2025 has almost flown by, but the party for phone-tographers has just kicked off. Google has launched the latest edition of its Pixel smartphone range, including the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro/Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Fold, set to elevate smartphone photography to new heights.
For context, Google unveiled its first Pixel device nearly a decade ago, showcasing what the pinnacle of an Android phone would look like when a single entity meticulously crafts both hardware and software. People quickly realised that its true strengths lay in photography and artificial intelligence. Despite consistently using an older sensor, its photographs remained miles ahead of its competitors due to its in-house chipset and brilliant optimisation.
The brand continued this success for a few years; however, other players in the market soon caught up to its pace in photography. Moreover, an active resentment towards the subsequent Pixel models began to brew among the general public due to the heating issue and sluggish behaviour.
With the all-new Pixel 10 series, Google appears to have reworked its previous success formula and finally provided what its die-hard believers want. Its early signs start to show up in the youngest of this lineup: the standard Pixel 10.
The vanilla Pixel 10 is nearly identical to its predecessor in design, but it stands out with its triple camera setup. The 48-megapixel primary camera leads the rear-camera module, accompanied by a 13-megapixel ultra-wide and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto snapper. At first glance, this lineup is stacked. By including a telephoto lens, the base Pixel phone now supports up to 20x zoom capabilities. Apart from this, Google has once again used the tried-and-tested 10.5-megapixel front camera on the base Pixel 10.
On the front, the base Pixel boasts a 6.3-inch Full HD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. An interesting detail about this display is that it can operate at as low as 60Hz to conserve battery when idle or when operation doesn’t require it. Speaking of the battery, its capacity has increased to 4970mAh from the Pixel 9’s 4700mAh battery.
Now, let’s turn our attention to the Pixel 10 Pro. Although its battery capacity is 100mAh less than that of the base Pixel 10, it surpasses the latter in the camera department.
Its rear visor features a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 48-megapixel telephoto lens with a 5x optical zoom. With the three high-resolution sensors, dedicated mobile shooters have an impressive system at their disposal to capture breathtaking photos at any given time. Now, no distant subject will be out of their reach, considering the Pixel 10 Pro’s telephoto camera supports 100x Pro Res zoom.
Regarding its screen, it features a 6.3-inch OLED display with a 1280 x 2856 resolution and a 120Hz LTPO refresh rate. Its brightness can reach up to 3,300 nits. While the Pixel 10 Pro XL has the same camera and display technology as the Pixel 10 Pro, it differs in a few key areas.
The giant-sized Pixel smartphone comes with a 6.8-inch display that has a resolution of 1344 x 2992 pixels. As its dimensions have increased, Google has leveraged this change by giving it a 5,200mAh battery, which is officially the largest battery any Pixel device has come with.
Wrapping this Pixel 10 lineup on a high note is the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Although its entire feature set seems spectacular, I want to put the spotlight on its durability first. With its IP68 rating, it has instantly become the most secure foldable against dust particles. No folding smartphone comes close to its durable structure, but on paper. A real-world trip to popular beaches, like Baga Beach in Goa, will reveal the absolute truth.
Anyway, coming back to its specifications, it houses a 6.4-inch outer screen and an 8-inch internal flex display. Both are OLED, with support for a 120Hz LTPO refresh rate. Considering the outer screen size, it can easily be mistaken for a normal bar phone. As the Pixel 10 Fold is 10.8 mm thick when folded, people will have an even tougher time figuring out whether it is an average smartphone.
While it has the same primary camera as the base Pixel 10, it slightly trails behind in the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses resolution-wise. Both are 10.8 and 10.5 megapixels, respectively. I do want to highlight that the Pixel foldable supports 5x optical zoom. Its megapixel counts feel mediocre on paper compared to those of its rivals, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 or the Vivo X Fold 5. However, it has become sacrilege at this point to judge the performance of each of its cameras based on numbers, given that Google has consistently pulled ahead of its competition with its software magic.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold operates on a 5015mAh battery, which appears sufficient for a day’s worth of moderate use. However, I have yet to confirm my suspicions, which I will do in the coming days.
What Ties the Pixel 10 Series Together
Now that we have discussed the key features of each smartphone in the Pixel 10 lineup, let’s explore what they have in common.
Hardware
Google has ensured durability across the lineup by equipping every Pixel 10 display with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Additionally, they have an IP68 protection against dust and water.
Another interesting common feature is their support for Qi2-standard wireless charging. Similar to the Apple iPhone 16 series, these smartphones can be charged magnetically using various accessories. If that wasn’t enough, customers can snap products, such as the PixelSnap Ring, on their backs to carry them around.
Now, if you haven’t realised it yet, I haven’t mentioned a single word about what drives their performance. Pixel fanatics are already well-versed about their processor situation. For those unaware, all Pixel smartphones, whether the base or the most expensive model, rely on the same SoC for seamless everyday use.
This hasn’t changed in this 10th generation of Google’s lineup. At the core, all four Pixel devices utilise the Tensor G5 processor to run various aspects of their operations, including some fascinating software features below.
Software
As we know, Google has been renowned for shipping some never-before-seen software features with its smartphones since it started making them. Today is no exception. The first new feature in line is the Magic Cue, which interprets the action a user executes and suggests the relevant details or solution based on the context. Let’s suppose someone is planning a hangout with their friends. It will recommend the best possible restaurants in a convenient locality, before they even start searching for one.
Additionally, Google has integrated “Gemini Live” with this year’s Pixel lineup. With this feature in hand, any inquisitive mind can learn more about a product or any object by showing it to the camera.
The last one on the list is the Camera Coach, which recommends tips to the aspirational photographers to improve their skill sets when capturing a photograph.
Where Does the Pixel 10 Series Stand?
Ever since people, whether smartphone enthusiasts or average office-goer, got their hands on the Pixel smartphone, there has always been an outcry about how these devices quickly heat up or how their phones frequently stutter. No matter what, its previous processors were always blamed for these inconveniences. Google formerly partnered with Samsung to conceive the chipsets for its smartphones. If we dial back a few years, any Samsung smartphone with its Exynos SoC was always in the headlines due to its heating issues. This issue became so frequent that it tarnished Samsung’s processor image. It didn’t take long for people to pin this up as a reason behind Pixel’s shortcomings.
Now, Google has finally addressed this problem by building its brand-new Tensor G5 SoC on TSMC’s 3nm process node. To provide clarity, all chipset makers, whether MediaTek or Qualcomm, rely on TSMC’s architecture design for their processors. And, their flagship-grade chipsets, such as the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, have been observed delivering world-class performance in smartphones like the OPPO Find X8 Pro and the Realme GT 7 Pro. Moreover, they have made a name for themselves in providing tremendous battery efficiency.
Therefore, it is potentially safe to expect similar results from the Tensor G5. However, the early leaks may dampen the spirits of the Pixel fans. A few days ago, the team at XpertPick discovered the Tensor G5 on the Geekbench listing with its single-core and multi-core scores. This performance is an improvement over those of its predecessors.
When compared to the results of all processors launched so far, the iQOO Neo 10R, with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, comes close to matching the current Pixel 10 lineup in performance. This revelation becomes even more fascinating given the mid-range price of the iQOO Neo 10R. At the starting price of Rs 79,999, the Pixel 10 will instantly become lacklustre for someone who prioritises every aspect of their smartphone when paying a high price.
However, if Google manages to deliver a comprehensive flagship experience with an impeccable camera performance through its Pixel 10 smartphones, it may set a new benchmark in the smartphone industry. I hope this becomes the case for the California-based search guru in the coming days.
