Smartphone Review: Full Opinion & Verdict

At € 899, the Google Pixel 10 comes to rub shoulders with other market references such as le Nothing Phone (3), the Galaxy S55, Realme GT 7, le OnePlus 13R or l’iPhone 16 (and very soon the iPhone 17).

Design : premium et compact

According to the famous adage “we do not change a winning team”, Google has therefore decided to renew for its Pixel 10 the same very singular design of the Pixel 9. The changes are marginal, since the Pixel 10 is only 1 mm more height and 3 g more on the balance (207 g against 204 g).

We therefore find the “pill” while in width of the camera block which makes the salt of the design of these pixel, but this year the modules occupy more space, thanks to the presence of the famous telephoto x5. We will have the opportunity to come back. The fact that the camera block is on all the width offers it real stability when placed on a surface, which is very appreciable.

With its 6.3 inch diagonal, the Pixel 10 is just as pleasant to use with one hand as its big brother. The black borders around the screen are visible, but uniform, which gives a very successful look on the phone. The screen size/chassis ratio is 86 %, which is good, without being exceptional. The pimples are ideally placed and the flat aluminum frame facilitates handling. A premium and compact smartphone therefore, which will delight the allergic of the XXL format.

Since we talk about stability, note that the back of the Pixel 10 is brilliant and that its frame is mat, the opposite of the pro versions. This coating makes the Pixel 10 quite slippery, both in hand and on the surfaces. It can also more or less mark fingerprints depending on the colors (not too much on our blue version).

The phone is certified IP68 and it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass at the front and back. One of the main changes in design comes from the second loudspeaker grid on the lower edge, thus offering beautiful symmetry around the USB-C port, which comes to take the place of the SIM drawer. The latter is now positioned on the upper edge of the phone.

Screen: Sublime, quite simply

The Google Pixel 10 benefits from a 6.3 -inch OLED slab whose variable refresh rate ranges from 60 to 120 Hz (against 1 to 120 Hz for pro versions), a definition of 1080 x 2424 pixels (433 pp) and a 20: 9 ratio. Place now for the measures of our 01LAB.

Without exceeding the 3000 cd/m2 of luminous peak in boost like the Pixel 10 Pro, the Pixel 10 approaches it with its 2826 CD/m². It is much better than the Nothing Phone (3) which is in its price edge, but also that much more expensive devices Like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or The Honor Magic V5. Same observation with the HDR light peak. As for minimal brightness, it is a little higher than some competitors, But can be lowered thanks to this adjustment.

On the colorimetry side, the Pixel 10 screen is simply excellent. With 100 % coverage of the SRGB spectrum and 88.4 % of the P3, it is better than the Pixel 10 Pro XL on these points! The white balance is close to perfection with 6,461 k (6,500 k being the reference value).

As for the precision of the colors, the Pixel 10 does less well than the Pixel 10 Pro XL, but is doing with the honors. By keeping a Deltae 2000 below the bar of 3, both in P3 and SRGB, the colorimetric drift is minimal.

Software: a freshness wind

© 01net

The Pixel 10 is obviously delivered directly under Android 16. The new version of Google’s OS is enjoying a new design called “Material 3 expressive”. This involves new colors, more rounded icons and fairly well felt typographies from the American giant.

A paint that we obviously find in the general interface, but also in the different Google applications. The phone obviously benefits from 7 years of software updates and as much for security patches. You are therefore quiet until Android 23 which should arrive in 2032 if the company retains its rate of update.

But Google is not content to offer Android 16 in a stripped version, no. The brand enhances the year after year of unpublished features which make all the salt of its “Pixel Experience”. Obviously the latter are full of practical features, boosted with artificial intelligence.

We will quote the “Best automatic taking” option to take more easily group photos, the vocal translation which allows you to speak in different languages ​​and to obtain real-time translations from the telephone application, the “Pixel Journal” to take textual, visual or vocal notes or the “Photo Coach” which, as its name suggests, helps you take better shots.

Discover: 4 Android news that you may have missed

But European Pixel 10 do not benefit from all the features presented by Google, the fault (or thanks to, depending on your point of view), from a stricter regulatory framework. Thus, the application Pixel Screenshots which organizes your screenshots is not there, as is the Pixel Studio which allows you to create visuals from prompt, or Magic Cue Who analyzes your data from Google applications to automatically suggest relevant information when you need it most.

Photo: The arrival of the telephoto lens

Here is the photo configuration of the Google Pixel 10:

• Module grand-angle With 48 MP -MP type 1/2 inch sensor, 25 mm, f/1.7 opening, PDAF two pixels and optical stabilization (OIS);
• Module ultra-grand-angle With 13 MP sensor type 1/3.1 inch, f/2.2 opening, 120 ° viewing angle;
• Telephoto module 10.8 MP -type MP type 1/3.2 inch, 112 mm, f/3.1 opening, PDAF two pixels and optical stabilization (OIS), X5 optical zoom;
• Module selfie With 10.5 MP sensor type 1/3.1 inch, 20 mm, f/2.2 opening, pdaf.

Google had the good idea to integrate a telephoto lens offering an X5 optical zoom and an X20 digital zoom on its Pixel 10. A previously absent module which encouraged users to go to the Pro range. The latter still keeps a major advantage with a 48 Mpx telephoto lens.

The brand also had to react to fierce competition which also offers this camera module, this is for example the case of the Samsung Galaxy S25 and the Nithing Phone (3).

