I Tried the Google Pixel 10 Series for an Hour — Here’s What I Think

After watching the launch last night and spending about an hour with the new Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL at the launch event in New Delhi today — I can assume where Google is steering the Pixel lineup this year. Google knows exactly what makes a Pixel, and it’s leaning into that identity harder than ever.

The design of all three slab phones makes it more evident. The vanilla Pixel 10 gets a shiny new telephoto camera, bringing the camera count on the rear to three. While the design remains the same, there are more colour options that are as vibrant as ever. And, expectedly with Gemini getting more power, AI features are now a must on the Pixel lineup — and one among those has definitely grabbed my attention.

Same same, but different

Google has come a long way in terms of design looking at the history of the Pixel lineup. And, clearly, they found a look that clicked with last year's Pixel 9 series. So, they are pretty much following the if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it formula here. And, I’m more than fine with it.

The new Pixel 10 devices look and feel just as premium, and the new colours make them more appealing to a larger pool of buyers. After uploading a couple of photos on my Instagram stories, I’ve had my friends asking about the Pixel 10 and chatting up about the design itself. This gave me early hints that it’s probably going to be liked by many, especially when most Android phones look somewhat similar.

While the in-hand feel and frames of the phones remain the same, they’ve put on weight just like me after a week of junk food or maybe a month. The Pixel 10 Pro weighs 8 grams more, the 10 Pro XL is up by 11 grams, and the Pixel 10 is up by 6 grams. That said, there are no differences in the dimensions of the phone or the display size from their predecessors.

Two new colours make an entry with the Pro series — Jade (wants to be green, but stopped midway), and Moonstone (grey, I guess?), but the Obsidian (black) and Porcelain (white) remain staple for the Pro, while the Pro XL skips on the latter colour. The vanilla Pixel 10, on the other hand, retains the Obsidian but wipes out all the other colours from last year. And, opts for more vibrant ones in the form of Frost (off white-ish, probably), Lemongrass (exciting one), and Indigo, but is definitely an attention grabber. I can say that because most of my media friends were running around asking for that variant at the event (including myself).

The Actua displays remain the same as last year, and it’s still disappointing to see the Pixel 10 not get an LTPO panel. But yes, the brightness numbers are up by a margin, which is something we’ll be testing in our reviews soon — so definitely stay tuned to Gizbot.

A shiny new processor and some camera upgrades

The Tensor G5 marks a significant shift for Google, having moved on to TSMC for production from Samsung. Hopefully, this makes the Pixels more efficient and also keeps the heating woes at bay.

It’s a 3nm chip, but Google is shying away from sharing more technical details on the chip currently. What they did share at the keynote, though, was that the CPU is 34% faster on average, and the TPU is 60% more powerful compared to the outgoing model.

Google also claims that there’s an all-new Image Signal Processor (ISP) in place to optimise the images further. It’s also the first chip to run Google’s Gemini Nano model for more on-device prowess, probably helping features like Magic Cue run. But again, these are just claims on paper, right now, and something we will be testing thoroughly to understand how the Pixel 10 series sets itself apart in this department.

The camera numbers, though, are something we can definitely talk about. The Pixel 10’s rear camera siblings have welcomed another brother in the form of a telephoto camera that can go to 5x optical zoom. This is a much-needed upgrade to the vanilla phone, which gives it a stronger standing in its segment. But, it’s still a 10.8-megapixel shooter, so it won’t be as sharp as its Pro sibling or some of the other alternatives in the same price range. Besides that, there’s also a downgrade in the form of a 48-megapixel primary shooter, down from the 50-megapixel one. So, basically, both the primary and ultra-wide cameras have had to share their part of the burger so that the telephoto can be well fed.

The Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL, on the other hand, don’t really see any major hardware upgrades, except for OIS on the 48-megapixel telephoto camera. Further, all the rear cameras on the Pro models get Pro Res Zoom up to 100x, which is something I demoed at the event and has definitely impressed me. The selfie shooter comes with a 42-megapixel camera with autofocus on both phones.

Snapping accessories and more

Another headlining announcement at the event was Pixel Snap. This is basically a feature that allows you to slap on magnetic accessories, a feature you have seen before with Apple MagSafe. Speaking of which, MagSafe products can also be attached to the Pixel 10 phones. And, it now also supports Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W on the Pro XL and 15W on the Pro and vanilla. Battery capacities also get a small bump across the series, with the 10 Pro XL now reaching 5,200mAh. Google also says that the charging speeds have been increased, with the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro supporting 30W, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL can go up to 45W.

AI features are the pillars of the Pixel devices, and Google did not shy away from boasting about them. Besides the usual suspects, there’s Magic Cue. This is essentially an on-device contextual feature that pulls details like locations or plans from apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Keep Notes, and even screenshots. Think of it as smart replies on steroids — if a friend asks about dinner tonight and your Gmail already has the reservation, it’ll surface that info so you can share it with a quick tap.

Final takeaway

The Pixel 10 series feels familiar, and that’s nothing to complain about. Google hasn’t tried to fiddle with what already works — instead, it’s added a few touches, like a telephoto on the vanilla Pixel and some genuinely useful AI tricks. The switch to TSMC for the Tensor G5 also gives me hope that heating and efficiency issues might finally be under control.

Pricing stays the same as last year, which is a win, but India only gets the 256GB variant across the lineup. That feels a bit limiting, especially if you were hoping for more options. Besides this, Google is also adding launch sweeteners in the form of cashbacks and exchange bonuses. With the Pro series, you can also get 1 year of Google AI Pro subscription. There’s also 3 months of YouTube Premium, Fitbit Premium, and 6 months of Google One (2TB) for the Pixel 10 as well.

Overall, my early impressions are positive, but the real test will be how these phones hold up in day-to-day use.