The Google Pixel 10 Pro phone features a slew of new upgrades this year. A brighter 6.3-inch display helps to see your screen in bright sunlight; a new series of AI-based camera upgrades, including Auto Best Take and Camera Coach, can help capture and automatically create Instagram-worthy images; and a bigger battery helps the device last all day. The processor is good enough for most needs, but it still falls short of its flagship competitors. Read on for my full Google Pixel 10 Pro review.
As the consumer tech and electronics editor at Forbes Vetted, I use my phone to send email and Slacks, of course, but I also love to snap photos of my friends, family and my beloved herd of cats. After testing the Google Pixel 10 Pro for over three weeks, I learned that its camera is still exceptional and can improve how you take images with the help of AI. Here’s what I learned after rigorously testing this phone.
Google Pixel 10 Pro
Processor: Google Tensor G5 | Memory: 16GB | Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | Display size: 6.3 inches | Battery: 4,870mAh (24 hours) | Front camera: 42MP dual selfie | Rear cameras: 50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide with Macro Focus, 48MP telephoto
Best for:
- Enjoying a more compact but powerful Android experience
- Staying in the Google ecosystem
- Great photos using new AI features
Skip if:
- You’d prefer a more powerful processor for gaming
- You need more help composing messages (Magic Cue is subtle)
For the most part, the Google Pixel 10 Pro keeps the same build as the Google Pixel 9 Pro, but it is more durable thanks to the new aluminum frame. Supposedly, it has a fingerprint-resistant coating to keep the metallic chassis looking new, but my fingerprints could still be seen on the device. This is an issue that plagues most phones I’ve tested in the past 18 months, but kudos to Google for trying to reduce these glaring smudges. It somewhat works.
While the display keeps the same dimensions from the previous year, it got a bit brighter. I do recommend a case and a screen protector for this phone. After tossing it into my bag one morning, it came out with a deep scratch on the screen.
In terms of hardware, there are two large upgrades this year. Namely, a new Tensor G5 processor, which promises more processing power, specifically built toward its AI features. Unfortunately, it’s the weakest chip in a flagship product I’ve tested all year; after benchmarking, I showed single- and multi-core scores of 2,314 and 6,060. It’s not a bad processor—it’s just that these cores weren’t necessarily geared toward gamers and the heaviest of applications. That’s likely perfectly acceptable for many, because this phone is built for its cameras and AI enhancements.
Another new feature, which is available in the entire Pixel 10 lineup, is Pixelsnap. Google’s Qi2 charging feature allows you to magnetically attach the phone to a charging stand for fast charging, which is a necessary addition; I’m glad Google finally implemented this technology. Google also removed the SIM card port, so if you want to make this your main device, plan to swap to eSIM technology.
While the Pixel 10 Pro offers Google’s AI agent, Google Gemini, the company focused its efforts this year on AI features like Magic Cue. Much like the name suggests, Magic Cue offers up AI-based prompts in your emails, messages and phone calls. It’s useful and streamlines composing replies—when you can find it on the phone. It’s so subtle that I wasn’t quite sure when Magic Cue was being used (and, for what it’s worth, it’s more noticeable on the accompanying wearable, the Google Pixel Watch 4). Maybe that’s Google’s point: It doesn’t want you to know it’s enhancing your workflow. But a lot of the AI features came to the cameras, and that’s where Google blew me away.
I’ve always considered Google’s cameras impressive and a matter of opinion, and this year is no exception, especially if you’re only pointing and snapping an image. The cameras on this phone take gorgeous, detailed images.
For those who need inspiration to snap images, a new AI feature called Camera Coach can help ideate images by offering advice on how to take a photo. Press the Camera Coach button while your camera is on. The AI registers your camera’s lens and shares suggestions to snap an enhanced image. If you decide to proceed with one suggestion, it helps you find the angle, the zoom length and more, so you can replicate it with a handy step-by-step guide. I found this technology immensely helpful, especially for those who might not understand photography elements. It’s a great way to find inspiration in landscapes, portraits and other areas of photography that I might not have initially realized.
Its largest footprint, by far, is the 100x Pro Res Zoom, which can snap images at 100x zoom and use AI to upscale the images to a high-quality detail. At a local festival, I snapped a regular photo of the landscape, and I zoomed in all the way on a building across town. It takes a moment or two to read and upscale/retouch the image, but the photos that the 100x Pro Res Zoom produced were stellar. Also worth noting is that it only applies to objects and landscapes—not people. It’s one of the most impressive ways AI has been used to upscale an images. There are some quirks; some of the windowpanes are a tad warped. But for the most part, I really liked this new feature.
While the Google Pixel 10 Pro can serve many needs, Google has fully invested in AI with its latest phone. For those who appreciate AI integrations, this is the phone to get this year. While Magic Cue is a little too subtle for my taste, Camera Coach offers to scratch an itch that the competition hasn’t quite addressed (yet). There’s also the 100x Pro Res Zoom, which I feel is the phone’s crown jewel of camera software. In general, those who want the absolute best camera experience would do well to invest in this phone.
While casual gamers might enjoy this phone, heavy gamers and those working with the most intensive applications might not. But for fans of Android, there’s also another appealing factor: a slightly lower price. While another flagship Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, costs $1,300, the Google Pixel starts at $1,000.
I used the Google Pixel 10 Pro for three weeks. I surfed the web, photographed various subjects including my cat and a local festival, sent messages and more. When I dove into the software, I considered and reviewed Google’s many new offerings, including Magic Cue.
Because many of the software upgrades focused on camera features, I dove deep into these. I used Camera Coach to help me snap photos of my feline model, Toby. I also tested the 100X Pro Res Zoom on various subjects to see how it performed under different conditions.
Additionally, I tested the processor. I used Geekbench 6 and ran the CPU Benchmark Test multiple times to understand the average performance of the Google Tensor G5 chipset. I then cross-referenced the numbers against other flagship-level phones’ numbers to compare its performance. In particular, I compared it to Apple’s A series bionic chipset, Samsung’s new Exynos chip and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon series chips.
The Forbes Vetted team has published hundreds of tech and electronics guides that leverage our hands-on testing and research.