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The shiniest element to the Google Pixel 10, the tenth generation as the name suggests, is that it doesn’t feel like an entry point to a broader phone line-up. This is closer to a ‘pro’ Pixel than ever before, but to be fair, there was little choice, with a price tag of ₹79,999 putting this squarely at the serious end of the smartphone pricing scale. Very much in the vicinity of flagships, and its competition will include the Samsung Galaxy S25 ( ₹74,999 onwards), less costly OnePlus 13s (around ₹54,999) and the Nothing Phone (3) which at ₹79,999 onwards.
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With the 6.3-inch display size, the Google Pixel 10 can also be considered a small screen flagship, a trend that I had examined after the Xiaomi 15 was joined by the OnePlus 13s and the Vivo X200 FE. Google held out long enough (the Pixel 9 also has this screen size) for others to catch on. But it isn’t a direct carry forward generationally, because the Google Pixel 10 boasts of boosted 3000 nits rated brightness (up from 2700 nits) and what certainly feels like improvements in colour richness. A compact phone, a powerful enough phone, is increasingly finding traction. Or so it may seem.
A commentary on the design is important, and there are similarities to before, with the broad island-style camera island on the back still the visual highlight. The Pixel 10 overall has a very likeable design, also helped by an interesting choice of colours. Indigo is a personal favourite, but some may find Frost and Lemongrass a bit more appealing than a more conventional black, called Obsidian. Unlike its Pro siblings, the Pixel 10 feels more planted in-hand, and less slippery. Dimensions and weight play their part. But it must be noted that the glass back betrays minor scratches rather easily, even though it is the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Also read: Google Pixel 10 Pro 5G: Top 5 AI-powered features that make sense
Speaking of which, Google says the Tensor G5 chip is up to 34% faster than last year’s Tensor G4, while the tensor processing unit (or TPU; no wordplay here, mind you) is supposedly 60% faster for all AI tasks. Most of you may not test your phone every morning with synthetic benchmarks as a feel-good factor, but the real world situation is that certain tasks do feel faster — Pixel Studio, transcription of a voice recording or translations, all delivered faster on-device. Apps seem to be marginally snappier than on the Pixel 9, and that improvement is more perceptible with games as well. The biggest improvement, so far, seems to be with better thermal handling and therefore lesser degree of performance throttling.
The other advantage is a larger battery, 4,970mAh compared to 4,700mAh in the Pixel 9. But is that purely theoretical? In the limited time I’ve spent with the Pixel 9 ahead of this review, there are two parts to this picture. First, you’ll get through a day with ease, and there isn’t much in terms of worrying about battery as you approach the dusk timelines. However, stretch this a little more with camera usage or Google Maps navigation for instance, and you may need to top this up by late afternoon. In that sense, those extra milliampere-hour doesn’t translate into a significant upgrade to longevity, when compared with the Pixel 9. I’d say this will improve in the coming weeks as the phone further settles.
Speaking of battery, Pixelsnap may well prove to be Android’s MagSafe moment, now that more Android phone makers and the accessory ecosystem will speed up to match user curiosity. Google didn’t ship any Pixelsnap compatible chargers with the Pixel 10 series review units shared with HT, and therefore it is difficult to comment on how the Qi2 charging, and the technology potential with more accessories, stands at this point in time.
Also Read: Google Pixel 10 Pro XL vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: Who leads in display, battery, and cameras?
It is a Pixel, and of course you’ll have questions about the camera performance. I have too. Mind you, that perception of Pixel phones setting the photography benchmark, may well be as outdated as a Maruti 800 in this era. The Google Pixel 10 starts with a 48-megapixel wide camera, a 3-megapixel ultra wide camera and a 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto camera. Is the addition of the telephoto the reason for inferior cameras compared with the Pixel 9 (that had a 50-megapixel main wide camera and a 48-megapixel ultra wide)? Are two great cameras better than three somewhat inferior ones?
Where have you seen those wide and ultra wide cameras before? Yes, the most affordable Pixel, the Pixel 9a. Would you accept Apple delivering the iPhone 17 with a previously more affordable iPhone’s camera system? Perhaps not a like-for-like, but you get the idea. It must be noted that the new addition is a 5x telephoto, which immediately leaves behind the Galaxy S25 (3x zoom). All things considered, you can get some really impressive photos from this phone — and you’d expect nothing less than that from a Google Pixel 10.
The Google Pixel 10 matches the Pixel 10 Pro to an extent, with additional 10x cropped zoom (the Pro phones have 20x Super Res Zoom). For a base model in a phone portfolio, that is a significant step forward. There is a lot of detailing and crispness, which should further help with editing if you wish to go down that path with certain photos which deserve that extra work. Colours are really likeable, and unlike most flagships in this era, not even a smidgen overdone. Blacks and contrast certainly is a step forward from the Pixel 9’s main camera. That’s before you get to the unique Camera Coach feature that Google is adding into the Camera app, and those suggestions may just help at some point on the vacation.
Also Read: Thinking of leaving iPhone? How to set up Google Pixel 10 smoothly and transfer date in minutes
Too early to comment about Magic Cue, because it needs time and context, such as your calendar, messages or mail. Often, it stumbles on some calendar blocks or doesn’t find the information in screenshots. Eventually, when third-party apps including WhatsApp (that’s where most of our conversations reside) support this AI assistant feature, the relevance and utility will increase significantly. Same for Camera Coach, which is supposed to help you with framing photos better — you may be able to draw more learnings from this than I perhaps did.
The Google Pixel 10 may well be the ‘base’ model in the hierarchy, but there are improvements which still make a lot of sense generationally. Yet, we must see a few things in the prism of a glass half empty. India only gets the 256GB storage spec (at least it isn’t 128GB). You must also factor in the addition of the telephoto camera and what that has meant for the main and ultra wide cameras, the fact that the display has lesser pixel density than a OnePlus 13s and the Pixel 10 still betrays heating on the back panel from time to time. Balance that with the slickest AI integration in any smartphone. It is a complex upgrade in terms of defining subjective value, one that seems to take a page from Apple’s “S” refresh cycle for iPhones some years prior — consistent upgrades that are big enough to appeal to users who hold a phone that’s at least a couple of generations older. It is hard to fault Google for that.
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