Google Pixel 10 Pro review: Exceptional AI phone

Google has done a fantastic job with the latest Pixel 10 Pro. It may have the same design elements as the predecessor, but there are meaningful upgrades to deliver a better user experience in terms of gen AI features than most premium phones in the market.

2025 is a milestone year for Google, as the company marks the 10th anniversary of Pixel hardware.

In the last 10 years, which began with the Pixel phone (1st Gen) series in 2016, the Mountain View-based technology major has steadily improved in delivering good camera hardware way above the industry standard. And, in 2021, with its own Tensor G silicon, it made a giant stride in improving user experience by offering fully optimised Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered features, which continue to set high benchmarks in the industry.

The efforts are finally paying off, as this year, it has for the first time broken into the top five leaders board (global) in the premium smartphone segment. With a record 105 per cent year-on-year growth, it is the fastest-growing premium smartphone brand worldwide, according to the latest Counterpoint Research report.

With the new Pixel 10 Pro, Google promises to further elevate the user experience on a phone.

Design, build quality and display

Pixel 10 Pro retains most of the design elements of the predecessor and almost looks like an identical twin of the Pixel 9 Pro.

The new device has the familiar horizontally aligned elongated camera capsule, which Google calls the camera bar. It houses three camera sensors and an LED flash with a multi-zone Laser Detection Autofocus sensor.

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

However, it maintains the unique Pixel phone identity, and an interesting aspect is that when kept on the table with the back facing it, the phone doesn't wobble. It stays stable on the flat surface.

Also, the frosted glass back ensures the phone repels sweaty fingerprint smudges and doesn't need cleaning much throughout the day.

The device is made of high-grade materials. It has a super sturdy, spacecraft-grade aluminium frame with a smooth finish around the edges of the phone. The flat rail offers good grip for the fingers to hold on to the device firmly.

Our Pixel 10 Pro unit is a moonstone model. It is a bluish grey in colour and looks stunning in the sunlight. The smooth metallic frame blends beautifully with the frosted glass finish on the back. The company also offers the device in three other colours--jade (greenish), obsidian (dark grey), and porcelain (cream).

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

The device features a Type-C port between two speakers at the base and volume and power buttons on the right side. At the top, it houses a SIM tray for a single SIM. It supports e-SIM as well.

The phone's back cover and the front display panel are protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2 shield, and the device comes with an IP68 water-and-dust resistant rating, meaning it can survive an accidental drop in a freshwater body for up to 1.5 metres (around five feet) for close to 30 minutes.

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

The company has covered all bases to ensure the device is protected against scratches and water damage, and be able to serve the customer for several years. Having said that, the device is very expensive, so it is recommended to get a cover case and possibly a screen guard just to be on the safe side. A fall on the rough surface may not damage the internal components, but it will suffer dents, as most metal-based frame does. It won't look visually nice in the long run.

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

The device sports a beautiful 6.3-inch QHD+ Super Actua LTPO OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, pixel density of 495 ppi (pixels per inch) and a 3,300-nit peak brightness. There is noticeable improvement in terms of viewing experience over the predecessor.

The display is great to binge-watch TV series and movies while on a long journey, like on a flight or a train or a bus. However, outdoors, there will be a few reflection issues, and the user has to take the screen a little closer to the face to view content.

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

The optical fingerprint sensor is really good on the Pixel 10 Pro model. It works fast in recognising the finger impression and unlocks the home screen.

Eco-friendly phone

Like the previous Pixel phones, the new 10th-gen Pixel handset is made of recycled materials. Almost 30 per cent of the materials used for the components of the device are recycled.

The aluminium used in the device is also 100 per cent repurposed material. The cobalt used for the battery cell is also 100 per cent recycled.

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

The rare earth materials sourced for the magnet on the back are 100 per cent repurposed from discarded electronic devices.

The haptic engine in the Pixel 10 Pro is made of 100 per cent recycled tungsten. Even the gold, copper and tin-based solder used in the motherboard of the device is 100 per cent recycled.

Of the 13 plastic-based components in the device, eight of them are said to be 100 per cent repurposed from discarded plastic items. It should be noted that the entire retail package of the device has zero per cent plastic.

Performance

The Pixel 10 Pro comes with 16GB RAM, 256GB storage (UFS 4.1) and is powered by the advanced 3nm class Tensor G5 silicon, which, by the way, is co-designed by Google and the DeepMind team.

