a contender be the best value camera phone you can get.