Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review

“This cellphone jogs my memory of the primary time I used Microsoft Excel.”

I requested him what he meant, and he defined that utilizing the Pixel 10 Professional XL felt like studying new software program. That’s once I realised what he was getting at. Regardless of being a non-technical individual, he understood what Google is making an attempt to realize with the Pixel 10 Professional XL.

I imagine the brand new Pixel 10 Professional XL, though it hasn’t modified a lot by way of {hardware}, is a software program present via and thru. And Google isn’t shying away anymore. That claims quite a bit in regards to the path smartphones may take sooner or later: the place {hardware} continues to enhance, however it is going to be AI and its accompanying options that do all of the speaking.

It packs Google’s newest Tensor G5 processor, together with 16GB of RAM. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)

Maybe the massive query is: are shoppers prepared for this transformation, or will it take one or two extra generations of the Pixel to totally persuade them that that is the current and that the times when {hardware} was the one manner cellphone makers differentiated their smartphones are behind us?

I examined the Pixel 10 Professional XL for just a few days to grasp how Google is bringing collectively Gemini AI, Android, and the digital camera, its three core benefits, to create an clever smartphone.

What: Google Pixel 10 Professional XL | Value: Rs 124,999

Feels luxurious within the hand 

One have a look at the Pixel 10 Professional XL and also you immediately recognise that the design id is unique and truthfully, very Google-like. I like how the cellphone seems to be and feels, nearly like a Loro Piana cashmere sweater, a model beloved by billionaires, far faraway from the monogram-heavy Gucci sneakers or Louis Vuitton baggage which can be in all places and sometimes seen with influencers today. 

The Pixel 10 Professional XL seems to be nearly equivalent to final 12 months’s Pixel 9 Professional XL, and I don’t suppose a very new design is critical yearly. That mentioned, there’s a way of calmness if you maintain the gadget. As I discussed earlier, the Pixel has a singular id—and it doesn’t appear like an iPhone. The pill-shaped digital camera bar offers the cellphone a basic look.

The cellphone has a shiny body across the sides. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)

The cellphone’s sides are shiny, and each the back and front glass surfaces are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which resists scratches and cracking when dropped. The Pixel 10 Professional XL is a big cellphone, and I, being an iPhone 16 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional Fold person, am lastly used to bigger units (sure, I moved away from the iPhone 13 mini a few years in the past).

Though the design stays the identical as its predecessor, a major new addition to usability is PixelSnap. The Pixel 10 Professional XL, alongside different telephones within the Pixel 10 lineup, is among the many first to assist Qi2 magnetic wi-fi charging, which works, nicely, precisely like MagSafe on the iPhone. I haven’t had an opportunity to make use of any of Google’s personal equipment, however the ones made for the iPhone additionally work with the Pixel.

The Pixel 10 Professional XL is a well-constructed gadget. No complaints (to this point) with the design or construct high quality. The cellphone can be IP68-rated, providing safety from mud and water, similar to each different flagship in the marketplace.

The Pixel 10 Professional XL really feel nice to take a look at. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)

The show measurement stays the identical because the Pixel 9 Professional XL, at 6.8 inches with a decision of 1344 x 2922 pixels, however it now will get a ten per cent increase in each peak brightness and HDR efficiency. Frankly, nobody goes to examine the show underneath a microscope, and I may barely discover a distinction. That mentioned, the display performs simply tremendous underneath Delhi’s peak summer time solar. I used to be in a position to learn textual content messages with none points. Nonetheless, the dearth of Dolby Imaginative and prescient certification is a little bit of a letdown if you’re a cellular HDR fanatic.

One small however significant enchancment over the Pixel 9 Professional XL is the audio high quality. I observed a transparent enhance in bass, and the general sound is deeper and crisper. Watch any video on YouTube, and you’ll hear the distinction immediately.

Tensor G5 processor is quick 

The Pixel 10 Professional XL makes use of Google’s new Tensor G5 cellular processor, which is the primary Pixel chip constructed on TSMC’s 3nm course of. There’s a basic notion that Tensor processors aren’t as quick as these from Qualcomm or Apple. I’m not positive the place that notion comes from.