It is a 3nm class octa-core chipset with one 3.78 GHz Cortex-X4 core, five 3.05 GHz Cortex-A725 cores and two 2.25 GHz Cortex-A520 cores with PowerVR DXT-48-1536 GPU.

The new Tensor G5 promises 34 per cent faster CPU performance and more than 60 per cent Tensor Processing Units (TPU) computing speed.

In terms of real-world performance, I have to say, the device runs smoothly in terms of day-to-day activities.

Google Pixel 10 Pro supports several gen AI features.

It should be noted that the Tensor G5 is the first custom-developed chipset to run the latest Gemini Nano model. It works fully on-device, and there is no requirement for select generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) features to connect with a cloud server to perform.

Even the heavy-duty gen AI activities such as generating images and editing multimedia content, the device, though it takes a few seconds, delivers the result without overheating as such.

However, the device is not made for extreme gaming sessions. It lacks the raw power of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 series in other flagship Android phones.

Like the Nexus series, Pixel phones are for a pure Android experience and play with gen AI features.

Gen AI-powered Camera Coach feature on Google Pixel 10 Pro.

Google has incorporated several generative Artificial Intelligence features, including Magic Cue, AI live voice translations, Gemini Live, Pixel Screenshots, Writing Tools with smart editing (on Gboard keypad), new Recorder app (with music creating tool), and more.

Also, users can play Veo-3 and Imagen 4 tools on the Gemini app. You can turn any image into a short video clip of 8 seconds.

For now, the Voice Translate feature works when translating to or from English with Spanish, German, Japanese, French, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Russian and Indonesian. More languages will be made available in the coming months, says Google.

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

Another first AI feature coming with the Pixel 10 series is the Magic Cue. This feature will surface contextually relevant information on the screen whenever the user is using Google-account-linked apps such as Messages, Gmail, Flights, screenshots and more.

Consider a scenario where you and your friends have planned a trip, but just days before the D-day, one friend messages you to make some last-minute changes, and here's where Magic Cue kicks in and will intuitively bring the trip details within the app for easy reference. It will offer the phone number of the tour agency on the phone's screen within the message app to instantly make the call and change the itinerary.

Another new feature is the Camera Share on Gemini Live. It can assist with what to wear for an event based on the available clothes in the drawer. It can help solve a math problem for the kid.

For instance, open Gemini Live and tap the camera. Then, point to a math problem and ask how to solve it, and the digital assistant will help you with a step-by-step guide and offer a solution.

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

Also, for the first time, Google has introduced the Pixel Journal app. Here, the user can write about the day they had. And, the user does not have to scratch their head on how to start; the AI-powered app offers suggestions, and the user can build on it and log their daily life experiences. As per research studies, journaling is said to be a good practice to improve mental wellness.

The Pixel 10 Pro runs pure vanilla Android 16 OS with the Material-3 expressive UX. The animations and app transitions, be it opening or switching between multiple apps, are more lively than before.

Like with the Pixel 10, the 10 Pro initially had bugs affecting the user experience. But after the September software update, all the issues seem fixed. I did not face any pressing issues that I can complain about.

The device is guaranteed to get seven years of Android OS updates along with security patches for protection against emerging cyber threats.

The device also comes with a Titan M2 security chipset integrated with Tensor G5. It offers protection to all the sensitive information, such as user IDs, passwords and more, stored in the device.

Google Pixel 10 Pro supports Crash Detection and Pixel Satellite SOS emergency features.

Like the standard Pixel 10 model, the Pro variant also comes with several potential life-saving features, including the Crash Detection feature. It will come in handy in sending alerts to emergency responders and loved ones, and get help as soon as possible.

It will also get the Pixel Satellite SOS feature, which will help users send messages to seek help whenever users get lost during a trek or meet an accident in remote locations such as hills or mountain ranges and other remote regions where there is no access to cellular connectivity or Wi-Fi. The device will directly connect to the satellite and send the SOS message to emergency responders. However, this feature is limited to select countries in the West.

The Pixel 10 Pro device owners will also get direct alerts from Google whenever there is a natural calamity such as a Tsunami, hurricane/cyclone/tornado or earthquake nearby. These timely alerts will help device owners move to a safer place before any disaster strikes them.

