Google Pixel 10 Pro Shows What AI Can Do With The Right Hardware | Tech News

Google Pixel 10 Pro looks the same but its hardware changes make a mark.

Google Pixel 10 series is another step in the premiumisation for the company. The regular Pixel 10 has improved slightly but now our focus switches to the premium Pixel 10 Pro version that also looks to build on the existing characters and add more suave. 

Google has moved to TSMC for the new Tensor G5 chipset that tries to show the AI prowess and some hardware upgrades. There is a lot of sameness about the Pixel 10 Pro (priced at Rs 1,09,999) from the previous versions and while that may not be a bad thing, we tell you if the new Pro Pixel phone sees things get better. 

Premiumness Persists 

The Pixel 10 Pro has a glass body but unlike the base Pixel 10, the matte finish avoids issues like being glossy and slippery. Both sides get Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection which provides some comfort while handling the phone. 

But the Pixel 10 Pro does not win any contests for being sleek or lightweight at 8.5mm thickness and 207 grams which for a compact phone sounds a lot. However, the weight is evenly distributed which lets you use the device with one hand and that too without any discomfort. The aluminium frame is shiny but again, a part of the Pixel ideology. 

It does get IP68 rating but that was available for the previous model as well. The premium quotient of the Pixel 10 Pro lies in the design and Google seems to be evolving bits and pieces with its language to deliver a more polished version. Dare we say, there is a lot of iPhone about this Pixel model and that’s fine. 

Display To Adore 

The compact 6.3-inch OLED display gets LTPO support which means the 120Hz refresh rate on the screen adapts to what you are doing. But the 3,000 nits peak brightness is the real difference maker this year, and the results are one of the best you can get from a flagship phone in the market. The colours pop out even more, and the screen is easily readable in harsh light and still gives you the comfort of using it without added strain. 

Having Gorilla Glass Victus 2 layer allows you to use the phone without worrying about excessive damage and scratches. The visual appearance of the symmetry around the bezels is another neat touch and the chin size is also kept to a minimum so that you have more usable screen estate. You will enjoy watching videos on the display and the overall experience is a delight. 

The New Tensor Era 

Google has finally moved to TSMC for making the Tensor G5 chip and the future versions. Samsung has been the brains behind the earlier Tensor versions but Google now gets better control on how the hardware is designed and packed into the Pixel devices. The Tensor G5 on the Pixel 10 Pro is being offered with 16GB RAM as the standard and in India 256GB storage is the only variant available. 

The performance in general has remained the same, and the benchmark scores put the Tensor G5 in the mid-range bracket with the older  Snapdragon 8 Gen SoCs. But that’s not where Google is shaping this and the future Tensor chipsets. The one good thing about the Tensor G5 is the way it handles heat and it is surprising to see the Pixel 10 Pro barely get hot, especially in regular tasks. It did crank up a few times while charging but cooled down almost immediately. 

You get on-device AI capability which is why you have 16GB memory as default. It gives AI privacy and your data better security in the best way possible. 

Yes, you can still take assistance from cloud-based solutions but the new features are a big selling point for the brand. But can you play games on the Pixel 10 Pro, you can but not at the actual flagship level and that needs to change. 

The Pixel UI Niceties 

The new Pixel 10 Pro gets the Android 16 version from day one which is a big change from last year’s launch. The new Material 3 Expressive UI adds visual changes to your experience and the tweaks make you feel the software has gotten slicker.

While Apple has gone with a Liquid Glass interface, Google makes incremental changes that does its job of looking and feeling new. There is a refreshing appeal to the new version, something we didn’t see with the last two Android flavours. 

Cameras Deliver But 

Pixel 10 Pro has the better setup with a 50MP main sensor (OIS), a 48MP periscope telephoto lens (OIS) and a 48MP ultrawide lens. These three deliver versatility and the images do the best impressions of a Pixel camera engineering. The main unit offers crisp and natural looking images with ample details on board.

The periscope lens manages to let you explore the close-up and portraits in a better fashion and Google handles the computational part with the software. The ultrawide is also good but the details can be a little sketchy. 

So while the Pixel 10 Pro camera setup sees minor changes (thanks to Tensor G5) it is no longer the best you can get for the price. And that’s where Google needs to come out of the comfort zone and offer a big change with its next flagship. 

Battery Can Do Better 

The Pixel 10 Pro does get a bigger battery which is measured at 4,870mAh but the usual issues persist and once again we have to talk about the endurance limits of the new model. The PCMark battery score of 15 hours is one of the lowest in the segment, and at best, you can get the Pixel 10 Pro to last for over 7 hours.

We got to use the unit for over a day only a few times, but heavy users will see the margins drop quickly. 

And that’s where having fast charging support would have helped but the Pixel 10 Pro takes its own sweet time to go from 10 to 80 percent and much longer to hit the 100 percent mark. The adapter is also based on what you have or use, since Google doesn’t ship them in the box.