An iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 showdown won’t happen officially until later this year, once both anticipated phones hit the market. But when it does happen, expect a battle on multiple fronts.
Apple and Google typically slug it out to rank among the best camera phones, with Apple’s iPhone 16 currently getting the better of Google Pixel 9. Google might mix it up with by adding another camera lens to the back of its entry-level flagship, while Apple is tipped to upgrade the front camera on this year’s phones.
On the software front, Apple continues to roll out its Apple Intelligence features, though Google enjoys a multiyear head start with its built-in AI tools. An iOS 19 software update could potentially deliver more refinements to Apple’s AI to the iPhone 17, but the Pixel 10 is expected to gain new AI capabilities of its own from upgraded silicon.
All told, it’s shaping up to be a very interesting comparison between these two phones based on the rumors we’ve heard so far. Our iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 overview takes a look at how the standard smartphone models from Apple and Google figure to match up ahead of their expected release later on in 2025.
iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 price and availability
Assuming both Apple and Google stick to last year’s release schedule, we can anticipate an iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 showdown for the fall. That’s a safe assumption in Apple’s case, as the company has ushered in its new iPhones like clockwork every September in recent save for a pandemic-fueled delay in 2020.
Google’s release schedule is a bit tricker to predict. Prior to the Pixel 9, Google always released its flagship phones in October, around the same time that a new version of Android debuted. But the Pixel 9 launch moved ahead a couple months to August 2024, and rumors suggest that’s going to be a permanent switch, especially since Android 16 will already be out by then.
Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to price — a reflection of the uncertainty caused by the on-again, off-again tariff policies of the Trump administration. Any sort of lasting tariff might drive up the cost of phones, given how both Apple and Google rely on overseas supply chains.
Even separating out any tariff talk, though, there’s a rumor that the price of some iPhone 17 models could go up, though it’s unclear if that would impact the price of the $799 entry-level model. There’s better news on the Pixel 10 front, with a rumor suggesting Google will stick with a $799 starting price after increasing the cost of the Pixel 9 by $100 last year.
iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 design and display
Both the iPhone 17 and Pixel 10 should look a lot like their immediate predecessors. That’s a bit of a surprise in the case of the Pixel 10 since the recently released Pixel 9a dropped Google’s recognizable horizontal camera bar for a smaller pill-shaped cutout that sits practically flush against the back of the phone.
However, leaked CAD renders and a rumored Pixel 10 case both show this year’s Google flagship with the same horizontal camera bar featured on the Pixel 9. That bar doesn’t quite stretch the length of the phone, ending with rounded corner that stop just of the edge.
While iPhone 17 Pro renders indicate that Apple may develop a horizontal camera cutout of its own, the standard model should continue to feature two vertically aligned cameras on its back. The only question is whether Apple sticks with the oval array found on the iPhone 16 or adopts a more rectangular box for its rear lenses.
We expect the two phones to retain the same screen sizes as their predecessors — a 6.1-inch panel in the case of the iPhone 17 and a 6.3-inch screen for the Pixel 10. However, Apple’s phone may see a rather significant display improvement, as the iPhone 17 may finally adopt the adaptive refresh rate that’s been limited to Pro models for the last few years. That means the iPhone 17 could ramp up its refresh rate to 120Hz for smoother scrolling.
The Pixel 9 can already do that, of course, though its refresh rate can only scale between 60Hz and 120Hz. Google’s Pro phones have a more extensive 1-120Hz range, so we’re curious to see if Google continues that distinction with the Pixel 10 lineup.
iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 cameras
Given the reputation Apple and Google both enjoy for producing top-performing camera phones, expect a lot of focus to fall on camera improvements for the iPhone 17 and Pixel 10. In the case of Apple’s upcoming phone, though, the changes could be minimal.
While the Pro models are being tipped to get an upgraded telephoto lens, the standard iPhone 17 is expected to feature the same 48MP main camera and 12MP ultrawide lens as its predecessor. A bigger change could come up front, as Apple upgrades the TrueDepth camera from the 12MP sensor on the current models to a 24MP shooter. That change would happen across the board on the iPhone 17 lineup.
The Pixel 10 camera rumors are far more exciting, if the biggest predicted change comes to pass. That would be the addition of a telephoto lens — a feature previously restricted to Google’s Pixel Pro phones.
The rumored zoom lens on the Pixel 10 would have a lower resolution than the one on the Pixel 10 Pro, though that’s a trade-off some users would be happy to make, given that the Galaxy S25 is one of the few $799 flagships to come with a dedicated telephoto camera. A less welcome trade-off would be a drop in resolution for the ultrawide camera, which will reportedly go from 48MP on the Pixel 9 to 13MP on the Pixel 10.
Of course, camera improvements aren’t solely reliant on hardware changes. Software improvements involving photo processing are also a big part of the upgrade process, so we hope to hear more about those kind of changes as we get closer to the fall.
iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 performance and battery life
The A18 chipset that powers the iPhone 16 easily outmuscles the Tensor G4 inside the Pixel 9 when it comes to CPU and GPU testing. That doesn’t figure to change in the fall, with the iPhone 17 likely to turn to an A19 system-on-chip compared to the Tensor G5 for the Pixel 10.
That said, the Tensor G5 could be built on a 3nm process, which is more compact than the 4nm Tensor G4. With the transistors packed closer together, we should see some gains in both performance and power efficiency compared to the Pixel 9. (It’s also worth noting that other reports claim the G5 will still be built on a 4nm process.)
The A19 silicon is also expected to use a 3nm process, just like the A18, though it’s reportedly a new generation that should bring some performance improvements. A more significant rumored change would be the addition of vapor chamber technology aimed at keeping the iPhone 17 from overheating.
Rumors about battery improvements have yet to emerge for either phone. When we ran our battery test on the current flagships, the iPhone 16 lasted longer than the Pixel 9, but only by a little bit — 12 hours and 43 meetings for the iPhone versus 12 hours and 30 minutes for the Pixel. Any boost to battery size coupled with the expected power efficiency improvements for both phones could tip the balance here.
iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 software
After years of sitting on the AI sidelines, Apple rolled out a suite of Apple Intelligence tools last fall that promise to improve your writing, help you generate images from scratch and summarize emails and notifications among other features.
Some promised improvements, like an overhaul to that would make Siri personal assistant more aware of context haven’t materialized and won’t until the iOS 19 update comes out in the fall with the iPhone 17. Even then, some Siri changes may not debut until 2026, according to some reports.
Google’s made AI a centerpiece of its phones since the switch to Tensor chips with the Pixel 6 series, so you’d expect the Pixel 10 to continue that focus. We’ll have to wait until the fall to see what additions Google makes to the AI tools on board its flagship phones, though it’s pretty clear Google is a lot further along on this front than Apple is.
Google also offers longer software support than Apple, a trend we expect to continue once the Pixel 10 and iPhone 17 arrive. Current Pixels can count on seven years of software and security support, while iPhones get at least five years, though sometimes that support extends for even longer.
iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 outlook
There’s a lot of pieces that still have to fall into place for a more definitive iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10 comparison. But several months before the anticipated release, cameras and AI features figure to be the focal points, especially if Google adds a telephoto lens to its entry-level flagship.
The iPhone 17 should continue to out-perform the Pixel 10 once we test both phones. But barring any surprises with iOS 19’s AI features, you would count on the Pixel 10 to enjoy an edge in that area, too.
We’ll find out for certain how this face-off shakes out when the two phones arrive later in the year.
