Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL Review: Familiar Hardware, Smarter Gemini AI Brain

There is not much that I need to cover in this review of the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL that I didn’t already get to in my Pixel 10 review. The story is the same: Google improved the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL in a handful of not immediately noticeable ways and is leaning full throttle into AI and Gemini integration.

Following the same vision, it’s no surprise that the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL are better “AI phones” than the Pixel 10 thanks to their hardware. Is Google’s Gemini vastly better on these “Pro” Pixels? Not especially, but as a whole phone package, the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL are nicer in every way, with upgraded cameras, more RAM for AI tasks, and even brighter displays. Should you throw your Pixel 9 Pro or 9 Pro XL in the trash and upgrade to Google’s latest and greatest phones? I don’t think so, unless you’re deeply excited for all the Pixel 10-exclusive AI features like Magic Cue, Voice Translate, and Gemini Live.

Upgrades under the hood

The Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

As glass slabs, the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL are no different than the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL. Same polished aluminum frame with frosted glass back, though the “G” logo is now metallic. The Pixel 10 Pro has the same 6.3-inch OLED screen, and the 10 Pro XL has the same 6.8-inch display. Both “Super Actua Displays” are brighter than before, with 3,300 nits of peak brightness. I’m all for blinding my eyeballs at night, but I’d be lying if I told you I could tell any difference in brightness between the Pixel 10 Pro and the 9 Pro that I use on a semi-daily basis. But, brighter is brighter, and who doesn’t want a screen that they can say is more “pro” than an iPhone 16 Pro’s screen, which only tops out at 2,000 nits?

On the plus side, the Moonstone color is *chef’s kiss*. Here at Gizmodo, our staff has been baffled by the color. It’s mostly gray, but I see shades of purple under warmer light; others say there’s no purple at all or that it looks lavender-ish. To sum up: Moonstone hot! Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white), and Jade (green-ish yellow) are fine. But get the Moonstone—it looks really nice.

© Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

Same as the Pixel 10, the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL have Google’s new Tensor G5 chip. These more premium phones have more RAM (16GB versus 12GB in the Pixel 10). That’s more than my work-issued 8GB M2 MacBook Air, which is to say it’s more than enough for the average user. Unless you’re really pushing a lot of AI functionality—and maybe you will!—it’s a spec that matters less than it used to. As for the Tensor G5 going toe-to-toe with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite in the likes of the Galaxy S25 Ultra or the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro—it doesn’t. It can run 3D games fine, but not at the same performance levels as Samsung and Apple’s flagships. I saw more frame rate dips in Genshin Impact than I should have on phones that start at $1,000 and $1,200, respectively.

Also like the Pixel 10, Google upgraded the speakers—both the top and bottom—on the Pixel 10 Pros. I did some listening tests with the Pixel 10 Pro, blasting Spotify tunes at their loudest volume and comparing how it sounded with the Pixel 9 Pro. Everything sounds a little clearer, but not by much. At normal and low levels, the speakers sound about the same as the Pixel 9 Pro.

In terms of battery life, the Pixel 10 Pro (4,870mAh) and 10 Pro XL (5,200mAh) last longer. They also work with Qi2 wireless chargers and Google’s new MagSafe-like Pixelsnap magnetic wireless charging. The larger dimensions of the 10 Pro XL do come with one advantage over the smaller Pro model: faster 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging versus 15W Qi2. That’s just physics—the bigger body allows for better thermals for more power throughput. Otherwise, the Pixel 10 Pro would probably melt if you tried to transfer more power (and heat) through its wireless charging coil.

© Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

As I said in my Pixel 10 review, Google took a break from upgrading the cameras in any big ways. The Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL have the same triple-lens camera system on the rear (50-megapixel main, 48-megapixel ultrawide, and 48-megapixel telephoto) and a 42-megapixel selfie camera. New is an AI-powered 100x “Pro Res Zoom” feature on both that uses generative AI to enhance photo details at 30x zoom or higher. This is like the “Super Res Zoom” sharpening on steroids, and works in a pinch if you really need to sharpen details at that kind of zoom level, but it isn’t going to be magic every time. It’s very hit-or-miss depending on the texture you’re asking AI to enhance. To be honest, I found it nearly impossible to use the telephoto at 100x. The camera sensor was shaking so much that it was hard to hold the Pixel 10 Pro stable enough to even frame a shot. But hey, look at the results of Pro Res Zoom on the World Trade Center and judge for yourself.

The only other real camera features are AI and Gemini-powered ones, like Camera Coach, which offers suggestions on how to improve taking a specific photo based on the identified scene, and Auto Best Take, which composites together similar photos into one single one. There’s also the “Help me edit” AI feature within Google Photos that lets you simply prompt Gemini to make edits to photos. It’s pretty cool for light adjustments. I’ve pushed it with complicated edits, and sometimes Gemini does the job, but sometimes things can go wrong—such is the nature of generative AI, and you kind of just laugh and try again. Beyond these AI camera and editing features, the cameras take photos that look similar, if not identical, to the ones out of the Pixel 9 Pros. Image quality is definitely better than on the Pixel 10, which has the same main and ultrawide cameras as the Pixel 9a.

And recapping what I wrote in my Pixel 10 review, Google dropped the SIM card tray in the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL sold in the U.S., opting only for eSIM. If you’re already using an eSIM, then great. But if you swap phones often, it’s a real pain in the ass.

Longer AI runway

© Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

I’m not going to repeat the specifics of the new AI and Gemini features that I already covered in my Pixel 10 review. Check that out if you want more details on features like Magic Cue and Voice Translate, but the gist is that the Pixel 10 phones—all of them, including the Pixel 10 Pros—deliver on this longtime dream of a proactive AI or assistant helping you to do things on your phone faster or easier. Magic Cue, which suggests relevant info from across apps, has so much potential to save us from the entrapment of our phones and our data that’s spread out in other apps. I said it in my Pixel 10 review that we’re only at the starting line, but Google has delivered the AI phone that Apple said it would with its AI-powered Siri, but then completely fumbled the execution. It’s no wonder that Apple is reportedly in exploratory discussions with Google to use Gemini to power a next-gen Siri.

The Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL hardware are iterative. You don’t need 20/20 vision to see that they’re the equivalent of an “S” model iPhone from back in the day. Where the Pixel 10 Pros outshine the regular Pixel 10 is the cameras and longevity. They take better photos, which is super important, and there’s more runway for AI and Gemini improvements years down the line. They’re solid phones if you’re not already locked into the iPhone and Apple’s ecosystem, and offer a real glimpse at how AI is going to reshape phone usage. From here on out, phones are going to be ramming AI down our throats, and the Pixel 10 Pros do it mostly with success.