Oooh, nelly... I have been guilty of being a little procrastinating, or dragging out a deadline for this blog (yet that is 100% not the case in my work life), and for this phone I definitely fall into that.
I think the reason for this has been that ultimately, for me, this phone has been EXACTLY the Pixel 9, just a new colour, and then a couple of new apps in there. That being said, the big update that I'm thankful for, is Qi2 (i.e. the magnets) are built in now.
So, tl;dr ... if you have a 9, you'll have a little fomo that can be cured by a magnetic ring adapter and a software update in a couple months (maybe). If you have anything else, you will definitely like this phone.
Start off, let's talk specs, here's the model I have today and am reviewing (courtesy of Google)
Pixel 10 Pro
- Display
- 6.3" @ 2856x1280
- 3300 nits peak
- 120Hz
- Processor
- Google Tensor G5
- 16GB RAM
- 256GB storage
- Cameras
- Rear
- Wide - 50MP (f/1.7, 25mm, 1/1.31", 1.2µm)
- Telephoto 5x - 48MP (f/2.8, 113mm, 1/2.55")
- Ultrawide - 48MP (f/1.7, 123°)
- Selfie
- 42MP (f/2.2, 17mm)
- Battery
- 4870mAh
- 30W wired
- 15W Qi2 (no more reverse charging)
- Other
- IP68
- UWB Support
- Satellite SOS
- Thermometer
This will run you $1,479 CDN (but there are options at carriers, or Google has trade-in offers, etc...).
I like that it's the 256GB model (not only because it's now a UFS4.0 vs. UFS3.1 if the 128 was selected), as 128GB just doesn't cut it anymore. Even for someone like me who swaps phones often, you'll barely get a year on 128 for storage (for me at least... all those photos, apps, etc...).
Specs out of the way, let's discuss the physical - well, I mean you could just review the Pixel 9 from last year. Essentially it's a workable design. I like it. Doesn't feel awkward... no notes. So that's why I guess they kept it almost identical.
The feature I like about the physical nature of the phone is that it has the magnets now installed in the back of the device, so I no longer have to have some ring adapter on my cases. Small win, but it's big for me as now I know they're placed properly.
The downside to the Qi2 is that because of these magnets, we can no longer reverse wireless charge something (like plopping down the Pixel Buds case, or my wife's phone). The magnets now interfere, so that feature is gone. Sucks... I mean I didn't really ever use it that often, but it was nice to have in case I did.
Speaking of the wireless charging, one things I've noticed is that this doesn't interact with the older Pixel Sstands (with the sccreensaver, or adjust the charging speeds etc...); there's just no option anymore. Weird.
So, physically, it's identical to the 9 Pro, nothing new, but let's turn it on and we start seeing some differences. Most was the 'expressive' Material UI - but that did eventually come to the 9 Pro by update, but we see a lot of AI features everywhere.
First up, tho' in the adjustments, one of the first things I like to do with phones is amend the Quick Panel to make it mine -- and with Android 16 you can now have more customizations in there. And you can see my quick review of it with video here.
I love being able to make my panel look like a bit of a dashboard/widget like screen.
Then as you go through you see more and more AI.
Immediately, they talk about these "Magic Cues". The idea is that as it learns more about you through texts and emails etc... it can pull up relevant information sort of unprompted.
Have a text from a friend about "where's the board meeting", the Magic Cue could pop up in the text with a proposed answer based on an email you have. Start calling your repair shop and before they answer you should see prompts about emails from invoices etc...
I like that a lot. Some of my friends have said "that's creepy", but it's not like it's sharing this information anywhere else, it's just pulling from what it has on the phone, and displaying only on the phone, I feel secure. Only thing is, I have yet to see it in action for me yet. I have my life on my phone, and I don't see anything yet.
Soon, I hope.
The next proliferation of AI you see is that in Gboard there are often 'write better' prompts. As you start writing a text, a little icon appears in the Gboard bar, that's a pen with a star, and it helps you to rewrite what you just wrote, for better grammar, shorter, or more formal, etc...
Recently the icon for it changed, but it's still there. Wherever you need it, you can improve your writing.
Then, there's a new app. It's only available for the Pixel 10 (for now?) and it's called Journal.
The idea is you keep a daily journal of your activities, and it gives you AI feedback on those days, and ... it's interesting, I like that idea of writing something daily. I kinda wished that it was available on a website too... wait, isn't that blogger? Isn't that what I have here and barely have time for? Hah
Well, it is and it isn't. Journal isn't meant for the outside world. I like how I can add in photos from the day, physical activities from the day (but you can only add one), locations (again, you can only add one). Sure, if I wanted to do more... there are blogging apps I could use. But this has the intent to watch your writing for your goals that you identified to help give you that positive feedback to help you move forward.
Now, every Pixel is known for their cameras, and this model does not disappoint whatsoever.
I've been more than happy with its performance, but they are using AI a fair bit. There's a SUPER RESOLUTION ZOOM option when you can zoom in to 100x.
Cool, but it's really overall soft and not something I'd rely on. Almost looks like those AI edited Youtube reels of movie where it's almost a filter to smooth everything.
For another AI move, it now has a 'camera coach'. Essentially, if you're unsure how to take a shot of something, you can use AI to help kick start you.
You start it off by taking a quick shot of what you want, and then it comes up with suggestions for you on how to frame, and how to expose, or what options to use.
It's neat, I just can't foresee myself using it all that often as it does take some time to actually start and walk through. Maybe if the shot is THAT important.
Overall, the phone is great. The battery is a slight improvement over last year; Pixels are never phenomenal (compared to the OnePlus nothing can come close), and besides my battery fomo is such that I'm always charging my phone up anyways.
I've noticed no stumbling with the device, no issues with performance. Camera is great, and I love the more and more inclusion of AI to the device. Helps that when you buy it you get 12 months of Gemini Pro.
Not sure what more you need out of a device... just if you have the 9 Pro, it may not be worth the jump.
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