I’ve been utilizing the Pixel 10 Professional XL for over per week now, and I haven’t discovered its day-to-day efficiency to be missing in any manner. The truth is, I’m additionally utilizing an iPhone 16 Professional and the Pixel 9 Professional XL facet by facet. The Android 16 person interface on the Pixel 10 Professional XL is snappy and lag-free, and I haven’t confronted any points opening or utilizing the apps I depend on essentially the most. It additionally feels quicker when producing AI photographs in Pixel Studio. 

The Tensor G5 is definitely barely quicker than the Tensor G4 within the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, and I may really feel the distinction. What many are inclined to overlook is that Google focuses on effectivity and the chip’s capacity to run on-device AI fashions. That’s what makes the Tensor G5 an attention-grabbing system-on-chip.

I might nonetheless say that the majority common shoppers gained’t discover a efficiency distinction between the Tensor G5 and different flagship chips except they’re hardcore cellular avid gamers. I ran Genshin Affect on the Pixel 10 Professional XL and was in a position to play at excessive graphics settings with none issues. And that’s tremendous. Gaming shouldn’t be the one gold normal for judging a chip’s efficiency. However I do say should you solely need the top-notch gaming expertise, get an iPhone or any newest Android smartphone powered by Qualcomm’s newest Elite 8 chipset. 

Android is the brand new AI

One of many greatest perks of getting a Pixel cellphone now’s how Google is integrating new AI options straight into the Android working system (the Pixel 10 Professional XL runs the most recent Android 16 and the enjoyable, colourful and playful interactions gained me over Apple’s Liquid Glass interface).  A few of these options could look like advertising and marketing gimmicks, however others really feel genuinely helpful. All of it will depend on how shortly a selected AI function turns into a part of your each day routine, similar to WhatsApp or Gmail.

And I believe usability varies from individual to individual. Personally, I take advantage of Gemini much more now in contrast to a couple months in the past, for issues I used to depend on Google Seek for. For instance, I’ve an upcoming work journey to a metropolis I’ve by no means been to. As an alternative of going to Google and typing in queries, I had a dialog with Gemini Dwell and it answered all the pieces I wanted to know, with out being robotic and stiff. The voice interplay simply works typically, saving me from opening 10 totally different internet hyperlinks that usually lead nowhere. 

The cellphone runs Android 16 out of the field. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)

I’m not going to get into the common AI options, together with Circle to Search, you can additionally discover on different Android smartphones. Nonetheless, I want to spotlight one other AI function referred to as Magic Cue, which is unique to Pixel units. It’s primarily an AI agent that pulls info from Google Messages, Gmail, Maps, Contacts, and Hold Notes to entry your knowledge: primarily studying what’s in your display to counsel a follow-up motion. I discovered it promising, however it’s not excellent. At instances, it doesn’t work in addition to Google has marketed. 

There’s additionally a brand new voice recording instrument that creates AI-generated soundtracks to play over your recordings. Moreover, the brand new Pixel 10 collection can translate voice calls in actual time whereas recreating each audio system’ voices and intonations. All the course of occurs on-device, and it’s good.  

I might nonetheless say these AI options are useful. Nonetheless, they don’t all the time work completely – and that’s the massive takeaway, at the very least for me, after utilizing the Pixel 10 Professional XL. Nonetheless, it marks a transparent departure from what Android was once, and hints at what it would grow to be with AI more and more woven into the expertise.

Sensible digital camera (and a particular point out to Professional Res Zoom)

The Pixel 10 Professional XL continues to have an incredible digital camera. I took a whole bunch of photographs utilizing the cellphone, and I used to be impressed. There are three cameras on the again: a 50-megapixel important digital camera with an f/1.68 aperture, a 48-megapixel ultrawide digital camera, and a 48-megapixel telephoto digital camera with 5x optical zoom. All three cameras ship sharp, well-exposed particulars.

New for the ten Professional collection is 100x Professional Res Zoom. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)

I didn’t discover a significant change in image high quality, as each the Pixel 10 Professional XL and its predecessor share the identical digital camera {hardware}. Nonetheless, the largest distinction I noticed when evaluating photographs from the Pixel 10 Professional XL to older Pixel telephones is that the colors seem extra practical.

Take an image with the Pixel 10 Professional XL, and there’s a temper, a definite template that the Pixel digital camera delivers. To me, that’s one thing I all the time sit up for when reviewing new Pixel smartphones.

