I love Pixel phones for a variety of reasons. Primarily because you get all the latest Android updates as quickly as possible. But there's also the fact you get quite an impressive phone for your money — based on our testing these are some of the best phones around.
Pixel phones routinely come with great cameras, some of the brightest displays on the market, and some of Google's best AI features that otherwise aren't available on other Android phones. It's why I use the Pixel 10 Pro as my everyday phone. But as much as I like having a Pixel phone, there are plenty of things that drive me crazy. Here are the seven things that annoy me most about Pixel phones.
Not as good value as they used to be
Ask any long-time Google phone fans what their biggest issue with modern Google phones is, and they'll almost certainly bring up the price. Back in the days of the Nexus series, Google's phones were easily some of the best value devices around — offering great hardware for significantly lower prices than other premium brands.
That trend has slowly been declining over the past several years, following the launch of the Pixel series. Nowadays, the price has risen so much that it's on par with devices from Apple and Samsung — two brands known for being pretty expensive. Google may see itself as an ultra-premium brand too, but I still remember the good old days.
Disappointing battery life
Pixel battery life has improved a lot in recent years, but they still trail behind rivals like Apple, Samsung and OnePlus — to the point where there are no Pixel phones on our best phone battery life list. For me, personally, I know that a Pixel 10 Pro can easily make it through a day if I'm careful with how I use it, but any kind of extended use is going to make the need for a mid-day charge likely.
Honestly? That really needs to change, and soon. Google made huge improvements with the battery on the Pixel 9 series, but the Pixel 10 series didn't continue that momentum. Battery life didn't decrease, but the improvements were pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. Google, being as big and powerful as it is, should be able to do a lot better.
Bulky camera bars
Google is not even close to being the worst offender where giant camera bars are concerned. You only need to look at the likes of iPhone 17 Pro Max, or brands like Vivo and Oppo to realize that Google has been surprisingly restrained in that particular department.
But those bumps are still too big, and really protrude from the back of the phone in ways that I just don't like. Considering the Pixel 9a recently reduced the camera bump down to almost nothing, it's quite a shock to see just how big the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro's camera bar really is. It's bulky, protruding, and that edge is surprisingly sharp. At the very least it could do with some rounding around the edges.
Performance still trails rivals
Yes, you knew this complaint was coming. Google Pixel phones do not offer the same level of performance you get on other smartphones — especially premium flagships like iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Tensor chips are primarily to blame, and it means Pixel phones run slower, (sometimes) hotter and aren't nearly as efficient in the process.
Will the weak performance actually affect users in day-to-day use? It depends what they do, but we've seen time and again that the more power and efficiency baked into a phone chip, the better the results tend to be. Gamers in particular might want to steer clear of the latest Pixel phones.
The temperature sensor is basically pointless
The Pixel 10 Pro is the third Pixel to come with a rear-mounted temperature sensor, and I still have no idea why this gimmick has stuck around for as long as it has. It would have been a fantastic idea during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was already a little dated by the time the Pixel 8 Pro was released.
Two years later and the feature is almost completely redundant. Having just had a baby I can see the appeal of maybe using it to check up on my little one's temperature in his early months. But I already bought a baby thermometer for this express purpose, and beyond this rather niche (and temporary) need, I genuinely can't think of any reason why I need a temperature sensor on my phone. So, Google should just save space (and expense) by scrapping it completely.
Base storage is still 128GB
Phone makers clinging to 128GB of base storage has been driving me crazy for years, but it's been extra frustrating to watch Google cling to the smaller storage. Especially when you remember that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 had price hikes with very little to show for it. The more time goes on the smaller 128GB actually feels, and I feel like I'm constantly at odds with my phone and its increasing hunger for storage. We're at the stage where 128GB should be relegated to mid-range and other cheaper phones.
Google did make some headway with this by scrapping the 128GB Pixel 10 Pro XL, but that wasn't the case for Pixel 10 and 10 Pro. Worse, less than a month after launching the phones, Apple came along and made 256GB the standard on every iPhone 17 model — and without raising the price of the entry-level model in the process. Here's hoping next year is different.
There's too much emphasis on AI
Asking Google not to hype up AI is like asking Santa not to deliver presents on Christmas Eve, it's going to happen whether you like it or not. While I can appreciate the fact that AI features can be a benefit to certain parts of the phone, and Google is heavily invested in the technology, in recent years it's all Google seems to be able to talk about when launching its new phones.
And I just want to be able to appreciate the launch of a brand new Pixel without being bombarded with information about AI this and AI that. Tell me more about the phone, and all the new hardware that's coming with it, rather than sticking with incremental upgrades and trying to use AI buzz as a crutch to prop up the fact your new phone is barely different from last year's model.
I will admit, though, that Google is far from the only serial offender.
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