The Pixel 10 Pro XL has it all: brains, beauty, and brawn, and it’s my favourite phone that Google has ever released. I don’t say that lightly, either.
Maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s as close as Google has come in a number of years. I still have photos from the Pixel 4 and more recent models that are some of my favourites, but the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the first Google Phone that impressed me from processing power, to design, durability, and of course, photography.
I think that Google could swing a little harder, and take a few more chances with the Pixel phones, but the Pixel 10 Pro XL is a step up in a lot of ways.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is available in Moonstone, Jade, Porcelain, and Obsidian starting at $1,629 with 256 GB of storage $1,799 for 512 GB, and $2,099 for 1 TB.
Bright display, solid design, and long-lasting battery
The Pixel Pro phones have a number of upgrades over the basic models, but I think the biggest selling point of the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the size, with an ideal weight of 232 grams.
For anyone who needs all the screen size they can get, or if you have chunky fingers, the Pixel 10 Pro XL feels like a perfect fit. It’s big and comfortable, with a bright 6.8″ Super Actua display. While the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro both work for me, I really appreciate having the bigger screen for videos, photos, and reading.
From all angles, the phone looks fantastic, the colours are bright and vibrant, with depth, and the smooth display adapts from 1-120Hz. The display is also well protected with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass.
The design also stands apart from the competition. It’s uniquely Pixel, the materials look and feel premium, and I love the colours. I didn’t expect to love Porcelain as much as I do, but it almost glows, and the Pixel cases are worth every penny. If you’re going to spend the money for a Pixel phone, the Pixel cases are hard to beat.
Looking at the other Pixel 10 phones, they all have good specs, including battery life, but the Pixel 10 Pro exceeded my expectations. It’s the first Pixel phone in a few years that matched my needs perfectly.
The 5,200 mAh battery typically lasts from around 18 to 24 hours, and I’m a pretty heavy phone user, with the device charging from 1% to 100% in about 2 hours over USB-C. Fast charging takes about an hour with a 45W USB-C PPS charger, if you have one or purchase the Pixel charger.
Compared to how much I struggled with the Pixel 9 Pro battery, the 10 Pro XL is a big step up.
Processing power to spare
If I had to level one complaint against most of the Pixel phones to date, it’s was the processing power. Google has been promoting the Tensor chips as industry leading, but I’ve often run into problems with devices because the processor came up short. The new Pro XL changes all of that.
I’ve been able to edit videos–one of the best tests that I’ve seen on many phones, especially with many clips and effects–without the app running out of resources, and the base 256 GB of storage gave me plenty of room for files. The 16 GB of RAM is also key, but the Google Tensor G5, alongside the Titan M2 security coprocessor, feel like a big step up from the G4.
I’ll be the first to say that every phone should start with 256 GB of storage, and given the minor price difference, I’d suggest the 512 GB model is well worth it, if you capture a lot of photos and videos.
Cameras, photography, and video
For as long as I’ve been using Pixel phones, I’ve come back to them again and again as a creator. Pixel phones capture a realism, depth, with realistic colour that I don’t see from many Android phones. My travel YouTube channel is filled with videos that I’ve shot on Pixel phones for the last few years, and for good reason.
As a creator, the real story that I love to talk about are the cameras and creative tools. The pro triple rear camera system, on top of a very good selfie camera, work for me in all kinds of conditions. And the audio is almost as good as using an external microphone, often in noisy environments, too.
Videos pop, and I often shoot whole trips and events with just the phone, rather than take a camera.
For photos, I’ve printed them, shared them on my social channels, and I have so many portraits that I love of my family.
Night Sight and Astrophotography once again deliver gorgeous results, but I think my favourite feature with this phone is High-Res Portrait Mode, that delivers shots up to 50 MP with crisp, sharp details. Portrait Light and Magic Eraser are also excellent features alongside the general all-purpose cameras.
The phone offers three rear cameras; a 50 MP wide, 48 MP ultrawide, and a 48 MP 5x telephoto with Pro Res Zoom up to 100x. I did have mixed results with the lenses, but the wide and the telephoto 5x lenses delivered excellent results. The 42 MP selfie camera is also very good, and I have quite a few good shots with it. Check out a gallery at the bottom of the story.
Ultrawide could overall be improved for both the front and rear cameras, and I’d love to see much better results for the zoom, beyond 5x, but I still liked a lot of the images that I captured.
For video, you can record up to 8K using Video Boost, but the 4K video at 24/30/50 FPS was excellent.
More features and some complaints
The phone has a lot of features, and more than I can get to in this review, but Qi2 support for magnetic charging and accessories is a good addition to the ecosystem.
Overall I’m usually not impressed with the kind of AI features phones have been trying to make into a thing in the past year, but the Pixel does have a few good updates. Magic Cue pulls up relevant details for you across the phone, like phone numbers, appointments, and more, making it genuinely useful.
Android 16’s Material 3 Expressive design options bring a lot of life to the phone display, from the always on display, lock screen, to the wallpaper and colours. It’s a great upgrade for Android.
My only complaints with the phone have been a couple of glitches. The first may have been addressed by a recent update, but when I go into elevators or subway tunnels and lose phone service, the Pixel struggles to reconnect when I’m outside again. Often I’ve had to wait or manually restart the connection, but it is happening less often.
And when I minimize an app and try to quickly open another app, the phone reopens the first app again. I usually have to wait a couple of moments for the phone to catch up, essentially. Neither of these are big concerns, and I generally think Android 16 has been more efficient and easier to use than previous versions.
Final thoughts
Considering everything, my complaints are fairly minor. Battery life can be adversely affected by turning on every bell and whistle that the Pixel offers, but overall, the phone is dependable and dare I say, excellent.
It might be the perfect phone with tweaks like a flawless 20x zoom, or more base storage space, but I think the only real complaint that I have is the value for the money.
If you’re looking for a deal, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is a tad expensive, but it’s a great overall package if you don’t mind the price. I like the Pixel ecosystem, and I think it works well for a wide range of people. If you get a chance to buy the Pro XL when it’s on sale, it’s ideal.
If you really want a deal, and don’t mind a few less features and camera options, the Pixel 10 is a better price that still offers a lot for anyone who needs a new phone.
Photo gallery captured with the Pixel 10 Pro XL
All photos by W. Andrew Powell/The GATE.
2 comments
I am so sorry I purchased this phone. I absolutely hate it.Thought it would be easy to use like my old android. It is NOT easy and it gives me grieve daily
That’s very surprising. Android is fairly ubiquitous, across the last few versions, but there is a learning curve with updates.