There have been many Android phone makers that have tried to get iPhone users to move over and Google’s new Pixel 10 Pro isn’t the first attempt. Arguably, though, it is one of the most convincing.
The familiarity starts when you first lay your eyes on it. The satin finish at the back reminds you of the iPhone’s, while the neat 90-degree edges and rounded corners all speak of Apple’s tidy and neat aesthetic.
For iPhone users, this is meant to be the first attraction. Certainly, it works for Android users too, because the design – similar to last year’s Pixel 9 – is among the best looking. I’d argue for matte finishes on the sides as well but I guess Google thought a bit of (shiny) contrast would be good.
The Pixel 10 Pro is the “middle child” of Google’s recently unveiled flagship phones. It has a “smallish” 6.3-inch screen like the cheaper Pixel 10 but one that comes with a higher resolution (1,280 x 2,856) and higher-quality OLED panel.
The Pixel 10 Pro also packs in 16GB of memory and comes with a minimum 128GB of storage (with costlier versions going up to 1TB). The Pixel 10, meanwhile, has only 12GB of memory and either comes with 128GB or 256GB of storage.
Of course, there’s the larger Pixel 10 Pro XL, which sports a 6.8-inch OLED screen. It also packs in 16GB of memory and offers storage capacities starting from 256GB to 1TB.
All three Pixel 10 phones come with Google’s Tensor G5 processor. It has not garnered the highest scores in performance benchmarks but Google touts its security features that protect users from cyber threats.
As a compromise between extremes, the Pixel 10 Pro is an option if you want a flagship-quality phone without the bulk of a large-screen gizmo that you struggle to hold in one hand. The new phone, at 207g, feels snug in your palm.
As someone using a slightly larger 6.4-inch phone, I immediately felt the difference on the smaller display on the Pixel 10 Pro. Yet, the Google phone’s image quality is also quickly apparent.
Its OLED screen is bright enough on sunny days in Singapore, while also showing off the great contrast that the display technology is known for. Viewing photos on the Pixel 10 Pro, I seem to think they are better shot than initially thought!
The Android 16 interface on the made-by-Google phone is also zippy, as you’d expect. Moving menu to menu, app to app, you get zero delays visually. The adaptive refresh rate, running up to 120Hz, certainly helps.
Firing up games such as Call of Duty, I could get into the graphically intense titles without much hassle and play them smoothly. However, I’d prefer to play them on a larger screen, say, on a tablet or a foldable phone.
Regular apps that you run, from Gmail to basic video editing apps, should not be an issue for the engine on the Pixel 10 Pro. Despite not having the raw power of, say, Qualcomm’s latest processor, the Tensor G5 should be adequate for most apps.
The phone also comes packed with a boatload of AI features. Gemini, Google’s AI, is integrated tightly through Magic Cue, which lets the phone get tasks done pre-emptively for you.
So, if you are messaging your friends to say you’re going to be late for dinner, the AI can automatically look up the restaurant and suggest a call or message to say you’re running late.
During my couple of weeks using the phone, I turned on the feature but didn’t get as any such suggestions. Perhaps I wasn’t using the phone enough since I used the test unit as a secondary device.
You also get handy tools that should be familiar enough, like digital erasers for people you don’t want in a picture. You can even add someone in a photo as long as you frame the background carefully and shoot the same photo twice – with the additional person in the second shot.
There’s even an AI assistant that you can turn on to guide you to frame a subject in a photo to make it look better. I think it’s great for posed and planned shots, say, for flexing on Instagram, but clearly the multiple steps won’t let you take impromptu shots capturing a special, fleeting moment.
What about imaging performance? This is where Google’s digital photography algorithms really shine. They make even a lousy photographer like me manage some decent shots in challenging situations, say, in low light.
It helps that the hardware onboard is solid as well. In the main imaging array, the Pixel 10 Pro comes with a 50-megapixel wide camera, a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 48-megapixel telephoto camera offering up to 5x optical zoom. Not shabby at all.
If you’re mostly shooting food pictures or close-ups of, say, flowers in a park, there wide-angle camera will be the most common one you’d fire up. It captures images with good amounts of detail, especially if you are shooting with good lighting.
The ultrawide-angle lens does a good job as well in generally capturing large areas without forcing you to move back too much. If you’re ever wanted to take shots of landscapes during your holidays, it will be handy.
I shot the pictures during a few grey, rainy days in Singapore and unfortunately, many of them appear a little drab as a result. That said, they are true to life in terms of accuracy. I’ve kept the originals (via a link to Flickr) without any touching up.
Night shots are generally good, with decent detail and nice contrast at times. The only issue I have is that it can sometimes overdo the optimisation, making the night sky a little too bright, for example.
That said, the Pixel 10 Pro is still a great camera for everyday snapshots, from food to landscapes that you’d want to remember. Google Pixels have usually excelled with their image algorithms and the latest one doesn’t disappoint.
When it comes to the battery, the new Google phone’s 4,870mAH power pack does a good job of delivering on the promise of 24+ hours of battery life.
Unless you are firing up games or running a Wi-Fi hotspot on your phone for hours, you can expect the new Google phone to last long enough for any typical business day.
When it comes to juicing up, the Pixel 10 Pro supports charging up to 55 per cent in about 30 minutes. Wireless charging works too, though this is slower at up to 15W with the Qi2 standard.
Remember, of course, that the phone comes with no charger so you’d need to find an old one or fork out extra – in the name of sustainability, according to phone makers.
So, should you buy the Google Pixel 10 Pro? In many areas, it excels as a flagship phone with a decent engine, sans the “ultra” or “pro max” large screens from top-end models. For users seeking such a phone, it will fit right in their palms, literally.
The great imaging algorithms you expect from Google’s AI are here, delivering excellent photos with the decent hardware. The design is likeably like Apple’s so it will catch the eye of some iPhone users. And the AI tricks and features are at least fun to use, if you wish to turn them on.
The main issue I see is price. In Singapore, the basic Pixel 10 Pro costs S$1,459 and comes with a puny 128GB of storage, which isn’t okay for a flagship phone in 2025.
Bumping things up to 256GB lightens your wallet by S$1,599, which is what I’d suggest if you’re set on the Pixel 10 Pro. You don’t want to struggle with storage for your photos and videos, especially without a built-in microSD card slot.
Then again, at that price, you’re straying into the premium ultra or pro max category. You could get a top-notch phone from pretty much any Android phone maker, probably for less, as well.
So, look out for discounts on the street for the Pixel 10 Pro (it’s a cheaper US$999 or S$1,287 in the United States), if you’re sure it’s the one. Otherwise, seek a cheaper Android flagship phone, like a Samsung Galaxy S25, that brings much of the similar offerings on the newest Google phone for less.
