The Pixel 10 feels like the biggest, broadest step into its own space since the introduction of the Pixel Pro lineup and the base model. It not only sits in the “best” position it can, but it is not as easy to recommend as I had initially hoped.
Why “Initial Review”? Well, the simple truth is that after one week with a device, it’s impossible to truly ascertain the extent of what it can do. While we have some concrete thoughts, some are a little more fluid. We’ll revisit this post over time and provide more insight once we have used the device for an extended period. What follows goes beyond impressions and into a true day-to-day experience based on using the Pixel 10 as a main device.
Hardware and design
It looks exactly like the Pixel 9. There isn’t much more to say about the visual design choices. The only major alteration is to the camera bar. It’s marginally thicker with a bigger glass visor embedded within the protruding metal frame. Bad luck if you wanted to pick up or use some Pixel 9 accessories. They might not fit all that nicely.
This is to say that we can’t fault it too much. Moving the SIM tray to the top of global models is odd. There is a visual benefit, though, as now the bottom frame cutouts are symmetrical, which means the speaker switches sides to the right for a microphone.
The display is still excellent at this price range. It’s brighter, smoother, has an excellent fingerprint scanner, and has great viewing angles. However, it still defaults to 60Hz out of the box. I’m not sure why Google keeps doing that, but we’ve been dealing with it for years now.
Pixelsnap is a killer change, and although it’s great, you need to work out its limits. Some existing MagSafe accessories can look a little bulky on the Pixel 10. I have ditched a few Anker magnetic power banks because they effectively added more weight than I wanted. It’s a nitpick, but a great problem to have. Maybe the magnets could be a little stronger; you can wiggle things off if the magnets have a soft-touch material cover. The Peak Design mobile tripod is one accessory that doesn’t work well in my testing, but it’ll be trial and error for a little while. I figure it might be due to the glossy finish on the base model.
The strength of the magnets is important. I used a Moft Magsafe wallet and that was incredibly secure using both the Pixelsnap case or directly on the back of the phone. I highly recommend picking one of those up for $25 if you want a decent starter accessory.
Software and performance
Shipping with Android 16 QPR1 pre-installed is a big upgrade over the Pixel 9’s sort of bungled Android 14 launch software. You’re getting something temporarily unique to the latest Pixel. While it’s a big visual departure, functionally, it is exactly the same as Android 16 in most key areas. It feels instantly fresh, slick, and bold, and Material 3 Expressive is right at home with all the first-party apps, looking gorgeous.
The big news you probably want to hear is about the chipset. I’m sorry to say, but Tensor G5 doesn’t feel like a quantum leap. You might notice some little things here and there, but overall, nothing that instantly blows you away out of the gate, despite Google claiming “34%” as the magic performance boost over the previous gen. Sure, we didn’t expect huge gains, and despite some details from Google on how this helps the Pixel 10 performance, other areas have a detrimental effect from a “feel” perspective.
Case in point: I have used the Pixel 10 Pro XL alongside the Pixel 10, so my baseline for experience is tainted by a device that comes with faster storage. You lose milliseconds to loading screens or to an app refreshing. In isolation, maybe this isn’t a big deal, but the Pixel 10 should be instant at this stage. Once you see it, it’s hard to unsee. It was a home run. An easy way to give the Pixel 10 a leg up. Instead, you need a 256 GB model to get faster storage.
I’m past the stage where the excuse of “does the average person care about this” flies when it comes to this kind of thing. Make your base model the best it can be, and then not only will fans come back, but new adopters or converts will be impressed and happy for years to come. Hardware optimization isn’t something you can do ad nauseam. The tech is almost half a decade old and starting to bog down otherwise great devices.
I do love that Google has synced the Android 16 QPR1 release to give Pixel 10 early adopters the first true taste of the latest OS. Last year, Android 14 was a weird starting point for the Pixel 9, no such problems this time and it’s a breath of fresh air. The best way to experience Android right now – and that is coming from a recent One UI convert.
That is the backdrop; the AI functions are shoved down your throat from the get-go. Some good, some, well, less good.
At least in theory, Magic Cue isn’t going to be something you’ll use all the time. It’s mostly just a clutch convenience function. In fact, I haven’t had it trigger all that often in the seven days I’ve been using the Pixel 10. You might have issues if you are using the beta versions of the Google Phone and Messages apps, because it wasn’t until a few days ago that we worked out that it won’t work with those right now – but might in the future.
It is also limited to Google’s first-party apps, which somewhat diminishes its helpfulness, at least in my case. If I can’t get calendar event suggestions while messaging in WhatsApp, then it kind of doesn’t hold much use to me, as annoying as that is. Hopefully, we get more areas where Magic Cue can be used.
I’m not sure if it’s because I use a VPN or because I’m based in the UK, but I have yet to see the Daily Hub appear at the top of my Discover Feed. Instead, it’s appearing in the At a Glance widget. The results seem pretty solid to me, with rundowns of my favorite teams plus some cool stuff surfacing ahead of a trip to Japan later this year. I can’t fault it, but I can’t say it has been something I’m desperate to use. Maybe it’ll grow on me more.
I haven’t used Pixel Journal too extensively despite it feeling like the best new “app.” The small affirmations and AI summaries are well handled. I can see this becoming part of my day-to-day life, like Pixel Screenshots from a pure organization perspective. Once devices hit shelves, I’m sure that these will actually start working as intended, but for now, they are just there.
