Google Pixel 10 review: This new AI-powered smartphone told me off for taking bad pictures
Latest iPhone rival charges in a new way and tells you how to take a better picture. Should Apple be worried?
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Our rating: 8/10
We like:
- AI camera coach helped me take better pictures
- New, fast wireless charging
- More AI features than any other phone
We don’t like:
- Performance is better, but nowhere near the best
- Design is a bit boring
What is the Google Pixel 10?
Google might not be as famous as Samsung or Apple in the smartphone business, but it’s built a dedicated following over the last decade. The Pixel 10 is its latest signature handset, offering premium features in a compact body, with prices starting at £799.
It stands as a direct rival to Apple’s iPhone 16, with Google aiming to set itself apart through software. As the maker of Android, the operating system used by most of the world’s smartphones, it has deep expertise. The company was one of the earliest tech giants to develop artificial intelligence (AI) for mobile, and the Pixel 10 has better AI capabilities than any phone I’ve tested so far.
This year’s Pixel adds an extra zoom camera to the mix, and the phone now tells you how to take a better picture (see below).
It’s also the first Android phone to “copy” Apple’s convenient magnetic charging system. Are these new features enough to challenge the upcoming iPhone 17, which is expected to launch soon?
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How we test smartphones
Whenever I receive a smartphone for review, I use it as my own for at least a week, often longer. I insert my SIM card and live with it to see how it performs day to day. That means making and receiving calls, sending messages, juggling emails and browsing the web. I also run benchmarking apps to measure how it compares with rivals.
During testing, I pay close attention to the phone’s design. I check how easy the phone is to handle and whether it feels durable enough for everyday knocks. I also assess the quality of the display, taking into account the sharpness of the picture, as well as the screen’s fluidity and brightness. Performance and battery life are equally important. A modern smartphone should last a full day on a single charge.
Finally, I use the phone to take photos and videos in a range of scenarios, from well-lit outdoor environments to challenging nighttime shots. I fully test all of the smartphone’s shooting modes and range of lenses on offer, including the front-facing selfie camera for video calls.
Design and features
Score: 8/10
Last year’s Pixel 9 introduced a new design, moving from round edges to a flatter, more iPhone-like look. The Pixel 10 is almost identical, apart from fresh colours: Indigo (tested here), Frost, Lemongrass and Obsidian (black).
The Pixel 10 won’t fit the Pixel 9’s cases, owing to its slightly taller camera, though the dimensions remain similar. At 8.6mm thick and weighing 204g, it is a compact handset by modern standards. It isn’t as petite as the Samsung Galaxy S25, but its footprint is small enough to fit into a regular trouser pocket or a small handbag.
New this year is “Pixelsnap”, a magnetic system on the back that allows easy attachment of chargers and stands. Google is releasing an accompanying series of charging accessories, though it’ll work with any Qi2 chargers (the wireless charging standard) and Apple’s iPhone MagSafe range. Using my Anker Qi2 charger, normally paired with my iPhone, it worked seamlessly, snapping securely into place.
Cameras
Score: 8/10
The Pixel 10’s camera setup looks suspiciously similar to the Pixel 9a, with a 48-megapixel main sensor and 13-megapixel ultrawide. The key upgrade is a 5x zoom camera, which is the first of its kind in a non-Pro Pixel phone.
The biggest new feature is “camera coach”. Press this button while framing a shot, and Google’s AI analyses the scene, offering me tips to help improve the quality of my image, such as zooming or re-framing.
Taking a zoomed-in picture of some terraced houses with the Clifton suspension bridge in the background, camera coach instructed me to include more rooftops and to place the bridge and Bristol cityscape in the upper third for a sense of “layered depth”. It then said to align the chimneys, to provide “vertical interest”. It even told me off for where I was standing.
I did find the coaching time-consuming and sometimes a bit nagging, but provided I had the time to spare, it was a useful tool. I will likely keep using it.
All three cameras capture sharp, well-exposed shots. That extends to the 10.5-megapixel front camera, which produces clear and balanced selfies. Portrait mode is the weak point, sometimes struggling to separate subjects cleanly from blurred backgrounds.
I compared the same shots with the Pixel 10 Pro, which uses superior sensors. In good lighting, I struggled to tell the difference. That’s a tribute to Google’s advanced image processing techniques and a major win for the cheaper Pixel 10.
