The Pixel is all grown up.
9 years and 10 generations in, Google’s smartphones are well-established and impressively achieved.
And I don’t have to check the brand new Pixel 10 sequence to know that they’re the best handsets the corporate has ever made. Battery capacities, charging speeds and cameras have been upgraded throughout the board, to not point out the all-important built-in Qi2.
In truth, I feel all of this quantities to a much bigger step for the corporate, making it the default Android flagship maker. Samsung may be extra standard, however Google has some methods up its sleeve that no different manufacturers can match.
In case you’re primarily based in Europe or North America and are on the lookout for a brand new Android flagship, right here’s why Pixel telephones needs to be your first port of name.
Main the way in which on wi-fi charging
There’s just one place to start out. The Pixel 10’s largest improve is to one thing you won’t have thought of when shopping for a telephone – wi-fi charging.
Including built-in Qi2 help won’t sound like a lot, but it surely may have a big knock-on impact for the way forward for smartphones. After the HMD Skyline grew to become the primary Qi2 Android telephone final 12 months, Google added the tech to flagships for the primary time – all 4 Pixel 10 telephones, to be actual.
Why is that this such a giant deal? There are three causes.
Firstly, it will increase wi-fi charging speeds from 15W to 25W (on the Professional telephones), placing it according to wired speeds on handsets such because the Galaxy S25.
Then, the ring of magnets makes it very simple to lock the charging puck into place with a safe match, similar to Apple’s MagSafe.
And eventually, a complete new ecosystem of magnetic equipment is rising. Google has already launched a charger (with or with out stand), ring stand and appropriate circumstances, however that appears set to be just the start.
Different Android flagships are prone to get on board with Qi2 quickly, however Google has a head begin.
The most effective cameras for most individuals
In fact, everybody needs a telephone that may take nice pictures, and so they’re not arduous to search out nowadays. However a very nice digicam telephone is one thing altogether completely different.
I imagine the distinction lies in consistency. On some telephones, one picture is good however the subsequent is inexplicably poor. On others, pictures are wonderful when there’s good pure lighting, however very disappointing in low mild.
You probably have images experience, these points may be mitigated to an extent. However if you happen to’re an off-the-cuff photographer who simply needs to seize reminiscences, an excellent point-and-shoot digicam expertise is crucial. And I imagine Google does this higher than another telephone.
On each Pixel telephone I’ve tried, all of the digicam lenses have been capable of maintain their very own. The primary sensor is normally the spotlight, however the high quality of ultrawide pictures is all the time a nice shock. And, on telephones that embrace it, the optical zoom and reasonable portrait results afforded by a telephoto are wonderful.
Chris Corridor / Foundry
Throw within the 5 new images options Google has added to the Pixel 10 sequence, and I wrestle to see how any 2025 telephones can beat them.
A ‘low cost’ flagship with out main compromise
In my expertise, the most cost effective telephone in a flagship lineup is usually such a downgrade that it doesn’t even really feel like a flagship anymore.
Certain, the common Samsung Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16 are stable handsets, however do you actually need to put up with a small battery and hamstrung cameras? I definitely don’t.
Make no mistake, the common Pixel 10 remains to be a big downgrade in comparison with the Professional telephones. Certainly, there aren’t any fewer than 14 lacking options.
Nevertheless, I feel these are issues that most individuals can reside with out. Whilst a telephones knowledgeable, there are fairly just a few that I doubt I’d even discover.
Crucially, Google has added a telephoto lens to the usual telephone this 12 months, enabling high-quality 5x optical zoom pictures. The standard from the ten.8Mp lens received’t be fairly nearly as good because the 48Mp model on the Professional and Professional XL, however I don’t count on it to be a serious step down.
Alongside an identical battery capability and the identical Tensor G5 chipset, there are many causes to go for the most cost effective Pixel 10 telephone.
High-tier software program
You may name me one thing of a Pixel software program sceptic. Earlier this 12 months, I declared Samsung’s One UI 7 to be superior, whereas early impressions of Android 16’s new Materials 3 Expressive redesign didn’t impress me.
Nevertheless, I feel I may be swaying again in the direction of the Pixel. I forgot how a lot I cherished having the ability to keep away from Samsung’s extreme bloatware, whereas the brand new AI options that Google has introduced (akin to Magic Cue) may make an actual distinction.
Both manner, Pixel telephones nonetheless have a number of the greatest software program you’ll discover on any telephone. It’s intuitive, simple to make use of and presents in depth customisation choices.
Immediate updates for years and years
Google’s dedication to software program updates stays nearly as good because it will get. A full seven years of OS and safety updates is the perfect you’ll discover on any flagship, even when the mid-range Fairphone 6 now presents eight of each.
Nevertheless, shopping for a Pixel means you keep away from certainly one of Android’s largest issues: delayed updates.
The brand new Pixel 10 telephones are transport working Android 16, with an earlier iteration already obtainable on the Pixel 9 sequence.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Different supported Pixel telephones will get the replace quickly, however how lengthy will it’s a must to wait in your Samsung, OnePlus or Xiaomi telephone to get it? The reply can vary from just a few weeks to a number of months, and it tends to take longer if it’s an older or cheaper system.
Up to now, a serious new model of Android has even been launched by Google earlier than all eligible telephones received the earlier model. You probably have a Pixel, you don’t have to fret about that.
Google may path Samsung in relation to market share, however if you happen to’re available in the market for a brand new Android flagship, a Pixel telephone is now the plain selection.
See extra information and opinions on the Pixel 10 telephones in our devoted 2025 Google Occasion hub.
