Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Review
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL pros and cons
Expansive 6.8-inch display.
Showcases latest Google’s AI advancements.
Amazing camera credentials in all environments.
Considerable weight and size.
Firmly premium price point.
Considerable weight and size...but it's an XL!
The logical next step in Google’s smartphone line, the Pixel 10 Pro XL aims to set a larger canvas for its ambitious AI features, while still keeping the focus on photography, clean software and long-term support.
This is a phone that demands attention for its status at the top end of the Pixel line-up, as much as setting the Android standard of hardware and AI-powered experiences in a single package.
How well does it realise this vision? Read our Pixel 10 Pro XL review (with help from Sky Mobile, the Uswitch-awarded Best Network for Perks in 2025) to find out!
Design and specifications
The Pixel 10 Pro XL embraces scale through an elegant yet imposing design that iterates slightly over last year’s model.
With its imposing footprint, the body is crafted from aluminium with a matte rear that resists fingerprints, and the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back panels add both strength and a thoroughly premium finish. The only area susceptible to losing a bit of lustre is the glossy framed edges, which polish to a sheen in an instant.
The signature camera bar returns, remaining oval and spanning the back of the device for instant recognition, although small refinements see it sit slightly flatter against the frame for the tenth incarnation.
The phone measures around 162.8 × 76.6 × 8.5 mm and tips the scales at 232 g. It is a device that feels substantial in the hand, with the weight adding to a sense of solidity - earning the XL branding over the stock Pixel 10.
An IP68 rating ensures resilience against the elements when it comes to both dust and water, while a multitude of playful colour variants include Porcelain (white), Jade (a pistachio green), Obsidian (greyish black) and a striking Moonstone (blue, pictured and for review).
It is a shame the more provocative hues found in the core Pixel 10 range have not made the leap to the Pros, but this quartet of muted tones still make for a professional statement.
Internally, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is powered by Google’s Tensor G5 chipset, designed around AI optimisation and efficiency improvements over bumps to raw horsepower, but still delivering meaningful improvements where it counts in terms of CPU speed.
This is paired with a generous 16GB of RAM to ensure smooth multitasking and overall stability to keep pace with power users, offering storage configurations starting from 256GB up to a hefty 1TB, catering to heavy media users and creators alike.
Battery capacity is rated at 5,200 mAh, larger than the standard Pixel 10 Pro, and charging options include 45W wired speeds (delivering around 70% in 30 minutes via a proprietary PPS charger, sold separately), and 25W Pixelsnap wireless charging, aided by magnetic alignment for convenience.
Connectivity is comprehensive with Wi-Fi 7 support, NFC and full 5G compatibility.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is very much the pinnacle in Google’s stable of smartphones, with specifications designed to support demanding users and showcase the search giant’s AI-centric approach in equal measure.
Display and audio
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is dominated by its vast 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display.
With a resolution of 1344 × 2992 and a refresh rate scaling from 1 Hz to 120 Hz, it balances efficiency and smoothness, but also fires a dose of incredible brightness in all conditions.
Peak brightness hits 3,300 nits (2,200 nits in HDR), making outdoor visibility excellent, even under direct sunlight. The panel supports HDR10+ and displays a wide colour gamut, with accurate tones that feel tuned for realism rather than oversaturation, but still managing to wow in both crispness and clarity of content.
Watching films or playing games on this screen feels particularly impressive - a long commute became far more bearable when streaming video, as the combination of that sharpness and brightness gives content an astonishing, cinematic quality.
That adaptive refresh rate comes in handy to ensure smooth scrolling and fluid transitions, while dropping to lower levels during static use to save battery.
Audio support comfortably complements the display - a pair of stereo speakers (firing out of Pro XL’s bottom and around the earpiece) are thoughtfully positioned to avoid being blocked when held in landscape mode, and they deliver clean and balanced sound with good vocal clarity.
