Google Pixel 10 series review
arstechnica.com
arstechnica.com
I'm using the Pixel Fold at the moment, and it's the best phone I've used to date. It's something I didn't know I want until I have it.
Quick review:
- The phone construction feels good on hand and in the pocket. The screen is beautiful.
- When folded, functionality-wise it's like previous Pixel (beside looking better with the metal edge). I spent about 75% of my phone time in this mode. Also no notch!
- When unfolded, you have access to much more screen real estate. I didn't realize how this dramatically improve reading documents / browsing the web. Things that were unusable (like opening Google Sheet) is now much more comfortable. You can also do split screen, where you keep 2 apps on at the same time (todo list + message)
- The weight feels solid. The fold mechanism is solid. Battery ~50% per day with no battery saving. Camera is good as usual.
Software:
- I've mentioned before on HN, the Spam Screening feature singlehanded keeps me in the Pixel ecosystem. No spam call at all.
- Android Auto is solid
- Gemini is a gentle surprise, especially with how it's easy to interact with the "current phone screen".
Review caveats:
- I don't game on the phone or any CPU intensive tasks. It's plenty fast for me so far.
- I don't use the speaker (only use bluetooth headphones)
- If Google is confident the source is spam (e.g. known spam center). The call is blocked outright. It still has a log that a call from this has been blocked.
- If it only suspects spam, Google will answer the call using AI bot, something like "Hi, I'm Google Assistant on behalf of XYZ, what's the call for?". The phone shows that it's screening a phone call, but doesn't ring. Only after the caller gives the reason, and it passes the spam check, then it rings the phone. You can always pick up the call early if you recognize what they talks about (from the transcript)
- If it's known good source (contact list, doctors,...), then it rings directly.
So far, the rate of spam I got is 0, and it screens about 20 calls a month.
I'd be turning that 'feature' off first.
Settings -> Apps -> Phone -> Screen unknown callers
This is big because I often receive calls from unknown numbers for work, and those get through. What sucks is that people tend to hang up if you screen the call, even if it is legit.
That the term "sideloading" has normalized treating this as a special case is a problem.
It's unlikely the terminology can be rolled back at this point, but occasionally reflecting on this is useful.
in this sense i do actually agree about the misuse of 'sideloading' - the planned change would not impact just sideloading, but also 'third party' stores
There’s nothing “installed” about something which can be yanked from your device or prevented from working at someone else’s whim.
Also, I think you'll be quite disappointed in what the general public does or does not care about. The iPhone has always been even more locked down than Android and it sells like hotcakes. Even on Android only a tiny minority of users make use of the option to install third-party apps. I think the general public should care about this topic, but all evidence is to the contrary.
Most people don't know what sideloading is because most don't sideload and don't have a need for it.
We didn't need a different word for not being able to install an application on your phone without the permission of the company that made it. We needed a different word for the thing that was new, which is the company that makes the thing that you own refusing you permission to use it as you see fit.
The insistence on adding AI just makes startup slower. I have not had a single use for AI on my phone ever, though I'm a big fan of it for software dev.
It literally takes a half a second to tap "speaker" during the dialer after the update, which it didn't before.
Disappointing.
For those struggling with impairments it must be hard to continue to adapt to your phone shape shifting with each update.
Last year they had the relative sense to only enable that "feature" on the higher end SKUs with 16GB of RAM, while the lower end SKUs with 12GB would load the models on-demand, but starting with the Pixel 10 series it now applies across the board.
I don't get what they are trying to do with it; previous updates were mostly fine, but really don't like this one.
Now I have to open up the contact list, a completely seperate 'app' to call someone if i can't quite remember who they are, so can't use the Phone's search functionality. So dumb. Well, it's trying to be smart, but I want it to stay dumb.
I wish we could preview these things and decide if we want them or not, rather than waking up to find the phone's decided to wear a new change of clothes and we have to tickle it differently to get it to do what we need (not want, NEED).
You can have a profile completely de-googled and another one with Google Services for apps that need compatibility but remains off most of the time. You can uninstall Google too.
Owning your devices is a superpower that 99.9% of people don't have, but you can have it. The irony is that it's thanks to Google devices. Let's see how long it lasts.
