That’s about how long I’ve been using the Pixel 10, and I will say: It is one of the shrewdest, most pleasurable Android phones you can buy. The cameras are predictably fantastic, the on-device AI has uses that are actually helpful, and the software polish is excellent. Five absences are enough to prevent a device from true flagship dominance — and all of them are solvable.
A real jump, not a bump
This generation saw an increase in battery capacity, but it was silicon–carbon cells that would’ve been the game-changer. This chemistry promises meaningfully higher energy density – phone press cups have it around 10-20% in the near term – which could mean a 5,000mAh-sized pack delivering the equivalent of a 6,000mAh in stamina or, conversely, thinner phones without a battery penalty.
Rivals have already dabbled in production devices, and they have shown that it is possible at scale. I can understand why a cautious brand might wait for more lifecycle data on degradation and thermal behavior, but sitting out the first wave cedes narrative momentum. As screen-on time continues to be throttled out of us with background AI tasks and 5G, you could argue the Pixel 10 is the perfect candidate to benefitting the most from the chemistry shift.
Charging at the pace of Android leaders
Despite a generational leap, the Pixel 10 family lags behind phones with 80W to 120W wired systems, that regularly fill 50% in 10 to 15 minutes. In the U.S., we’ve already seen flagship phones from mainstream enthusiasts’ brands add nearly triple the wattage headroom Pixel users get, complete with durable battery health features like thermal throttling, smart charging windows and TÜV Rheinland safety certifications.
Google has wisely made durability a priority, but speedy and safe aren’t mutually exclusive. Utilising higher-rate USB PD PPS profiles, offering a real “battery bypass” for even gaming whilst plugged in and shipping with adaptive charge curves that can modify based on context (travel days, calendar events) would bridge the remaining gap without compromising cycle life. The one quality-of-life feature everyone interacts with on a daily basis is top-tier charging.
A GPU that can Deliver, Not Just Spikes
AI inference, camera pipelines, and everyday responsiveness is great with the Tensor G5. What it falls short on are dynamic visuals. Anecdotal stress testing among reviewers, using things like 3DMark Wild Life loops or long Genshin Impact sessions, often sees a significant early burst, followed by a very shallow performance drop (i.e., 30-40% once you’re throttling).
Two solutions are clear: a larger vapor chamber and a stronger emphasis on GPU drivers. Arm’s newest Immortalis-class architectures can flourish if there are frequent driver updates and game-specific optimizations being pushed down by vendors through the Play system. Combine that with better thermal headroom and a system-level “High Performance” toggle that takes temperature and noise constraints into account, and Pixels have a chance to appeal to the audience that increasingly uses phones as dedicated gaming devices. The aim is not to out-do every gaming phone — it’s to rid the stigma of “not for gamers.”
256GB needs to be the new baseline
Google’s camera and video tools just keep getting better — and beefier in terms of storage. A minute of 4K60 HDR can take up 600-800MB; shoot a weekend of clips and you’ve torched tens of gigabytes. Factor in ProRAW-style photos, offline maps and AAA mobile games that oftentimes surpass 5–10GB a piece, and 128GB is easily eaten up.
Counterpoint Research analysts highlighted good NAND pricing trends at higher capacities, which is why several key premium rivals have moved key models to 256GB as the default. Publicly, 256GB across the entire Pixel 10 range would be more than enough to make a meaningful difference and decrease dependence on the whims of cloud offloads when travelling. It is a low-friction, high-impact upgrade that pays off if you buy there regularly.
Universal VoLTE and eSIM roaming support
This is the silent killing floor for the frequent traveler. Many networks have already switched off 3G altogether, and a phone can show full five bars but not make a basic call without Voice over LTE (VoLTE) whitelisting. The GSMA has been publishing roaming and IMS profiles for years, and operators in markets like South Africa and Southeast Asia are now mandating standards compliant VoLTE for voice.
The solution is a policy one, not a hardware one: enable a global IMS profile and customize through an advanced user override, increase testing with regional carriers, and allow informed end users to toggle “allow VoLTE on non-certified networks” at their own risk. Those, after all, who import pixels to double-unsupported countries or use local eSIMs should not lose core functionality due to a change buried within a carrier configuration file.
Why these five matter
None of that takes away from what the Pixel 10 already does so well. But where phones at this level go head-to-head is on the margins — the little everyday frictions you find months after the launch-day applause has died down. A 25 percent denser battery, fast-charging, intelligent charging, continued GPU performance, a 256 GB entry level, and VoLTE across the board make a great experience effortless.
That’s five things for which Google has the silicon mojo, software chops and carrier relationships to deliver. Nail those for the next Pixel, and not only do you make your existing fanbase happy — you get the holdouts who had been waiting for an uncompromised flagship to stare in awe at the next Pixel.