The Pixel 10 Pro may seem like the epitome of "we get the same phone every year," that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad phone. While the upgrades may seem pretty minimal compared to the Pixel 9 Pro, there's still a lot to love about the new Google Pixel 10 Pro — especially since it can do things that older Pixels can't.
But it's rare to find a good reason to upgrade every year, so those of you rocking older phones may be in the mood for a brand new model. With the Pixel 10 Pro now on sale, it's time to decide whether it's the right device for you or not.
In our Pixel 10 Pro review, we found there is a lot to like about Google's new phone. But there are a few reasons why you might want to consider picking up a totally different phone. To help you make up your mind, here are the reasons why you'd want to buy the Pixel 10 Pro, and a few reasons why you may want to skip over this particular device.
Google Pixel 10 Pro: Reasons to buy
It's got full Qi2 support
While it's not the first Android phone to offer Qi2 support, it is the first premium phone to offer the full package. That means the Pixel 10 Pro offers a full ring of MagSafe-compatible magnets, 15W wireless charging speeds and the adaptive power capabilities that will help preserve battery health in the long term. Not to mention the instant coil alignment that keeps wireless charging running at maximum efficiency.
Crucially, this opens up a whole new range of accessories and chargers for the Pixel 10 Pro. Neater-looking magnetic stands and tripods, faster non-Google charging stands, plus the ability to use (and swap) various magnetic grips, wallets and other accessories without relying on adhesives.
The battery life is still great
Battery life has never been particularly strong on Pixel phones, but the Pixel 9 series made a huge leap forward. The Pixel 10 Pro hasn't improved by quite a significant amount, but in our battery testing it did last 13 hours and 43 minutes — 6 minutes longer than the Pixel 9 Pro. It may only be a few minutes longer, but the numbers are definitely going in the right direction.
Sure we'd like the Pixel to have some of the best phone battery life around, rivalling the likes of Samsung and OnePlus, but I found that the 10 Pro's battery was more than enough to last a typical day. I think most people can live with that.
It's got a bunch of cool new AI tools
It wouldn't be a new Pixel launch if we didn't have any extra AI tools to help bolster the phone's capabilities. The most impressive of these is Ask Photos, a generative AI editing tool that lets you make changes to photos with verbal or written commands. No more having to fiddle with the various editing tools to get the effect you like.
On top of that we have Camera Coach, which gives you tips on how to improve the composition of your shots, by scanning what the camera can see. There's also a new automatic version of Best Take, that fixes your group shots without your input, and improvements to Add Me that supports larger groups and pets.
And we can't forget Magic Cue, the assistant that helps surface key information in Google apps when it thinks you need it most. That includes things like 2FA codes, travel plans, delivery tracking and more.
The screen is even brighter
The Super Actua screen just got even more super, with Google saying that it's pushing the maximum brightness up from 3,000 nits to 3,300. I can attest to the fact that this screen is absolutely blinding in the right circumstances. Naturally that extra brightness means a much better viewing experience in all kinds of environments, especially ones with particularly bright lighting.
So if you actually want to be able to see what your phone is doing during extremely sunny weather, then the Pixel 10 Pro is one to consider.
The cameras are great, and enhanced by 100x zoom
The Pixel 10 Pro's camera hardware hasn't changed all that much since last year, that doesn't matter a whole lot. Not only does it still produce excellent photos, it also comes with a bunch of cool new features that may be worth the upgrade anyway — notably the 100X Super Pro Res Zoom.
This features optical and digital zoom to focus on objects far away, and combines it with generative AI to essentially "unblur" the final product. It's incredible how much detail it's able to reproduce after post-shot processing, and it means you can shoot photos of things much further away than the old 30x Pro Res Zoom feature.
Google Pixel 10 Pro: Reasons to skip
It's not that much better than 9 Pro
It may be cliche to say that phones barely change each year, but there's an air of truth to it when Pixel 10 Pro is concerned. While it's not identical to the Pixel 9 Pro, the hardware differences between the two are pretty minimal. A brighter display, slightly bigger battery and the addition of Qi2 wireless charging. These are all important upgrades, but it feels like the phone has been left out compared to the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro XL.
As I wrote in my Pixel 10 Pro review, it's quite hard to recommend this phone to anyone that has a Pixel 9 Pro already — that's how similar they are. The screen is essentially the same (brightness aside), while our testing shows there's little discernible difference in both battery life and photo quality. The 10 Pro doesn't do any of these things badly, but it's not exactly an improvement either.
Tensor G5 still lags in the performance department
In a revelation that should surprise absolutely nobody, the Pixel 10 Pro's Tensor G5 chipset is not exactly a performance powerhouse — not on the same level as the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the Apple A18 Pro. There has been a noticeable improvement in benchmark scores, but the chip still lags pretty far behind its competition.
While this may not matter for your everyday browsing habits, especially if you want the benefit of Tensor-exclusive AI features, it does mean the phone will struggle with more resource-heavy functions. Gaming at high settings, video transcoding, and other things that require a fair bit of computing power to pull off.
Starting storage is still 128GB
While the Pixel 10 Pro XL has scrapped the 128GB storage option in favor of 256GB, the Pixel 10 Pro has not. While this means the cost of entry hasn't changed, it does mean that picking the cheapest option is going to limit how much you can physically keep on your phone at any given time. And as time goes on, that much storage is going to feel like it's holding less and less.
Google Pixel 10 Pro Bottom Line
There's a lot to like about the Pixel 10 Pro, especially since the physical price of the phone hasn't changed this year. Solid cameras, a bunch of useful new AI features, and a battery life should at you through a typical day.
Though none of this changes the fact that the phone is remarkably similar to last year's model, and the other repeated issues Pixel phones have endured over the years. Particularly the weak performance power of the Tensor series chips. Which may be enough to put you off this particular upgrade.
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More from Tom's Guide
- Google Pixel 10 — 5 reasons to buy (and 2 reasons to skip)
- Google's About to Ruin One of the Best Things About Android — and Make it More Like iOS
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