Be sure to check out our Pixel 10 Pro review for a bigger overview of all of the AI functions baked in. Nothing yet feels majorly groundbreaking; instead, Google is opting to make AI functions optional or less in-your-face. I like this approach, but I understand we’re not really seeing how big a difference it can truly make to your day-to-day smartphone experience.
Battery
A week really isn’t a long time to determine how good a smartphone battery is, but it damn sure is enough time to know if a device has bad longevity. The good news is that the Pixel 10 doesn’t have a “bad” battery.
I’m reliably getting through every day. A few times while out taking photos I did need a bit of a top-up before heading out again for the evening, but it has been fairly reliable. Again, nothing groundbreaking. Fairly solid if unspectacular.
I haven’t noticed any overheating, and the phone doesn’t get particularly hot to the touch, save a few times during setup—basically like every phone in existence. I’m hoping that cooling and temperatures remain key focus points for the SoC’s future development, as heat and power management haven’t been Tensor’s greatest strength.
We’ll have more to report on the overall lifespan when we revisit the device properly in a few weeks time. So far so good though. It isn’t dying randomly nor is the cell just dropping like a stone from basic usage. Charging is still annoyingly slow compared to others, but you can deal with it. I’m certainly not giving Google a pass for that, but if it mitigates potential heat and therefore degradation of the battery, I can cope.
Camera
I am ovejoyed that Google finally added a telephoto to the Pixel 10. I’ve referred to this as the “tourist” lens privately and it is going to be a gamechanger for many people that do go out and pick up this device. I was worried that it might be of lesser quality than comparable 5x optical lenses given the 10.8MP sensor.
How wrong I was. This is the single biggest reason not to be too stressed about some other camera hardware changes. You are in good hands, as even at 20x images look pretty darn good. In fact, I’d say they look comparable to the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s 20x zoom. Yes, a little softer, but overall in the same ballpark, but with sharpness dialed up when you get to the upper echelons of the zoom range.
You are literally getting a new angle on every photo you want to take. Use it, try it, and fall in love with it. Pinch-to-zoom on touchscreens was made for this.
On the main and ultrawide, it’s just the 9a in all the same ways. I personally think it’s a noticeable downgrade, but what you gain in terms of overall flexibility won’t be spotted by the kind of people who will buy this phone. Maybe in the future, Google should use the previous-gen main sensor and put a bit more space between this and the A-series. For now, it’s competent if a little bit confusing.
Compared to the Pixel 9’s main lens, the Pixel 10’s consistently produces photos with higher contrast, featuring richer colors and deeper blacks. It still manages to create a natural-looking bokeh effect despite the smaller sensor, and in some cases, it does so with less aggressive background blur.
Surprisingly, the two phones perform similarly in low light, although the Pixel 10 handles bright light sources better with less glare. Software tuning can do a lot to enhance a “lesser” camera system, and Google has been doing this for several years with the A-series. It’s not the best base model camera setup, but banking on versatility will be a solid move if only for the people who just want consistency and a baseline of camera quality. You’re definitely getting that here, but it’d be a lie to say we didn’t want a little more based on the previous generations.
Initial thoughts
The Pixel 10 has upgrades in areas that we’ve been desperate for the base model to have since the Pixel 6. It has also been downgraded enough to make a difference to the overall experience. You get a little bit of everything, but a few strange decisions diminish what is otherwise another solid Pixel phone.
For several years, my biggest complaint has been just how close the “default” Pixel experience has flown to the previous A-series. Thanks to all of the new AI additions, it’s enough of a step forward, but there are more distinct lines in the sand for each specific model.
It’s Schroginder’s Pixel, which is to say that it is both the best base model the company has produced and the one I am having the hardest time recommending because of some important missing features. This cuts to a deeper issue. What are you happy to give up on a $799 phone?
For me, the lack of UFS 4.0 storage on the 128GB version really diminishes many of the other good things. It is 2025; this would not have increased the production cost drastically. If Google is serious about sustainability and the long update promise leads me to believe that the company is, then give the Pixel 10 the smoothest experience for everyone.
A tiered storage approach means that someone will inevitably have a phone that ages worse than another. It’s noticeable how this elevates the experience right now – and will keep it smooth in years to come. It’s an asterisk I can’t quite let go, and it pains me to bring it up constantly, but it wouldn’t be fair to give Google a pass mark because software tuning is very good.
If it wasn’t immediately obvious, Google is now 100% utilizing Apple’s early S series playbook for the Pixel lineup. Make small quality-of-life upgrades or updates and pitch to those who haven’t recently upgraded. There is a distinct line in the sand between each device. Ergo, the Pixel 9a is merely an appetizer or a brief taste of what the Pixel series is about. The Pixel 10 adds some seasoning to the dish with dipping sauce included, while the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL are the main event with all the trimmings.
My biggest takeaway from the Pixel 10 is that it’s a very constrained upgrade. The Pixel 10 Pro is a small, moderately powerful phone. It’s similar to another device that was released earlier this year, but the truth is that the Pixel 10 just needs to be better than the Pixel 9a – which it is. It’s harder to recommend by virtue of the price tag strapped around its neck. At $599, it’s an absolute bargain. Less so at $799. A major saving grace is that as an upgrade from the Pixel 6 through to the Pixel 8, it’s a solid buy. The rest? Well, the truth is not so much.
Get the Pixel 10
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments