Google Pixel 10 — biggest rumors and what we want to see

With the Pixel 9a announced, attention should turn to Google's next big phone release — the Pixel 10 lineup, which is expected to arrive later this year. But if you've been paying attention, you'll know that leaks about Google's next flagship device have already surfaced.

That's not to say we know everything about the Pixel 10. We're probably half-a-year away from the phone's launch, so some key details have yet to emerge. That said, we are getting a pretty good idea what Google's been working on, with the information that's trickled out so far.

As we wait for additional insight into the upcoming flasghip rollout, here are all the Pixel 10 rumors we’ve heard so far.

Google Pixel 10: Rumored release date and price

Normally Google releases its new phones in October, but that changed with the Pixel 9 series. Instead those phones arrived in late August, two whole months ahead of Google's usual schedule. Whether that was a one-off or not, it still adds some uncertainty around the Pixel 10's launch window.

It’s possible that Google will revert back to the October launch, but with Android 16 reportedly set to be come out in the first half of this year, it seems likely that the new Pixels might arrive earlier than expected once again.

Change is clearly in the air for Google, though, as the company moved up its Pixel 9a launch. Rather than time the release around the Google I/O conference in May as it has for previous Pixel A phones, Google announced the budget model in March.

As for price, that’s another contentious topic. The Pixel 9 was subjected to the second price hike in as many years — costing the same $799 as the iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S24. The Pixel 9 Pro officially stayed at $999, but since it’s smaller than previous Pro Pixels, and the large screen Pixel 9 Pro XL cost an extra $100, you wouldn’t be out of order to consider it a stealth price hike.

Here’s hoping Google does what it just did with the Pixel 9a and keeps the price unchanged. This looks like it might just be the case, as a recent report has indicated that Google intends to keep the cost of the Pixel 10 at $799, the same as the Pixel 9 series.

Google Pixel 10: Design and display

The Pixel 9a made headlines for dropping Google's horizontal camera bar, a feature that's been in place since the Pixel 6. But that design change may be limited to Google's budget phone based on what we're hearing about the Pixel 10 design.

An alleged case leak gave us the first hint that the Pixel 10 could look a lot like its predecessor. The leaked case, spotted by Sonny Dickson, offers the same extended oval-shaped camera bar and the rounded corners that differentiate the Pixel 9 series from the Pixel 8.

In March, CAD renders claiming to show off the Pixel 10 appeared that also showed a camera bar on the standard Pixel 10 as well as two Pro models. The camera bar doesn't stretch all the way across the back of the phone, ending in a pill-shaped array

Because of those renders from tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer, it looks like screen sizes will remain the same, with the standard Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro set to feature a 6.3-inch display. The Pixel 10 Pro XL would provide a 6.8-inch screen.

Other display rumors have yet to surface about Google's Pixel 10 plans, but it’s possible that we may also see upgrades to the Actua and Super Actua displays. A true 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate on the standard model would be nice to see, alongside even brighter displays on all three models.

Google Pixel 10: Cameras

We've seen only a few Pixel 10 camera hardware rumors at this point, but what's rumored is quite substantial.

The Pixel 10 could depart from previous basic Pixels by gaining a telephoto camera. It could lack the high-resolution sensors that the pro models have but getting a telephoto camera in the first place is a big bonus.

Unfortunately, this could come at the cost of a lower-resolution ultrawide camera (going from 48MP to 13MP) and a physically smaller sensor for the main camera. What impact this will have on the Pixel 10's camera performance isn't certain, but it's likely going to be quite different to use than the Pixel 9 we're familiar with.

Google Pixel 10: Performance

Performance is where the Pixel 10 is set to shine compared to previous models, and it’s all thanks to the Tensor G5 chipset likely to power the new phone. According to reports, this is set to be the first chip Google has made entirely from scratch; previous Tensors were based on existing Samsung hardware — albeit with some serious modifications. Subsequent reports have clarified that Google may turn to a few external components.

Designing the chips from scratch gives Google total control over the chip and its processes, which is an opportunity to make Tensor the Android equivalent of Apple’s A series. Since Google develops Pixel hardware and Android software, it’s in a position to better optimize the two to work better together. And that could translate to a serious performance advantage compared to other phones.

The Tensor G5 is also reportedly being built using TSMC’s 3nm process, the same one used for Apple’s A18 chips and the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The 3nm chips are smaller than the 4nm Tensor G4, and this should offer better performance and power efficiency — two things Tensor chips have generally struggled with.

Before you celebrate, though, others are throwing cold water on that 3nm report. One leaker claimed that "G5 is basically TSMC-made version of G4" — in other words, we could be looking at a 4nm chip once again.

Other changes reportedly coming include a faster GPU with accelerated graphics from Imagination Technologies, and an improved TPU that is 14% faster and suports 40% more Trillions of Operations per second. Whether it will make the Pixel 10 a performance powerhouse isn’t clear, but if Google leverages the chip for camera and AI features as well as it has done so far, then the phone should offer a big leap forward for both.

Google Pixel 10: Battery and charging

There’s no rumors regarding the Pixel 10’s battery life just yet, but we have high expectations for the phone. Considering the Pixel 9 series saw a huge improvement in battery life, we’re expecting Google to keep pushing future Pixels to make them last as long as possible, especially if the Tensor G5 brings greater power efficiency.

We’d also like to see Google offer meaningful advances to the charging speed. Currently the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the fastest of the current generation, topping out at 37W wired charging. Considering Google just started selling a 45W charging brick, we’d like to see all three Pixel 10 phones push closer to that figure.

We’d also like to see faster wireless charging, courtesy of a third generation Pixel Stand. Considering Google discontinued the second generation wireless charger after the Pixel 9 launch, it’s currently much harder for Pixel owners to achieve maximum wireless charging speeds.

A third generation Pixel Stand could fix that, and make some much-needed improvements in the process. Ideally this would come with Qi2 wireless charging, complete with a MagSafe-style magnetic ring, and wireless charging speeds that top 30W.

Google Pixel 10: Software and features

The one thing we do know for sure about the Pixel 10 is that it will arrive running Android 16 — rather than repeating the Pixel 9’s Android 15-free launch. That’s down to Google accelerating the timeline for the new software update, meaning it would arrive this spring rather than later summer or early fall.

There's an Android 16 feature that could directly benefit the Pixel 10. Some code specifically mentions the Pixel 10 by name when talking about a new “performance mode” in the “Parallel Module Loading." The bottom line: the Pixel 10 could see faster boot times.

A new version of Android and a new Tensor chipset also mean there’s room for a many more unique and exclusive software features to arrive with the phone. Recent reports indicate that this may include easier post-video editing powered by AI and a feature called “Speak-to-Tweak”. This would let you speak to the phone and tell it what edits you want, using LLMs, rather than tapping through the menus yourself.

Pixel 10 may also feature its own version of Galaxy AI’s Sketch-to-Image, an unknown feature called Magic Mirror and the ability to film 4k 60fps video with HDR. Word has it that the G5 will be able to run Stable Diffusion-based models locally as well, which will speed up AI image generation and not have to rely on cloud servers.

One rumor claims that a new AI assistant will debut on the Pixel 10. Called the Pixel Sense, this feature would apparently offer a personalized experience depending on how you use your Pixel.

Google Pixel 10: Outlook

Clearly, there's a lot of details still to come about the Pixel 10, though we know all about the challenges Google faces with this phone. Google will need to maintain all the things that the Pixel 9 did well, and then find a way to improve upon them in ways that people actually care about.

Thankfully what we’ve heard about the Tensor G5 and incoming AI features is rather positive, and suggests the Pixel 10 will be a considerable upgrade over its predecessors. At the very least, it should deliver noteworthy AI and performance advances.

Until we know more, though, we’ll just have to stay cautiously optimistic about the phone’s chances.

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