Gonna have to have a play with it now on my old Pixel.
Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.
sigh
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 256Gb - 1560 USD (converted to USD for easier comparison)
Samsung S25 Plus 256Gb - 1095 USD (lowest price in reputable shop, there are even lower listing at grey market ones)
Samsung S25 Ultra 256Gb - 1370 USD
Apple 16 Pro Max 256Gb - 1500 USD
Oneplus 13 256Gb - 1015 USD
Prices shown are lowest ones in the big retail shops only, for better comparison.
In no universe Pixel would win against those. Apple is more advanced and more perceived "prestige". Samsung is a staple top of the line and respectable in reputation, definitely on par with features. Chinese phones are not far off in features too (and in some areas are ages ahead, BBK's corporation 100W fast charging beats all western competitions fair and square).
European prices are tax included while US prices are given without state taxes. That would already be a 20% difference.
Where I live the Pixel 10 Pro is sold for 1099€. That's around 1281$ at current exchange rate. So, 1000$ in the USA, plus 20% taxes, you get a 81$ premium for currency risk.
Compare that to the iPhone 16 Pro: 1299€. That's a whooping 1432$ for a phone priced the same as a Pixel 10 Pro. Even accounting for taxes, Apple thinks you should pay an extra 232$ because, well Apple, why not gouge foreign customers on top of making a mockery of the law of their countries.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Amazon.pl → 5 499 zł Mediaexpert.pl → 5 499 zł RTV Euro AGD → 5 499 zł MediaMarkt.pl → 5 699 zł Proshop.pl → 5 799 zł iDream.pl → 6 299 zł Maxelektro.pl → 5 755 zł Erli.pl → 4 395 zł tradeinn.com → 5 094 zł Allegro → 5 349 zł
Pixel 10 XL Mediaexpert.pl → 5 700 zł Proshop.pl → 5 699 zł Play.pl → 5 699 zł Morele.net → 5 872 zł Mediaexpert.pl → 5 700 zł Mediaexpert.pl → 5 700 zł Mediaexpert.pl → 5 700 zł
Imo this is mental. And it is not a fluke, exact same picture was two years ago, when I've been looking for a phone. Pixel 8 at that point was extremely overpriced.
Somehow the indoctrinated will claim that this is a feature.
I go from pixel to pixel and it's exactly as I left it - wallpaper, call logs, messages, whatsapp, chrome.
That means that when you restore a backup, the app should be exactly as it was when the backup was taken.
That includes all files stored in the app, accounts remaining logged in, settings exactly as they were.
Some things won't be backed up to save space/time (e.g. if you downloaded a Netflix movie offline, it won't be backed up), but it is almost a perfect replica of how things were before the backup.
Android has support for a similar concept, but apps can opt out.
If the app stores files in a non-standard location, they won't be backed up.
One of the worst parts of setting up a new Pixel device is having to log in to dozens of apps again! It's a pleasant surprise when an app used the backup framework properly.
I have to admit, it's one of the things I do miss from iOS.
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-10-battery-hea...
I like the swipe at "post truth cameras" and would prefer AI be limited to suggestions, etc, not so baked into the processing pipeline.
So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory.
You want camera, buy a camera. You want gaming, buy a console or gaming machine.
They run promos around the clock. iPhones OTOH are never discounted.
If you sign up for Fi when buying the phone, the deals are pretty enticing: $300 off right away, $500 more in Fi bill credits over 24 months. I think you also get the $200 store credit too.
"Buy a camera" doesn't work because (a) I don't want to pocket two devices, (b) most point-and-shoot dedicated cameras that are actually better are more bulky, too, (c) even entry-level good digital cameras are >$500 (e.g. a ZV-1F or something), so even the combo with a midrange phone often comes out more expensive and (d) a seperate camera makes it really annoying to send photos anywhere on the go.
That said: I came away fairly unhappy with the Pixel 8 Pro camera, which my book has a too editorialized post-processing look that I simply don't like. In retrospect, I think I should have gone for the Xperia in that generation, which appears to have been the last phone with high-end smartphone camera gear that took neutral-looking shots. My S21, despite having a worse sensor and optics, took subjectively nicer photos.
