Verdict
The Pixel 10 is a fine phone with good-looking, AI-infused software, but curious camera downgrades and middling performance make this year’s entry-level Pixel harder to recommend.
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Premium, compact design -
Gorgeous OLED screen -
All-day battery life -
AI-infused Android 16 is responsive and fun
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Seriously downgraded main and ultrawide cameras -
Non-LPTO 60-120Hz refresh rate -
Tensor G5 trails in benchmark tests
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Key Features
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Review Price: £799 -
Pixelsnap support
With Qi 2.2 and embedded magnets, you can use Pixelsnap- and even MagSafe-branded accessories with the Pixel 10. -
Telephoto lens
The Pixel 10 finally adds a dedicated 5x telephoto sensor to its setup. -
AI-infused Android 16
Google’s implementation of Android 16, complete with the Material 3 Expressive UI and unique AI smarts, remains one of the best around.
Introduction
The Google Pixel 10 might look near-identical to its predecessor, but there are big changes on offer this year – and unfortunately, not all of them are good.
While this year’s entry-level Pixel finally adds a dedicated telephoto lens, it looks like it has come at the sacrifice of the other lenses – and that’s not a great look for a smartphone range that has always prided itself on its camera prowess.
Coupled with other fine-but-not-great features, I’m struggling to work out exactly who this year’s Pixel 10 is aimed at, and it’s harder to recommend overall as a result. Let me explain.
Design
- Similar design to last year’s Pixel 9
- Easy one-handed use
- Tough and durable
In terms of overall design, the Google Pixel 10 hasn’t changed all that much compared to its predecessor – but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
The update was entirely new last year, with the Pixels now sporting flat edges, rounded corners and a redesigned camera bar that, with the release of the iPhone 17 Pro range, doesn’t stand out quite like it once did. Though, it does at least still provide a nice little shelf to rest your finger up against.
Just like last year’s Pixel range, the regular Pixel 10 feels every bit a flagship in the hand. The satin-finished aluminium bezel and glass rear provide a nice cool touch when held, although the glossy rear can be a bit of a fingerprint magnet – and a little slippery to hold at times too. It’s a bit of a shame, especially considering the Pro models sport a matte finish that fixes both of these issues.
The Pixel 10 remains one of the lighter options in Google’s lineup, though at a slightly heavier 204g than its predecessor, there’s still a noticeable heft in everyday use. Still, the 6.3-inch screen makes it quite pocketable, and one-handed use remains easy, with my thumb able to reach the top of the screen without much issue.
As always, Google provides the Pixel 10 in some pretty fantastic colour options – arguably some of the best around, bar Motorola’s Pantone-certified colour options – including Indigo, Frost, Lemongrass and Obsidian.
The Frost finish I have is gorgeous; its pale lavender colouring is subtle yet catches the eye, the complete opposite of the more in-your-face Indigo deep blue finish. But that’s the beauty of Google’s colour palette; there’s so much variety here that at least one finish should appeal to your tastes.
Expect top-end protection with a double helping of Corning’s top-end Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – on both the front and rear – along with full IP68 dust and water resistance, with the Big G claiming the Pixel 10 is good to be submerged in up to 1.5m of water for up to half an hour. I wouldn’t put that to the test, mind; water damage still voids warranties!
Screen
- Compact 6.3-inch OLED display
- Bright, vibrant and detailed
- Non-LTPO 120Hz refresh rate
The Pixel 10’s screen remains one of the better panels around, even if it does fall slightly short of its Pro siblings in what I’d consider some pretty key areas for a flagship-level smartphone – but let’s start with the positives.
At 6.3 inches, I think the Pixel 10’s screen hits the sweet spot of being pocketable while still providing a big enough canvas to enjoy your apps and games without compromise.
Google’s Actua OLED tech shines here, with deeply vibrant colours and inky blacks that the screen tech is known for, with a pixel-packed resolution that equates to 422 pixels per inch – on par with Apple’s flagship alternatives.