Listed below are just a few digital camera samples I took utilizing the Pixel 10 Professional XL. 

An everyday Pixel 10 Professional XL shot. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
Google Pixel 10 Professional XL digital camera pattern. Picture resized for internet. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
And the one with 100x digital zoom. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
Google Pixel 10 Professional XL digital camera pattern. Picture resized for internet. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
Google Pixel 10 Professional XL digital camera pattern. Picture resized for internet. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
Google Pixel 10 Professional XL digital camera pattern. Picture resized for internet. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
I took this shot with 30x zoom. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
Google Pixel 10 Professional XL digital camera pattern. Picture resized for internet. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
Google Pixel 10 Professional XL digital camera pattern. Picture resized for internet. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)
One other Google Pixel 10 Professional XL shot with 100x zoom. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)

What’s new with the Pixel 10 Professional XL by way of digital camera is a mode referred to as Professional Res Zoom. Because the title suggests, it brings 100x zoom to a Pixel smartphone. It prompts mechanically at 30x zoom and above, in contrast to final 12 months’s Zoom Improve, which was solely out there within the enhancing choices and labored as much as 30x. It’s a cool function, and I’ve been utilizing it ever since I received my arms on the Pixel 10 Professional XL. Frankly, it’s not an on a regular basis function, however since I journey quite a bit and love capturing cities via my lens, Professional Res Zoom is useful when photographing landscapes and buildings. That mentioned, I counsel towards utilizing this digital camera mode on individuals, because it raises privateness considerations.’

The 5x optical zoom stays the candy spot for capturing distant objects. Pictures taken at this degree come out completely tremendous; actually, zoom pictures look nice as much as 10x, and proceed to look first rate as much as 30x (sure, even at 30x zoom). Nonetheless, when you transcend 30x, AI kicks in and begins upscaling the main points. It really works, however not each time. The function makes use of generative AI to recreate what it thinks ought to be within the scene. For instance, I’ve gotten first rate outcomes at instances, however there have additionally been situations the place the AI turns into overly aggressive and muddies the main points. That mentioned, I need to admit Google’s AI does a greater job than anybody else who has launched the same AI-based trick to seize photographs at 100x digital zoom.

The Pixel 10 Professional XL does a great job with portrait pictures, however I nonetheless really feel it could possibly’t beat the Galaxy S25 Extremely. Nonetheless, in relation to the ultrawide lens, no digital camera cellphone comes near the Pixel. The selfie digital camera can be robust on the Pixel 10 Professional XL.

Whereas video seize has improved, it nonetheless doesn’t match the efficiency of the iPhone 16 Professional Max. That mentioned, low-light pictures is one other space the place the Pixel 10 Professional XL actually excels.

Digicam Coach is a model new function on the Pixel 10 collection. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/ The Indian Categorical)

One other huge new function on the Pixel 10 Professional XL is Digicam Coach, which isn’t actually for me however feels sensible sufficient for common customers who’re nonetheless studying find out how to compose a shot – mainly, find out how to take good pictures. Simply faucet the button within the high proper of the digital camera app, and it’ll analyze the body and provide you with solutions on how finest to compose your pictures. I used to be impressed with just a few of the photographs it guided me to seize.

Good battery life, however others are forward

The Pixel 10 Professional XL’s 5200mAh battery lasts a day, however don’t anticipate it to last more. The battery has undoubtedly improved in comparison with final 12 months’s Pixel 9 Professional XL, however different smartphones, its rivals, final even longer, just like the iPhone 16 Professional Max and the Galaxy S25 Extremely. In that regard, the Pixel 10 Professional XL falls behind the perfect flagships in the marketplace.

The Pixel 10 Professional XL options a big 6.8-inch OLED panel with a decision of two,992 by 1,344 pixels. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Categorical)

Ought to…you purchase the Pixel 10 Professional XL? 

The Pixel 10 Professional XL could not mark an enormous change from the final era, and that’s true for different flagship smartphones as nicely. There’s one thing totally different about Pixel telephones, and it’s undoubtedly not the {hardware} – it’s the software program, together with the promise that smartphones aren’t the identical as they had been just a few years in the past. That being mentioned, the Pixel 10 Professional XL continues to be experimental (and solely a deep-pocketed firm like Google can afford to try this), however a Pixel cellphone is equally attention-grabbing for pushing software program ahead.