Google Pixel 10 Pro

There are now many {Android} manufacturers producing quite decent phones. If you want it all and more, Samsung has delivered both the {Ultra} series and the fantastic but conservative {Folds}, and over at Motorola, beautiful {Razr} models and a solid {Edge} or two are released every year.

But there is still something about Google's {Pixel} line, a certain je ne sais quoi, an X factor. Perhaps it's Google's specific design language, these days called "Material You", that gives {Android} a more playful look, or perhaps it's those {Apple Lite} features that create deeper coherence between your {Pixel} and other Google gear, such as a {Pixel Watch} or a pair of {Pixel Buds}.

Regardless, {Pixel} phones, especially over the past few years, have proven through software, unrivalled cameras, and streamlined design that they are definitely one of the best {Android} phones of the year, if not the best. Fortunately, the {Pixel 10 Pro} continues this trend.

There are minor differences between the {Pixel 10 Pro} and {Pixel 10 Pro XL}, but they are relatively negligible, so we are reviewing them both as a whole, even though we refer to the {10 Pro}. You get a new version of the excellent {Super Actua} display, which uses a 1280x2856 OLED at 495ppi. Once again, we get a 120Hz refresh rate through LTPO technology, which can lower the internal frame rate to 1Hz to save battery life. In addition, it performs up to 3300 NITS under ideal conditions and has both 24-bit colours and a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1. These are many figures that together testify that Google has hit the mark for the third time in a row with the {Super Actua} display, which delivers bright, deep, and high-contrast colours. Whether it's watching a regular YouTube video, viewing photos via {Google Photos} or watching the F1 film via the {Apple TV} app (even though that film belongs on a big screen), {Super Actua} can easily hold its own against {Retina}.

You get 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage (there is a 128GB version, but that's starting to get a bit stingy, Google), and Google's brand new {Tensor G5} SoC. Although there are, of course, those who would like to hear about cores and clock frequencies, Google itself promises a 34% CPU uplift, and in everything from {Genshin Impact} to Adobe's various services, the {Pixel 10 Pro} is fast, responsive, and cool. It should be noted that the GPU unit this time comes from {PowerVR}, not {Mali}, but although some have expressed concern, we did not immediately notice any measurable difference. Temperatures were also stable, even under pressure, and we did not detect any throttling or apps that lacked RAM or had to run with limited functionality. While it's difficult to comment on all usage scenarios, we can conclude that based on our stress tests, the previous teething problems with {Tensor} are now completely gone.

Google continues to deliver the most visually appealing version of {Android}, in our opinion, and that continues here. The latest version of {Material You} is refined, offers more features than you know what to do with, and works flawlessly. But in the midst of this rosy picture, there are still a few thorns. It becomes more and more annoying every year that you cannot remove Google's {At a Glance} bar at the top, which does not look particularly attractive, but gives you information that you are then forced to see reproduced in other widgets on the home screen. Furthermore, Google's own widgets may be nice enough at times, but they just don't fit well on the screen symmetrically. Their {Calendar} widget, for example, is quite embarrassing, and again, {At a Glance} displays your upcoming event at the top anyway.

Other than that, it's really hard to find anything to complain about. New features like {Magic Cue} give you AI suggestions based on your conversations (decide for yourself if that's something you want to use), but the basic version of the {Pixel} package with VPN, {Titan} security, automatic call screening, and a host of other features makes the {Pixel} ecosystem extremely attractive, especially for those who find other {Android} skins, such as Samsung's {OneUI}, a little too sterile and a little too confusing.

And now we come to the big news of the year: {Pixel Snap}! Yes, Google is the first major, central {Android} manufacturer to use the Qi2 standard with the recommended layout, which, entirely by chance, has the same layout as {Apple}'s {MagSafe}.

It's the smaller {Pixel 10} that gets the biggest camera upgrade this time around, but you still get three cameras on the back of your {Pro} consisting of a 50-megapixel 25mm wide, 48-megapixel ultra-wide at 123 degrees, and finally a 48-megapixel telephoto at 113mm and 5x optical zoom. It's pretty nice hardware that delivers solid results in most lighting conditions, not to mention Google's automatic algorithms, which continue to magically clean up and enhance without appearing AI-enhanced or artificial. Dynamic range, colour contrast, and clarity are still best here, even after all these years, and that's again in addition to the sea of AI tools that can make your photos more artificial, if that's what you want. Yes, this time around, some of these tools are more seamlessly integrated into the camera app, so they appear more organically. Here, you are more inclined to use them, and the new {AI Camera Coach} is actually a nice little tool - but we say the same thing we've said before; it's a party trick, a gimmick, and 95% of the time a waste of time. We really don't see much point in creating a memory that never existed, other than that it might be fun for five minutes with friends.

{Pixel Snap} is the big news, but it comes as an extension of a smartphone that really fires on all cylinders and has been doing so for some time. It costs around £950 as a starting price - that's not nothing, and {Pixel} has definitely lost its "best and cheapest" status, because it simply isn't anymore. However, it's extremely functional, extremely aesthetically pleasing, and extremely easy to recommend.