The Pixel 10 Pro XL is here, and should the competition be worried? Here's my review, addressing all your potential questions about the new XL.
Pixel 10 Pro XL is available in India at Rs. 124,999
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
Let's be clear that AI (short for Artificial Intelligence) is no longer a buzzword in 2025, and it's the defining feature that will make or break your next smartphone purchase in the years to come. Interestingly, not many people realise that, but AI is the new front line in the battle for your pocket, and Google is showing that it intends to lead the charge. Google's 10th generation of Pixel phones is finally here, featuring a familiar look and tons of AI that's making the difference.
Interestingly, the conversations around smartphones are shifting - from screen sizes and megapixels, the new measuring benchmark is intelligence. And, Google is aiming to dominate this arena, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL is its most ambitious play yet.
I have already reviewed the entry-level Pixel 10, which emerged as a strong contender in the sub-Rs. 80,000 price segment in India. Next up, it's time to pick the Pro XL, which comes with multiple upgrades under the hood, including a bigger battery, upgraded speakers, a RAM bump, and faster wired charging. But does it all help make the Pixel 10 Pro XL the ultimate Android flagship to pick this year? I answer that in my review.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is among the 10th-generation Pixel devices, and by now, the iconic camera bar, which was first introduced on the Pixel 6 in 2021, is popular enough to be recognised by users all around.
The phone is available in Moonstone, Jade, and Obsidian colours
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The only issue here is that someone who has seen the Pixel 9 Pro XL (and Pixel 9 Pro) from last year won't be able to differentiate between the two generations - yes, the design differences are almost negligible. Of course, Google introduced the new colours on the 10 Pro XL, which include Obsidian, Moonstone, and Jade. We received the latter, which features a green shade and a pearly tint, giving it a subtle yet classy appearance. The Jade colour is a head-turner, and we noticed it can catch your eye way too easily.
The frosted matte glass back, polished frame made with spacecraft-grade aluminium, and what Google calls a diamond-cut camera bar look fantastic and give you a sturdy hand feel. For scratch protection, Google has used Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the cover glass and on the back. Additionally, the company has also used a fingerprint-resistant coating on the back of the phones, and it does better in hiding smudges than the entry-level Pixel 10. For further peace of mind, the phone packs an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, which is also standard across the Pixel 10 series devices.
The iconic camera bar is retained from the Pixel 9 series
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At 8.5mm and 232 grams, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is neither sleek nor a light device. Comparatively, the 10 Pro XL is even heavier than its predecessor (221 grams) and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (218 grams). Since I have fairly large hands, the 10 Pro XL was manageable to use with just one hand, but that can't be generalised for all consumers. This is where the sibling, the Pixel 10 Pro, comes in handy with a smaller 6.3-inch display.
The bottom panel features a USB-C port (and it's good to see Google adopting the Type-C 3.2 standard), alongside stereo speakers on both sides. The right panel is where power and volume rockers are placed, while anetanna bands can be seen running around the glossy aluminium frame.
It weighs 232 grams and measures 8.5mm thin
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
The under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is well-placed, thanks to its slightly higher area, making it convenient to use with one hand. During the review, the sensor was quick at all times. There's face unlock onboard as well, but I prefer fingerprint authentication, which seems quicker at any given point.
One of the big additions this year has been Qi2 wireless charging capability, which was missing from the Pixel 9 series. The company announced Pixelsnap, which can be said as Apple's MagSafe alternative.
The display on the Pixel 10 Pro XL is one of the big highlights this year, and that's primarily due to the bump in the brightness numbers. The rest of the features remain the same as those of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which, as we mentioned in our review last year, had a fantastic display. The 6.8-inch LTPO OLED Super Actua display comes with a 1344x2992-pixel screen resolution and 486PPI pixel density. Unlike the Pixel 10, the Pro XL features an LTPO panel, enabling an adaptive 1–120Hz refresh rate. It is crisp and sharp for multimedia viewing, while the peak brightness stands at 3300nits - a bump of 300nits from the 9 Pro XL. The sunlight legibility is superb, and I have to admit that the Pixel 10 Pro XL packs one of the best displays I have seen in the premium-end Android smartphones. Thanks to the 6.8-inch screen size on the 10 Pro XL, you can add up to one full row of apps or a new widget to the homescreen, compared to the basic Pixel 10.
