Google’s largest flagship arrives with the swagger of a champion fighter stepping back into the ring to defend its belt. The Pixel 10 Pro XL leans into the design that made last year’s XL so enviable, and it just improves everything across the board: a more lush display, fuller speakers, smarter cameras, faster (and now more flexible) charging, and an advancement in accessories thanks to new magnetic hardware. It’s not perfect, but the combination of hardware “future proofing,” camera smarts, and longevity in software support best all-comers as the Android phone — scratch that, smartphone — to beat.
Design and display, perfected on Pixel 10 Pro XL
The iconic camera hump has transformed into a more refined island, and the fit-and-finish is just as premium as anything on the market. Colors are demure (Obsidian, Porcelain, Moonstone, Jade) and a shiny frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 affirm durability. The star of the show is Pixelsnap—Google’s MagSafe-like magnetic system—combined with Qi2.2 support, so the XL can snap onto wallets, stands, and high-speed chargers you might already own. Note: in the U.S., it’s eSIM-only, a convenience for some and a deal-breaker for others if you swap SIMs often.
And that 6.8-inch LTPO OLED is still a looker: 1–120Hz adaptive refresh, 1,344 x 2,992 resolution, and higher brightness ceilings (up to 3,300 nits peak, with a brighter high-brightness mode compared to last year). Outdoors, we can easily see the screen, and colors seem accurate without appearing bland. Dual speakers sound noticeably better—wider stage, more headroom—which means that video and gaming sessions feel genuinely larger than they do on the smaller Pro.
Performance and battery: quick where it counts
Fueled by the 3nm Tensor G5 (TSMC makes it), the Pixel 10 Pro XL feels smooth in real use: app switching, camera launches, and navigation don’t lag or stutter, and there’s better thermal management than on previous designs of Tensor chips. In raw benchmarks it’s still behind Snapdragon and Apple silicon front-runners in tests like Geekbench 6 and 3DMark (the day-to-day experience is what Tensor’s tuned for—AI tasks, camera processing, and smooth UI touches).
That 5,200 mAh cell is the biggest one Google has ever crammed into a device, but the performance implications are as gray as you might expect. It bests its predecessor in web browsing and video loops on standardized drains, though it falls behind with a camera-heavy and video call lifestyle. For those ecologically minded endurance types it gets even better in the wild: count on a full day, and only marathon days will fall into single figures. The wired charging supports up to 45W, though in reality the curve is semiconductor thermal and longevity-friendly and maxes out around 35-ish watts, thrusting that full charge into my battery after about 75 minutes. Wireless charging goes up to 25W on Qi2.2, and Pixelsnap alignment makes top-off power-ups pleasantly brainless. Samsung is still faster at the same wattage, but Google is more consistent than past Pixels.
Cameras: old hardware, new smarts deliver more
Hardware hasn’t changed—50MP main (1/1.31-inch), 48MP 5x periscope tele, 48MP ultrawide, and a slightly smaller 42MP selfie—but Google’s tuning is chippier.
Colors get a bit more pop without going cartoonish, and the main sensor’s 2x crop continues to be an especially sweet spot for general shooting. The ultrawide doesn’t distort too much and skews toward the natural; the 5x telephoto is sharper, steadier, and has fewer misfires in mixed light.
The new headline is 100x Super Res Zoom. Google takes bursts and deploys AI-infused fusion to sharpen structure and fill in plausible detail. From 1–10x results are generally excellent; even 20–50x can be remarkably usable on signage or architecture. At 100x, artifacts start to creep in, and people are deliberately de-emphasized so the AI model doesn’t make humans (instead of horses) appear out of thin air—a respectable trade-off that at least keeps ethics in shot, even if it might make for an unwatchable image. Video also gets a boost: 4K60 across lenses, 8K30 via Video Boost, and more confident-feeling stabilization modes than last gen that crop aggressively but look cleaner and better balanced in everyday scenes.
Software and AI: The best Android has to offer
Android 16, on Pixel, is still the gold standard for Android UX: a more organized Quick Settings page; color-coordinated settings; and some Open Canvas-inspired changes to Split Screen that make it significantly more usable than just a 50/50 split.
Google’s seven-year commitment to OS upgrades and security is the best in the industry for Android OEMs, and with Android Enterprise Recommended (AER), we’re making it easy for businesses to send their employees from high-end devices running older versions of Android to new Pros.
AI capabilities are a crapshoot but a fair bet for the future. Camera Coach offers tips for composing with context that actually work. Ask Photos’ “Help me edit” can turn simple English questions into real, useful edits. Daily Hub is temporarily suspended, and Magic Cue seems a bit premature—useful when it brings up a reservation but not so much when it forgets directions. Google has a history of letting its slow-burn features (see: Video Boost) percolate until they burst into maturity, and now the on-device horsepower is in place to make it happen.
Verdict: the Android phone to beat right now
The Pixel 10 Pro XL starts at $1,199 and is worth every dime thanks to best-in-class software, a set of reliable (and sometimes audacious) cameras, a display that sparks joy, and a magnetic accessory system that immediately expands what your phone can do. It is not the performance king of synthetics and its battery life, while strong, isn’t going to dethrone any endurance champs. If you require a SIM tray, peak benchmark scores, or the fastest refills around, there are devices like the Galaxy S25 Ultra or OnePlus’s latest to snatch up your attention. If you care about getting great photos, thoughtful design, and updates that last, this is the smarter purchase.
The greatest Android phone ever made got even better, because Google stubbornly refused to start over, instead opting for iterative improvements based on user feedback and tireless polish. It’s that measured approach which is exactly what keeps the Pixel 10 Pro XL on top.