I’ve just spent over a week with the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. I swapped over to it immediately after testing the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, before which I was using the Galaxy S25 Ultra… and it’s left me feeling both content and underwhelmed because the Pixel 9 range remains so defiantly strong.
I’ve long been a proponent of Google’s Pixel handsets. Ever since the company launched the Pixel 6 generation, which saw a systemic overhaul to the company’s smartphone approach with both the iconic camera bar and the Tensor chip, I’ve applauded Google’s efforts to offer a more user-friendly and approachable Android than its rivals.
Samsung’s great flaw in the smartphone market is that its software is just so bloated, with years of updates just stacked on top of each other and features buried deep in complicated settings menus – it’s tough for a newcomer to love. The Pixel range, on the other hand, offers the novel idea of ‘what if things weren’t complicated’ – and goes all in on being a simple but capable smartphone.
The only problem is that Google mastered the recipe a year ago – so much so that the Pixel 9 Pro was labelled TechRadar’s phone of the year. The Pixel 9 generation was so well-rounded that improving upon it was always going to be difficult. And, indeed, it seems Google has come up short in terms of innovation.
Improvements to wireless charging, a better screen and a more complete camera array on the base model aside, there’s not much difference here, particularly in terms of overall performance.
My tagline for the Google Pixel range for years now has been that it’s ‘the best iPhones that Apple doesn’t make’, and that remains true with the Pixel 10 – but no more than the Pixel 9. The phones look almost identical (as evident by the photos in this article), save for some subtle details, and there haven’t been overwhelming improvements on either the hardware or software front.
There’s honestly not much for Google to improve here, especially without a price increase that could see its phones as expensive as those from Samsung. My praise for the Pixel 9 generation remains stronger than ever, and I’m finding it extremely difficult to recommend the Pixel 10 instead.
A mastered design
There’s honestly not much to say for the Pixel 10 range over the Pixel 9 series – certainly not as much as there was between the Pixel 8 and 9 – so to get slightly ahead of myself, I think most phone users would be satisfied with a Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL (it’s tough to make a judgement on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, however, as that phone is yet to be sent to reviewers and released to market).
The older Pixles were exceptionally well rounded and fairly nicely priced at launch, even as I may bemoan price increases that have crept in over the last three years. Great processing power, reliable battery life and gorgeous screens made the Pixel 9 range hard to ignore – and the cameras are truly among the best you can get in the smartphone market. If you don’t care about having the latest and greatest handset, buy a Pixel 9.
And that begs the question – would you buy the Pixel 10, then? Well, there are some small upgrades to consider. The standout is certainly the inclusion of Qi 2 and 2.1 charging, as my colleague Lindsay Handmer has recently written about. This is the actual magnetic wireless charging that offers faster speeds than original Qi charging.
Samsung disappointed many, including myself, when it announced its S25 range was ‘Qi 2 compatible’ but didn’t have the magnets that made the feature so attractive and reliable in a pinch. I see the appeal in Qi 2 and I’m glad to see it grow in adoption, but I remain sceptical of wireless charging, particularly when it’s slower than wired charging and requires an additional purchase (of a wireless charger).
The other is the display. The screens across the range are brighter than the previous generations with tons of colorful detail – the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s being the brightest on the market (at 3,300nits). It looks brilliant and is only kneecapped by a fairly sensitive adaptive display sensor, dimming brightness when it deems necessary.
The base model Pixel 10 has also received a triple camera array for the first time, making it more capable for telephoto shots, but I don’t personally think that’s a must-have for a casual user.
Apart from these, the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series have much in common. They boast similar day-to-day performance and battery life (though the Pixel 10 has year-on-year processor and graphics buffs), their operating systems are quite clean and the phones themselves look good. It’s just a really well-rounded value proposition to get the Pixel 9 this year, particularly now that it’s cheaper from some retailers with the introduction of the Pixel 10.
Both phone generations offer the same support window of up to seven years across both software and security updates (the Pixel 9 is now down to six years), which is fairly generous to begin with and makes the Pixel 9 still an attractive option.
At the end of the day, here’s where my head is at: if your phone is from 2021 or before and you care about longevity, consider the Pixel 10. If it’s younger, you probably don’t need to upgrade at all but should keep next year’s Pixel 11 in mind. Or, in the interest of saving money while still getting a robust handset, consider the Pixel 9 range now or the Pixel 10 range next year – or even the Pixel 9a, as it’s a fairly good budget all-rounder that I’d happily use as my day-to-day phone.
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zac.kelly@futurenet.com (Zachariah Kelly)