The 6.8-inch Super Actua display is bright and comes with 3300nits peak brightness
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
This jump in peak brightness makes the 10 Pro XL the brightest display in its class, surpassing even the new iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, both of which offer 3000nits peak brightness.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is powered by Tensor G5, a chip manufactured by TSMC this year, not Samsung. And, this chip is already in the news for a lot of reasons, and in my Pixel 10 review, I talked about how it kept asking for some fresh air when stressed with demanding apps.
Pixel 10 Pro XL is powered by Google Tensor G5
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
The octa-core processor on the Pixel 10 Pro XL is great for handling multitasking, extended camera usage, and light editing of photos and videos. But anything more than that, and you notice the chip struggles. In fact, for gaming, the Pixel 10 Pro XL can manage short gaming sessions of COD Mobile, Need for Speed, and more. But, in case the session is extended (beyond 20 minutes), that's when you notice the phone getting warm, and steadily you notice frame drops. I ran our standard synthetic benchmarks to compare the Pixel 10 Pro XL with the 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
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At this point, I have realised that Pixels are not designed for gaming and shouldn't be judged on that criterion alone. In fact, if you can go beyond specs and focus on how the phone integrates the latest AI features, that's where the real "Google phone" experience lies. And, I will dive into that aspect in a bit.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL gets scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
As always, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is a fantastic phone when it comes to typing experience, thanks to excellent haptic feedback. The stereo speakers are great for a mid-sized room, and the clarity is also decent. Similar to the Pixel 10, the 10 Pro XL also employs a stereo setup with one bottom-firing speaker and another integrated in the earpiece.
Calls on the Pixel 10 Pro XL are excellent, and I faced no issues with latching onto networks even in areas like basement parking or elevators. It works well across Airtel and Jio 5G networks, which I tested during the review and received incredible download speeds throughout.
Much like the Pixel 9 Pro series, the 10 Pro XL also packs 16GB of RAM, which means you'll have enough RAM to handle other tasks. One of the departments where Google missed an opportunity is in terms of having good onboard storage. Much like the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the 10 Pro XL comes in a single 256GB storage with no support for storage expansion. Apple launched a 2TB storage model for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, bringing the total number of storage trims to four, ranging from 256 GB to 2TB.
The phone gets IP68 dust and water resistance and comes with a fingerprint-resistant coating
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
Android 16 and OS: AI at the Forefront
One of the main reasons someone buys a Pixel is the software experience, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL doesn't disappoint. The Pixel 10 series is the first to feature Material 3 Expressive, Google's latest UI that brings more personalisation options along with fluidity to your Pixel device with springy animations and smooth interactions. It runs Android 16 out of the box and comes with seven years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates - that's currently industry standard for premium phones. With Android 16, you get real-time updates on your food and other orders. Overall, the interface appears clean and snappy, thanks to its smooth animations.
The phone gets a bundle of AI features like Gemini Nano, Magic Cue, Circle to Search, Live Translate, Call Assist, and others
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
As an add-on, Google is offering every Pixel 10 series user a year of Google AI Pro worth Rs. 23,400, which comes with 2TB of cloud storage shared across Google Photos, Google Drive and Gmail, along with Gemini Pro, which is Google's most capable AI model, Gemini in Gmail, Docs, and more.
With the new Pixels, you also get access to powerful AI tools like Google DeepMind image generation and editing model called Nano Banana within the Gemini app, and you can turn your selfie into a video game character or create a new trend like Saree, which took the Internet by storm. Of course, you get access to Gemini, your built-in AI assistant, which can do research and other ground work for you while you sip a coffee. Other AI features that are part of the larger scheme of things include Gemini Live, Gemini Apps, Pixel Screenshots, and Circle to Search.