The finest observers will also have noticed that the Grand-Angle and Ultra-Grand-Angle modules have been “planed” compared to the Pixel 9. The first pass from 50 Mpx to 48 MP (Opening F/1.7 for both) and the second of 48 Mpx (Opening F/1.7) at 13 Mpx (f/2.2 opening).

Grand angle

© 01net

Despite a slight decrease in the definition of the Grand Angle module of the Pixel 10, the quality remains there. We find the “pixel rendering” with its slightly saturated colors which flatter the eye and micro contrasts which come to accentuate the impression of sharpness of the clichés. Good dynamic management makes it possible to unclog the shadows without necessarily making them appear as if they were in full light, for a more natural rendering.

© 01net

Same observation for the night photos which, thanks to the automatic “night vision” mode, will seek the slightest light sources to reveal a maximum of details on the scene. Without being the best in this area, Pixel 10 remains very solid in the matter.

Ultra grand-angle

© 01net

We would have liked so much to tell you that the drop in definition of the ultra-large pixel 10 does not change anything, this is unfortunately not the case. Beyond the obvious loss of Piqué, Pixel 10 has the annoying tendency to diverge the colors.

The ultra-large Google Pixel 9 on the left, that of the Pixel 10 on the right. – © 01net

There is also a more marked geometric deformation in the angles compared to Pixel 9. Note that the latter has a wider angle of 3 degrees, which explains the slight difference in framing.

Telephoto and digital zoom

The Telephoto with Optique X5 Zoom offers real versatility very appreciable on a daily basis, whether for street photo, read a brand too far away, but not for portrait mode which unfortunately does not exploit this module.

Telephoto X5 on the left, X10 digital zoom on the right. – © 01net

On the other hand, the rendering did not breathe us however. Yes, the detail level is higher than that of a digital zoom as you can find on the Pixel 9, but the sharpness was not always there. The colors and the contrast, on the other hand, offer good colorimetric continuity with the Grand-Angle module.

Digital zoom X5 of Pixel 9 on the left, Optical X5 Zoom of Pixel 10 on the right. – © 01net

Beyond the X5, the quality drops logically, but the software processing manages to restore a good level of details anyway.

Telephoto X5 on the left, X10 digital zoom on the right. – © 01net

Portraits et selfies

We were surprised to note that the portrait mode had the annoying tendency to take much darker shots than with the classic shooting mode. The latter also offers a much more natural bokeh effect.

Without portrait mode on the left, with right. – © 01net

The selfie camera, it does not move. The rendering of color and contrasts is really good and the phone does not try to smooth your skin, which is in our view a guarantee of quality.

Without portrait mode on the left, with right. – © 01net

Without portrait mode on the left, with right. – © 01net

At night, the selfie module is logically a little more in difficulty, with a fairly marked drop in sharpness, but will do the trick for some evening photos with friends.

Performances: a Tensor G5 which ensures the essentials

The new G5 Tensor G5 chip, entirely designed internally by Google, is accompanied by 12 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of storage. At the benchmarks, we cannot say that the Pixel 10 shines in the face of competition. It is logically better than its predecessor equipped with the G4 Tensor, but that’s about everything.

Google Pixel 10 performance on Antutu

Indeed, it underforms in the face of almost all high-end fleas on the market. From the Snapdragon 8 Elite via the Apple A18 or the MEDITEK Dimensity 9400E, it does not make the weight. It is just at the level of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 last year.

Google Pixel 10 performance on geekbench

Our 01LAB has also noted an important throttling (strangulation of the chip) which struggles to maintain its performance over time. The smartphone thus voluntarily limits the performance of the SOC so as not to heat too much, which it manages to do, as evidenced by the very reasonable thermal amplitude of 12.5 ° C.

Google Pixel 10 performance on 3dmark and thermal amplitude

Benchmarks are one thing, user experience is another. On a daily basis, the smartphone does not heat up and is extremely responsive. The Tensor G5 is above all cut to manage AI -related tasks and photo processing, which it does with ease. The Pixel 10 is therefore not a smartphone for fierce mobile players, but will largely suit all the other profiles.

Battery: correct, nothing more

Pixel 10 has a 4970 mAh battery. It’s 270 mAh more than the Pixel 9, but it is also more powerful and offers a brighter screen. So we end up with similar autonomy which will allow you to hold a day, but not much more. If you are the type to use your smartphone intensively, you may find the autonomy a little just for your taste.

An impression confirmed by the 01LAB tests which places the penultimate Pixel 10 in our classification of the day. Only the iPhone 16 is less well. Pixel 10 cannot compete with competitors who benefit from a battery of 6000 or 7000 mAh. Even his little brother, the Pixel 9a takes him more than three hours in view of our mixed autonomy test.

Recharge: always too slow

The Pixel 10 is compatible with a load speed of 30W in wired, against 27W for the Pixel 9. It still takes two long hours to recharge. Only Pixel 9a is even less well. For comparison, the Poco F7 Ultra takes only 41 minutes …

Google’s phone is also compatible with 15W wireless recharge. For the first time, the Pixel 10 also support the Qi 2.0 standard with a system of magnets that Google has nicknamed “Pixel Snap”. A welcome addition that makes phones compatible with a whole range of accessories, including those compatible with the Apple Magsafe.

Audio: trunk

The Pixel 10 is equipped with two speakers. The first is located above the screen and also serves as a earphones, the other is at the lower slice. The latter benefits from an additional outing thanks to the second speaker grid. Not enough to revolutionize the audio experience, even if the level of bass is correct for a smartphone and the power is there. Finally, the Pixel 10 is compatible with Bluetooth 6.0, A2DP, The and aptX HD.