It even remains legible in bright outdoor conditions with up to 2000 nits of brightness in its regular high brightness mode, while watching HDR10+ content on the likes of YouTube and Netflix kicks that number up to 3000 nits.
Simply put, there’s very little to complain about with the overall visual experience. YouTube videos are crisp and smooth, Netflix movies look great, and even basic games like Archero 2 really shine on the Pixel 10’s panel.
The one complaint I have is the refresh rate; while 120Hz, like its siblings, it isn’t an LTPO panel, meaning it can only go from 60-120Hz.
That’s nowhere near as battery-friendly as the Pro models’ 1-120Hz LTPO alternative, but more than that, it helps the screen feel even more responsive, particularly when playing games and swiping across apps. I’m also not a fan of the fact that Google doesn’t enable the 120Hz screen by default; it’s 60Hz out of the box.
It’s even more awkward when you consider that the base-level iPhone, the iPhone 17, which was far behind the competition in terms of refresh rate, now offers an LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate for the same price.
Cameras
- New 5x telephoto sensor
- Downgraded main and ultrawide cameras
- Fine performance, but not amazing
The Pixel phones have always been known for one thing: photography. From the early days of Pixel, Google’s phones have consistently delivered a great shooting experience with high-quality lenses, natural colours, great light and plenty of detail.
So, I’m genuinely baffled by the Pixel 10’s downgrade in the camera department. While last year’s Pixel 9 sported the same 50MP main lens and 48MP ultrawide lens as its Pro siblings, the same can’t be said this year. Instead, the Pixel 10 sports the same 48MP main and 13MP ultrawide sensors as the mid-range Pixel 9a – a phone that retails for £499/$499, but can often be found for less.
These ‘new’ cameras offer smaller sensor sizes and smaller pixels than last year’s equivalents, meaning it’s not quite as capable as it was just a year ago, despite coming in at the exact same price point.
It seems the move was made to accommodate a new 10.8MP 5x telephoto sensor which, to be fair, has never been present on the entry-level model. But do I want a 5x telephoto over higher quality main and ultrawide lenses that’ll get used more often? I’m not so sure, especially when the new telephoto is probably best described as being just fine.
Like other 5x telephoto lenses, the 10.8MP snapper closes the distance between you and faraway objects, making it easier to frame shots and capture good portrait snaps. However, I’ve noticed a bit of AI artefacting at the base 5x, let alone when pushed to its maximum 20x digital zoom.
Take a look at the below shot, taken at 5x, and the brickwork in particular. It has that signature processed waterpainted-esque look in certain areas, with some individual bricks on the pavement seemingly merging together.
The only reason I can think of is that, in some scenarios, the Pixel will choose to use a crop of the main sensor rather than using the dedicated zoom lens – and there’s seemingly no way to force the latter. So, you’re essentially left with a telephoto that sometimes looks great and sometimes looks a little over-processed.
This, by the way, has come at the expense of performance from the main and ultrawide lenses. The smaller 1/2.0-inch primary sensor continues to deliver a great overall performance. Images captured in ideal lighting are packed with detail, with Google’s signature skin tone accuracy and general colour accuracy shining through here.
It does struggle a little more than its predecessor in terms of low-light photography, however, taking a few seconds to capture when competitors like the Xiaomi 15T Pro can take the same shots – with similar results – in around a second.
The ultrawide, on the other hand, is a much more noticeable downgrade.
Sure, it’ll still capture a solid shot in good lighting, with consistent colours that match the main sensor, but as soon as the light levels drop, so does the overall quality. Shots in low light look soft, muddy and overprocessed, meaning it’s strictly a daytime camera only. That’s not great when you’re spending flagship-levels of cash.
Don’t get me wrong; this is still a fine camera setup that most people will be happy with – it’s just no longer the automatic recommendation that it used to be.
Performance
- Tensor G5 and 12GB RAM
- Fine in everyday use, but struggles with games
- Benchmark scores are much lower than the competition
You’d probably expect a flagship smartphone to feature some of the bigger, more powerful chipsets on the market – and in a way, that is true with the Pixel 10.