The phone gets the Camera Coach feature, which is a highlight
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
New additions include Magic Cue, part of Google's all-new Pixel 10 series, which provides contextual information and action steps by connecting data across Google apps. For instance, during a call, I needed some flight details, and Magic Cue instantly pulled them up and displayed them on the screen. Similarly, the feature works across various apps, including chat, phone, weather, and Google Maps. The Live Translate is another classic AI feature in the new Pixel 10 series. The best part is that when you turn on Live Translate, you can translate messages on some chat apps - all translations take place on your device. There's also the Call Assist feature, which is particularly useful for users outside India, as it can manage phone calls by screening spam and providing real-time call transcripts.
Lastly, there's the new Camera Coach, which can guide you while framing your shot and adds the power of Gemini to your camera. This is a handy feature for people who struggle to frame their pictures.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL gets a familiar triple camera setup
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
The Pixel 10 Pro XL features the classic triple camera setup, which includes a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide sensor with macro focus capability, and more. There's also a 48-megapixel telephoto sensor. The Pro Pixels support ProRes Zoom up to 100x, which is being heavily promoted by Google across social and TV mediums. The 10 Pro XL offers optical quality at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, and 10x. Notably, compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL, not many changes have been made in the camera department, except for a few minor additions, which I will discuss in a bit. However, knowing Google, the Pixels, anyway, have far better software optimisation, which their competition lacks.
The primary sensor on the Pixel 10 Pro XL clicks absolutely stunning pictures
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
The Pixel 10 Pro XL offers a long list of camera features, including Add Me, Night Sight, Astrophotography, High-Res Portrait Mode (50-megapixel), Face Unblur, Auto Unblur, Action Pan, Real Tone, Panorama, Auto Best Take, Frequent Faces, and Top Shot. The 10 Pro XL also gets multiple on-the-go editing features via Pixel Studio, along with Sky styles, Resize and move subjects, Portrait Blur, Magic Eraser, Best Take, Zoom Enhance, and Portrait Light.
Camera Coach is an excellent addition by Google this year to the latest Pixels and can help someone frame the perfect shot, utilising the power of Gemini through the camera. During my testing of the feature, the Camera Coach performed well and suggested changes to framing depending on lighting conditions. Similarly, camera features like Best Take help you click excellent shots when you're in a group, as it analyses up to 150 frames within seconds to recommend the best shot.
Alright, jumping straight to daylight quality, the primary sensor of the Pixel 10 Pro XL can compete with any modern-day Android flagship in the same price segment. The output is lovely, and the images carry plenty of detail, sharpness, natural, and accurate colours. Whether outdoors or indoors, the 10 Pro XL delivers excellent results.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Daylight Samples Using Primary Camera (Tap images to expand)
The 2x optical zoom also produces sharp image outputs in daylight, and I didn't notice much loss in image quality. Of course, the 1x shots are better overall, but the 2x results on the 10 Pro XL are superior to those of the competition.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Portrait Shots (Tap images to expand)
The portraits come out great, as you would expect from Pixels. The skin tone is perfect, complemented by a great background blur. I loved the details, sharpness and texture in the camera samples.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Macros Samples (Tap images to expand)
The macro shots are where the real upgrade hides in plain sight. With the Pixel 10 Pro XL, you can get closer to your subject up to 30 cm, which is more than double the distance offered by the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The results are promising, not great and a lot of work is done via software, but nothing bad in that as the shots are useful.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Telephoto Samples (Tap images to expand)
The telephoto sensor captures great details up to 5x zoom - the noise is controlled and colours are natural. There is a certain amount of loss in detail, but that's not a deal breaker in any way. However, 10x shots aren't Pixel-like, and samples came out with detail loss and were soft. The zoom quality is decent, and you will have plenty of details, as you can see some samples below.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Zoom Samples (Tap images to expand)
One of the big advantages of the Pixel 10 Pro XL this year is that it can go up to 100x compared to the Pixel 9 Pro's 30x. Of course, you shouldn't expect excellent quality, but Google's software goodness comes to the rescue, and I shot some 100x almost unusable samples, made slightly usable thanks to AI. At the end of the day, it's a great feature from a novelty standpoint.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Ultrawide Samples (Tap images to expand)
The 48-megapixel ultrawide camera is also excellent, capturing a wealth of details. Colours are decent as well, though there's a drop in details in low-light and indoor lighting conditions.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL performs well in low-light conditions. The Night Sight feature automatically activates at night, delivering stunning low-light shots. However, extremely low-light samples had some noise; however, the phone mostly manages to keep noise in check in low-light situations.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Low-light and Indoor Samples (Tap images to expand)
Google has also made significant upgrades in the video area. The Pixel 10 Pro XL supports 8K video recording at 24 and 30fps. On videos, the 10 Pro XL features support for Super Res Zoom video, which can be up to 20x. Even the 42-megapixel selfie camera supports 4K video recording.
