Pixel 10 Pro XL: It’s the phone I wanted the Pixel 9 Pro XL to be

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Pixel 10 Pro XL: It’s the phone I wanted the Pixel 9 Pro XL to be

I’ve used the Pixel 9 Pro XL since launch, not through lack of choice, but because I think it’s one of the best Android phones available. I’m a fan, you could say, but I’m not blind to its faults.

When the Pixel 10 Pro leaks started, I was initially disappointed: the lack of design changes from the Pixel 9 Pro XL to the Pixel 10 Pro XL made the new phone seem iterative. But now the Pixel 10 family has launched, I’m full of hope – because the Pixel 10 Pro XL seems to be the phone that the Pixel 9 Pro XL should have been.

After using it for a year, my biggest frustration with the Pixel 9 Pro XL is its battery life. When running it alongside the OnePlus 13 or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, it was comfortably outclassed. Samsung’s clearly doing something right, because the Galaxy 25 Ultra has a lower capacity battery.

The battery in the Pixel 10 Pro XL, however, takes a step up to 5,200mAh. It’s the biggest battery in a Pixel yet and that will help it stand its ground against rivals. But as Samsung demonstrates, stamina isn’t only about capacity, it’s about optimisation and that’s what Google needs to focus on.

The Pixel 10 will feature a first for smartphones

Google has been conservative where batteries and charging are concerned, but there’s something exciting happening with the Pixel 10 Pro XL. It’s the first phone to support Qi2 25W. This is the latest standard of Qi2, announced in July 2025. It supports up to 25W wireless charging, going above and beyond the 15W currently available.

I don’t say this lightly: this could completely change the Android accessories space

While Android has been talking about Qi2 charging for a couple of years, only the HMD Skyline actually offered it. But now Google is making it happen and that means its Pixel 10 phones are leading the pack.

Evan Blass

I don’t say this lightly: this could completely change the Android accessories space. I’m looking forward to magnetic chargers, better in-car mounts, better nightstands and all the other add-ons that iPhone users have been enjoying for years.

I fully expect the iPhone 17 Pro to follow suit next month and offer 25W MagSafe charging too.

Tensor takes a turn for the better

If you ask an Android fan what they want to power their phone, they’ll almost certainly say Snapdragon. Google has been going it alone with Tensor for the past four years and I can’t honestly say that it’s been entirely smooth.

In Tensor 5, however, Google is promising a 34% faster CPU and a 60% faster TPU (which is what handles AI). These are potentially huge increases in power that could help the Pixel stand more confidently alongside its rivals.

There’s also a nod to the future with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. While you might not need those connection standards yet, the Pixel 10 Pro is ready to rock with the next gen when you do.

A display that keeps getting better

One of the things I loved about the Pixel 9 Pro XL was the display. Google has made some big moves with its displays over the past few years. The Pixel 7 Pro was 1,500 nits, the Pixel 8 Pro was 2,400 nits and the Pixel 9 Pro was 3,000 nits. The Pixel 10 Pro is 3,300 nits.

…images look so much brighter and more lifelike than they do on other devices

Why do we need such high brightness? It’s about impact, or more precisely, about HDR. While the whole display will deliver 2,200 nits brightness, that 3,300 nits is reserved for a smaller window, which is exactly how it should be used.

Google

Take a photo with bright highlights and Google’s Ultra HDR system captures all that data and displays it with literal brilliance. It makes for more impactful photos, even if not all phones will display it. When using the Pixel to browse Google Photos, those images look so much brighter and more lifelike than they do on other devices.

It divides opinion, but once you’ve seen Ultra HDR images in Instagram (for example) everything else just looks dull. Haters will hate, but I’m sure that those who dislike Ultra HDR do so because it makes everything else look so flat and dull.

Okay, it’s really about the Pixel camera

Let’s cut to the chase: the reason the Pixel 9 Pro XL hasn’t left my pocket is its camera. Google is known for sticking to the same cameras and making software do the heavy lifting – and that’s been the Pixel camera’s secret sauce.

While I’ve rated Google’s 30x zoom over rivals, the Pixel 10 Pro is going further and offering 100x zoom for the first time. Sure, Samsung did that with the S20 Ultra in 2020 so this is nothing new, but the Pixel features a heavy dose of AI to help.

Uh-oh, I hear you say. We saw this on the Honor Magic 7 Pro, where the AI SuperZoom literally replaces your shot with Gen AI, but I have faith that Google is going to offer something better with Pro Res Zoom. There are some strange caveats: for example, it can’t be used with people in the shot. But I still can’t wait to see what Google has to offer. And, as it’s all in the software, there’s a chance that this will come to older phones too.

But not all improvements are software-based. There’s boosted image stabilisation on the Pixel 10 Pro and that means longer exposures in lower light without handshake, which again should improve the versatility of the Pixel camera.

Same look, but a lot more going on

So yes, the Pixel 10 looks the same as the Pixel 9, but there’s a lot happening here. Google pushing Qi2 25W is huge, while that 100x zoom really makes a statement and will probably be scrutinised more than any other phone feature.

That’s what I want from Google: I want it to lead Android, not simply follow along.

See more news and opinions on the Pixel 10 phones in our dedicated 2025 Google Event hub.

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