It sports the same Google-developed Tensor G5 chipset as the rest of the collection – but unlike the Snapdragon 8 Elite found in many competing flagships, it focuses more on AI capabilities than pure performance gains. There’s a good reason for this – but more on that in a bit.
Benchmark tests don’t paint a very good picture of the Tensor G5 overall; it doesn’t just fall behind the Snapdragon competition, it’s actually in line with the performance of chipsets from a few years ago – especially in terms of CPU performance, with the Tensor G5 more comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S23’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 than the Samsung Galaxy S25’s Snapdragon 8 Elite.
You probably won’t notice this in day-to-day use; the phone is snappy, responsive and generally a joy to use, especially combined with the new slick Material 3 animations present in its version of Android 16.
Play a game, however, and you’ll start to see the G5’s limitations; it’s not that it can’t power games, it just gets very warm in the process, even with what I’d describe as non-demanding 2D titles like Archero 2, let alone AAA games like Genshin Impact – and this also translates to more significant battery drain.
Simply put, if you’re a mobile gamer, you’d be better off with a gaming phone instead.
Elsewhere, however, Google hits the mark with support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC and satellite-based SOS services.
Software
- Android 16 with Material 3 Expressive UI
- Unique AI smarts
- Seven years of OS upgrades
Rather than the cameras this year, the software is the main reason to opt for the Pixel 10 over competing flagships. It’s not just running the latest version of Android, Android 16, but it’s the only range to sport the new Material 3 Expressive UI.
While not quite as visually different as Apple’s new Liquid Glass alternative, the phone feels more responsive and charming to use day-to-day.
Small elements, such as new animations, redesigned icons, a new font (at least on the notification shade), and new lock screen layouts, make a significant overall impact.
The latter, in particular, adds charm to the experience, allowing you to frame your photos and have them move around the screen so they’re not hidden behind notifications, before transitioning to the full photo wallpaper when unlocked. It’s these smaller, more thoughtful elements that add up to a bigger change overall.
Of course, there’s also an ever-growing list of AI tools and functionality, some of which remain exclusive to Pixels even after years of use. All the staples of Google’s AI chops are here, from on-device Gemini support to handy photo editing features, but this year’s new additions stand out from the crowd.
One of the big new additions is Magic Cue; an AI-powered system that’ll proactively provide you with information and shortcuts as and when you need. It’s a system that takes a little while to get to know you, so shortcuts and the like were few and far between at first, but I’ve seen a couple of helpful pop-ups (mainly allowing me to add information like event locations in messages) that saved me the effort of having to switch apps.
I do think it could do more though; at present, it’s only compatible with Google-designed apps like Messages, Phone, Calendar, etc. If Google could somehow open this up so that Magic Cue can get information from all the apps on your phone, that would be a true game-changer. Still, this first iteration shows promise.
Other new features include the NotebookLLM app, which has a particularly useful feature that allows you to transform information from selected sources into an interactive podcast for easier listening.
There’s also Camera Coach, which aims to assist you in framing your shots using AI. The latter is still a little basic and the UI a little clunky, with you having to manually tap a ‘next’ button to progress to the next step rather than the AI ‘knowing’ when you’ve done it, but I can see what Google is going for there.
And, like other Pixels, the Pixel 10 will get seven years of OS upgrades, so there’s every possibility that the experience will get even better over the next few years.
Battery Life
- 4970mAh battery
- All-day battery life
- Pixelsnap accessory support
Battery life hasn’t traditionally been where Pixels tend to excel – but Google has done a good job at changing that over the past few years, to the point where the Pixel 10 is a solid all-day phone.
The 4970mAh cell, up from 4700mAh, may not seem large next to flagships like the 6000mAh OnePlus 13, but smart tuning sees the phone regularly deliver over five hours of screen time with around 20-30% left in the tank. That’s a pretty good offering, especially from a phone with a smaller footprint.