Low light reveals a bigger gap. Google’s Night Shift mode still works wonders, producing sharp, well-exposed images, but detail is reduced, and shots take slightly longer to capture.
Display
Score: 8/10
The Pixel 10’s 6.3-inch screen would be considered small by modern standards, but I prefer to view it as “just-so”. It’s large enough to display web pages and video content without squinting or endless zooming, yet compact enough for single-handed use.
Its 2,424 x 1,080 resolution isn’t as sharp as the Pro model, but it still plays 1080p (Full HD) resolution video at its native resolution. The OLED panel provides infinite contrast and more vibrant colours than a traditional LCD screen. Google has boosted the peak brightness to 2,000 nits (the unit of brightness), which in practice means you can see the screen clearly, even in direct sunlight.
The display refreshes at 120Hz, making scrolling smooth and responsive. However, it lacks the Pixel 10 Pro’s LTPO panel technology, which can automatically drop the refresh rate down to 1Hz to preserve battery life if a static image is displayed on screen.
Performance and battery life
Score: 7/10
If Google’s flagship phones have one consistent weakness, it’s performance. The company’s processors aren’t as powerful as the equivalent chips from Qualcomm or Apple.
With the Pixel 10, Google has gone some way to addressing this. The new Tensor G5 delivers the biggest uplift yet, with speeds increased by 34 per cent and AI processing improved by 60 per cent.
This tallies with my own benchmark tests, though it’s not as fast as the Samsung Galaxy S25. Gaming isn’t as smooth, and graphics take a visual hit as well.
With that said, the Pixel 10 does feel snappier out of the box, with apps and tasks loading up noticeably faster than last year’s phone.
The upside is efficiency. The Tensor G5, paired with a larger 4,970mAh battery, have resulted in great battery life. Even on heavy-use days, or with patchy network connections, I ended the day with power to spare. On one day with five hours of screen-on time, I was left with 27% remaining.
With a 30W charger, charging reached 55 per cent in 30 minutes.
Software and AI
Score: 9/10
On top of the camera coaching, AI integration throughout the rest of the phone goes further than ever. Google’s AI, with its sophisticated Gemini assistant and suite of AI tools, is as extensive as on any other phone and better integrated at that. Gemini can check emails for dinner reservation details, make calls and even discuss viewpoints raised in a YouTube video as it plays.
Magic Cue promises to surface information as you need it, whether that’s pulling in flight details from Gmail or photos of a holiday when you’re asked about them in the Messages app.
There’s also a new Journal app, which offers AI-generated reflections on your entries.
The latest Android 16 software is only a few months old, and Google is using the Pixel 10 to debut a refreshed interface called Material 3 Expressive.
This isn’t a radical overhaul. Menus and layouts remain familiar, but sizes, positions and clarity have been improved. Key controls, such as the call and hang-up button, are more prominent, while the Quick Settings panel features bolder text. It’s easier to see and interact with everything.
Google’s seven-year update promise continues to be in effect, ensuring the Pixel 10 receives security and software patches until 2032.
Technical specifications
The Pixel 10 is picking quite a fight, going head to head with the most popular phone in the world: the iPhone 16. Google’s new smartphone is priced the same, has a similar design and even emulates Apple’s hitherto unique MagSafe wireless charging system.
Should you buy the Google Pixel 10?
With a new zoom camera and an appealing magnetic charging system, Google’s new Pixel puts up a convincing challenge to the iPhone 16. However, the improvements over the Pixel 9 are relatively subtle.
Faster performance, reliable battery life, and a brighter display all ensure that the Pixel 10 is a compelling option if you have £800 to spend on your next phone. However, the Pixel 9a remains the best pick in the range for those seeking the best value for money.
Yes, if:
- You want a zoom camera
- You like clean, intuitive software
- You resent how big phones are getting
No, if:
- You’re a committed gamer
- You want Google’s best cameras
- You’re wary of AI’s influence
The new model adds a dedicated telephoto camera, magnetic wireless charging, faster performance, and a brighter display.
Yes, you can expect to get through a day of heavy usage with battery life to spare.
Prices start from £799 for the 128GB model, moving up to £899 for 256GB of storage.
Yes, the Pixel 10 captures vibrant images in a variety of lighting conditions, and now has the benefit of better quality zoom shots.
The Pixel 10 can play high-end games and multitask smoothly enough, though it’s not the fastest phone for the money.