The device houses a 4,870mAh battery with 29W wired fast charging and 15W wireless Qi2 charging capability. With full charge, it can easily last an entire day under normal usage with Wi-Fi at home and at the office/college. If you are fully dependent on the 5G cellular plan for internet all day, it can run up to evening time, and after that, you may need a power bank.

Google has incorporated really strong magnets on the back of the Pixel 10 Pro to dock snap-on accessories such as power banks and designer cover cases with stands.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

Photography

The Pixel 10 Pro boasts of triple-camera module— a main 50MP (with 1/1.31-inch Samsung GNV sensor, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation), LDAF: Laser Detection Auto Focus) with 48MP Ultra-wide camera (with 1/2.51-inch Sony IMX858 sensor, macro option), a 48MP 5x telephoto camera (with 1/2.51-inch Sony IMX858, OIS, macro option, 30x digital zoom) with LED flash.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

The device takes amazing quality pictures in all light conditions. One of the perks of owning the Pixel is that the user just has to point the camera at the subject and be assured of a great photo. The Pixel 10 Pro sets a high benchmark in this aspect.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

And, even if you are a rookie, the Pixel 10 series comes with an AI-powered Camera Coach, which can guide you to get the best photo.

Camera Coach on Pixel 10 Pro.

Besides that, Pixel 10 Pro boasts several gen AI photography tools such as Magic Editor, Audio eraser, object eraser, Add Me, Best Take and more. All work flawlessly, but they require internet connectivity to deliver a fantastic photography experience.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

Even the recent Gemini app update with gen AI editing tools such as Imagen-4 and Veo-3, as noted earlier, works amazingly good. Users can add objects in the photo to make it more fun and engaging when shared with loved ones on messenger apps.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

At night, the Pixel 10 Pro takes pretty nice, sharp photos with less noise.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

Also, at close-up range, the Pixel 10 Pro manages to capture minute details of the subject.

Google Pixel 10 Pro sample with ultra-wide angle photo.

It supports ultra-wide angle and can cover a vast area of the landscape, such as this Nandi hill range, within the frame pretty nicely.

Pixel 10 Pro camera sample with 1X normal photo.

Pixel 10 Pro camera sample with 2X zoom photo.

Pixel 10 Pro camera sample with 5X zoom.

Pixel 10 Pro camera sample with 10X zoom.

Pixel 10 Pro camera sample with 100X zoom.

It supports digital zoom, and thanks to gen AI tools, it can support 100X ProRes Zoom. As you can see from the samples, the Pixel 10 Pro does a fine job getting a decent superzoom image with less noise.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

It also does a fine job with portrait mode. It manages to get a sharp focus on the subject and artfully blurs the background to deliver a perfect bokeh effect.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

On the front, the Pixel 10 Pro features a 42MP 103-degree camera with a 1/2.51-inch Sony IMX858 sensor and supports autofocus.

It takes fantastic selfies in all light conditions.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

Pixel 10 and 10 Pro are two of the very few handful of devices in the industry that can allow the Instagram app to capture images and videos in their original quality. With this device, users can get the best quality low-light images.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

Thanks to Tensor G5, the Titan M2 security chip and Tensor security core, the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 series are the first phones to support Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) built into its native camera app. It is the highest security rating currently defined by C2PA, which allows users to know the authenticity and origin of different types of media, like images, videos, and audio, captured by the device.

Google Pixel 10 Pro's camera sample.

The device supports 10-bit HDR recording, Cinematic Blur, and 4K video recording at 60 frames per second (fps). The video quality is on par with most of the premium phones in its class.

Final thoughts

Though there is hardly any physical design change, it comes with a host of new capabilities and improvements to outrank the rivals in the premium smartphone class.

There are noticeable improvements in thermal performance, enhanced user experience while running gen AI features and does a fine job with delivering a full day of battery life under normal usage.

Another perk of owning the Pixel 10 Pro models is that XL owners will get a full year of the Google AI Pro plan with 2TB cloud storage worth Rs 23,400 free.

Google Pixel 10 Pro.

With the introduction of value-added features such as PixelSnap wireless charging, Journal app, and top-class gen AI features, Pixel 10 Pro is a very compelling smartphone for Apple iPhone users, who have long been thinking of switching to the Android party.

The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL are available with 256GB of storage, can be preordered today starting at Rs 79,999, Rs 109,999, and Rs 124,999.

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