Of course, it’ll depend massively on what you’re up to – the phone’s overheating when playing games means battery drain here is higher than usual, draining 9% in half an hour when playing a basic 2D title, though 7% from an hour of HDR Netflix playback is pretty solid – but there is potential for all-day battery life here.
Wired charging has been slightly boosted from 27W to 30W, though it doesn’t make all that much of a difference – it’ll still take 91 minutes to regain a full charge in my experience – but wireless charging has had a massive upgrade.
The Pixel 10, along with the rest of the collection, offers support for the latest Qi 2.2 wireless charging standard. The new standard doesn’t just provide speedier 15W wireless charging though; with the use of built-in magnets, it boasts support for magnetic accessories.
The system is dubbed Pixelsnap, but it’s essentially Google’s alternative to MagSafe, and it works in the exact same way. In fact, Google claims (and I have confirmed) that existing MagSafe accessories all play well with the Pixel 10.
That meant that, for the first time, I could use my iPhone accessories – charging dock, car phone holder, battery packs – with an Android phone without the need for a third-party case with embedded magnets. It might not sound like much, but it really elevates the experience, and I can only hope that other Android manufacturers follow suit.
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Should you buy it?
You want a great software experience
With Material 3 Expressive UI and genuinely helpful AI features, the Pixel 10 offers some of the best software you’ll find on an Android.
You want the best all-round performance
The Tensor G5 can’t compete with flagship chipset competition, and the main and ultrawide cameras have been downgraded too.
Final Thoughts
Pixels are usually an easy recommendation from me for people looking for a great all-round Android experience, but I don’t feel that’s the case with this year’s Pixel 10.
While the core Pixel DNA is present and accounted for, I can’t help but focus on the downgrades in the camera department to accommodate the new telephoto lens. Adding a mid-range camera tech to a flagship phone is never going to go well, even if your company has a reputation for doing amazing stuff with comparatively lower-end camera hardware.
As such, the Pixel 10 doesn’t really stand out this year, especially when coupled with the poor thermal performance from the Tensor G5 and the fact that the display only refreshes between 60-120Hz.
Sure, there are redeeming qualities here; the design is nice, the screen is bright, vibrant and detailed, and the combination of software and AI is one of the best around – but whether that’s all worth the £799/$799 asking price is going to be down to your preferences.
For me, I’d probably save up for the Pixel 10 Pro instead.
How We Test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
- Used as a main phone for over a week
- Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions
- Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data
FAQs
No, you’ll be provided with a USB-C cable, but you’ll need to source your own charging brick separately.
Yes, it offers full IP68 dust and water resistance.
Google has committed to seven years of OS upgrades for the Pixel 10.
Test Data
| Google Pixel 10 | |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 single core | 2270 |
| Geekbench 6 multi core | 5160 |
| 1 hour video playback (Netflix, HDR) | 7 % |
| 30 minute gaming (light) | 9 % |
| Time from 0-100% charge | 91 min |
| Time from 0-50% charge | 28 Min |
| 30-min recharge (no charger included) | 52 % |
| 15-min recharge (no charger included) | 26 % |
| 3D Mark – Wild Life | 3217 |
| GFXBench – Aztec Ruins | 70 fps |
| GFXBench – Car Chase | 61 fps |
Full Specs
| Google Pixel 10 Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £799 |
| USA RRP | $799 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Screen Size | 6.3 inches |
| Storage Capacity | 128GB, 256GB |
| Rear Camera | 48MP + 10.8MP + 13MP |
| Front Camera | 10.5MP |
| Video Recording | Yes |
| IP rating | IP68 |
| Battery | 4970 mAh |
| Wireless charging | Yes |
| Fast Charging | Yes |
| Size (Dimensions) | 72 x 8.6 x 152.8 MM |
| Weight | 204 G |
| Operating System | Android 16 |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 29/09/2025 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2424 |
| HDR | Yes |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz |
| Ports | USB-C |
| Chipset | Google Tensor G5 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Colours | Indigo, Forest, Lemongrass, Obsidian |
| Stated Power | 30 W |