I've now updated my definition of "maximum phone camera" to be more choosy ...
Then, the question is if phone A costs $0.25 per hour, and phone B costs $0.36 per hour, are you willing to spend an extra $0.11 per hour.
The same applies to the dining table, but obviously the comparison is to other dining tables.
(1) a camera with zoom and night shot capability comparable to my 2010 Sony Cybershot camera.
(2) An internet terminal with enough CPU/RAM to browse modern websites.
(3) A music player with a space for 150-300 GB of MP3's and nice-ish UI
(4) Online and offline map
(5) wireless charging (because I keep destroying charging ports in my devices)
(6) all of this should fit in my pocket. I've spent >5 years of my life carrying a separate camera on the belt, I am not doing this again.
All functional requirements, no "outward signalling or flex". What should I get?
(Genuine question, I've spent few days researching this recently and high-end smartphone aeems to be the only match. Weirdly, it's good camera and wireless charging that raises the price, not CPU)
I think the best comment on the subject was here in HN years ago; although they're both called cameras, they're really different media. One is like charcoal sketching and the other is like oil painting.
So no, I would not say it's a different media for the modern-ish phones (like pixel 8, iphones, etc...). If your impressions are based on cheap smartphones, they are out of date - there is a whole new world out there.
On a more advanced level, I am awed how a camera with ultra-high-FPS + many GFLOPs of CPU + advanced post-processing algorithms can make tiny lens work like regular ones, while still being thin enough to fit in the pocket.
Are you mistakenly calling the Pixel 10 a budget phone? Because it's not. The actual budget phones are like $200, and they certainly don't have 120 Hz OLED screens.
> You want camera, buy a camera. You want gaming, buy a console or gaming machine.
Because why would I buy a separate camera and portable gaming machine when I can have them all on a single device?
Do you honestly not see the benefits of having a single device that does everything rather than having to pack multiple things? Especially a camera. They're bulky as hell and require a whole-ass bag dedicated to them. At least a Nintendo Switch can still fit in a large pocket.
I'm not a professional photographer and don't pretend to be one. I just want something that'll create "good enough" pictures to share with friends and family.
Budget phones tend to come with very short support windows so you'll be buying multiple budget phones while someone with a flagship keeps the same phone for many more years. You could use plastic silverware for every meal or you could spend more on metal silverware and clean it. You'll save more in the long run and it works much better.
I really think the phone update cycle needs to be lengthened, and that updates are so slightly incremental.
I would like to dip my toes into the fold phone pond, but that seems excessive. In November, Vodafone will call me and ask me which phone I want. It all seems ridiculous. I haven't noticed a difference in photo quality nor performance for years now have I felt the need to upgrade to the two-generations-later sitting in a drawer just meters way from me.
The only comment/complaint I have about newer software updates is the f*king voice which kicked in while taking a photo. "One pet cropped, move phone slightly down".
</uselessRant>
By the way, is there a Moore’s law sort of thing that predicts the base phone size increase every year across OEMs?
(I will say, though, that the 9pro was an amazing phone if you want a good camera to take annoying numbers of pictures of your kids.)
I hate my new phone. I could use the 4a with one hand comfortably, but that is not the case with the 8a. My thumb does not reach the top of the screen like before. I have to hold it in diagonal position just to be able to do the gestures Android -by design- expects.
The fingerprint sensor moved from the back to the front. That design helped having the phone in the right direction when taking it out of my pocket. Now it comes half of the time upside down. The fingerprint sensor is bad. Half of the time does not work and I have to use the pin. On the 4a was flawless.
Camera is better. Yes.
And even the idiots realize 0 seconds into using the new fingerprint sensor that it's a massive downgrade.
I fantasize about Apple releasing a phone with a fingerprint reader on the back just to teach the Pixel folks a lesson and force them to move the reader back to the back.
I wonder if the general public will care - they can be pretty unpredictable. People generally like party tricks and having an AI assistant to talk to may go farther than we nerds think.
Seriously considering Mobian. But my banking app.
I'm tired.