The selfie camera on the 10 Pro XL is decent for daylight shots, allowing you to capture some amazing selfies with natural-looking skin tones. However, the quality suffers in low-light conditions, but it's not a deal-breaker in any way.
Overall, the cameras are one of the Pixel 10 Pro XL's biggest strengths, and if you're a Pixel fan, then you should feel happy switching to the latest Pro models.
The 10 Pro XL gets a single 256GB storage model
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
The battery department has received an upgrade on the Pro XL variant, now featuring a 5200mAh battery unit, compared to the 5060mAh seen on the 9 Pro XL. There's also an upgrade in terms of charging speeds that now supports up to 45W wired charging alongside wireless charging support of up to 25W. Notably, the faster-charging of 45W is only limited to the Pro XL, while the Pro still gets 30W fast-charging.
Jumping to real-world battery performance, the 10 Pro XL impresses, as it can easily last over a day with heavy usage, which includes a few hours of streaming, browsing, reading, and camera use, alongside chat and social apps open in the background at all times. During my review, I recorded multiple re-runs where the 10 Pro XL could offer beyond 7 hours of screen-on time. Notably, with medium to light usage, the Pixel 10 Pro XL can deliver up to two days of battery life.
In our video loop test, the Pixel 10 Pro XL managed over 15 hours, significantly more than the Pixel 9 Pro XL or, in fact, the Pixel 8 Pro. For charging speed, the 10 Pro XL reached over the 50 percent mark in 25 minutes, and it took about 100-110 minutes to charge fully. The charging speed is still slow compared to the competition. This year, however, the addition of wireless charging speed gets extra brownie points for the Pro XL variant. In short, the Pixel 10 Pro XL delivers a solid battery performance compared to its predecessor.
The phone gets a 5200mAh battery and supports 45W fast-charging
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is available in a single 256GB storage model, priced at Rs. 124,999 in India. This is particularly concerning since it doesn't support storage expansion, meaning you will have to buy more Google One cloud storage—a win for Google, again.
Considering that top-end Android smartphones offer multiple storage options, it is slightly disappointing to see Google introduce only one storage model to India. And, when you consider the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which was launched last year with a 512GB storage option.
The 10 Pro XL comes out as a great everyday driver and delivers on the camera and battery fronts, while the performance leaves room for improvement
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360
Alright, with prices aside, does the new Google Pixel 10 Pro XL make a great premium smartphone? The answer isn't simple yes or no. It is a yes if you're not a gamer and don't rely on your smartphone for hardcore editing (photos and videos) like a content creator. In this case, the 10 Pro XL ticks all the right boxes and becomes a capable premium option above Rs. 1 lakh. And, it is a no if you love playing casual games on your daily driver and also want the phone to handle heavy tasks like video editing on the go.
What goes in favour? The Pixel 10 Pro XL looks stunning, and the iconic camera bar has now become a symbol of Google phones for consumers in India, a status it has held for years. There is a certain brand trust when it comes to software support, and even for getting new AI features every year in Pixel drops. More than anything, the camera is the proof that a Pixel is a Pixel is a Pixel. The battery performance is also better.
For alternatives, consider the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which has proven to be an excellent daily driver. Stay tuned for our iPhone 17 series review, where we'll compare the Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 17 Pro (and 17 Pro Max) to see which one comes out on top.
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