At higher volumes, there is a little distortion, and bass remains a little modest compared to stablemates like the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Paired with high-quality wireless headphones, the Pixel 10 Pro XL supports spatial audio and lossless formats, providing an engaging listening experience for music and film enthusiasts - and despite the resurgence in wired headphone use from the younger generation, there is nary a 3.5mm headphone jack to be seen.
Together, the display and audio systems turn the Pixel 10 Pro XL into a device well-suited to media consumption and gaming, cementing its role as the entertainment hub in Google’s portable portfolio.
Camera capabilities
Photography remains the jewel in the Pixel crown, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL raises the bar once again.
It comes equipped with a 50-megapixel wide main sensor with f/1.68 aperture and optical image stabilisation, a 48-megapixel ultrawide with 123-degree field of view, and a 48-megapixel telephoto capable of 5× optical zoom, stacked horizontally across the rear of the device.
On the front, a 42-megapixel selfie camera with autofocus and a 103° field of view delivers crisp stills, a broad stage and confident video quality.
In daylight, the main sensor delivers outstanding results. Images are rich with detail, with natural colour reproduction that avoids over-processing. Landscapes retain depth across the frame, and portraits look striking with realistic tones and soft, creamy background blur. The ultrawide captures sweeping architecture and broad horizons with excellent sharpness, while keeping distortion in check.
At night, Google’s dominance in computational photography continues to shine through. Night Sight delivers bright, vibrant shots with an impressive amount of detail.
Shadows reveal depth without becoming murky, and highlights such as neon signs and street lamps are handled with precision. The telephoto lens also impresses in dim conditions, giving sharp, usable results at distances that other phones struggle with.
Zoom is both versatile and powerful. The 5x optical telephoto is detailed and accurate, while Pro-Res Zoom extends up to 100x with surprisingly clear results.
Wildlife, concerts and sporting events all benefit from this added range, and the consistency across lenses ensures smooth transitions between focal lengths.
Video recording has also levelled up. The Pixel 10 Pro XL records up to 8K at 24/30 fps and 4K at 60 fps with superb stabilisation. On a walk through a leafy park in Hillingdon, handheld footage looked professional, with stabilisation smoothing every step and audio clearly picking up both birdsong and the crunch of gravel underfoot. HDR video benefits from Google’s processing pipeline, keeping skies vibrant and skin tones lifelike even under challenging lighting.
The AI integration within the camera system is one of its most remarkable strengths. Magic Editor allows users to resize, reposition and remove objects from photos with astonishing accuracy, while Photo Unblur breathes life into old images by removing motion blur and sharpening details.
Real Tone continues to refine skin tone representation, ensuring fairness and authenticity across all complexions. AI-assisted exposure adjustment is more precise, automatically balancing tricky scenes with multiple light sources. Even zoomed-in shots benefit from AI-powered sharpening, making long-range photography practical for everyday use.
At a time when competitors are jamming AI functionality into their imaging efforts with decidedly mixed results, the Pixel 10 Pro XL truly shows how its done.
A simple example is the removal of tourists from the image of the Mini by Tower Bridge (below). The lower image required a simple scrub of the area in question, and AI filled the blanks to offer a perfect scene, free from distractions.
The front-facing camera is equally capable. Selfies are sharp with balanced colour, while video calls feel stable and natural even under indoor lighting. Low light performance holds up, with AI stepping in to brighten faces and reduce noise without washing out detail.
This camera suite on the Pixel 10 Pro XL is exceptional. It is consistent across all scenarios, and the AI enhancements make it feel like the most approachable yet powerful camera system on any smartphone today - every single snap I took looked decent with the least amount of finessing or effort I can recall in a flagship device - although those professional tweaks and refinements are just a press away.
For both casual snaps and creative projects, the Pixel 10 Pro XL inspires confidence every time the shutter is tapped.
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Performance and software
With the Tensor G5 chipset, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is a confident iteration, focussed on delivery in everyday performance and making AI feel like alchemy.
It is thankfully rapid, with apps opening quickly and multitasking handled without delay - the Pixel remains the home of the quintessential Android experience, as it should. Gaming is fluid on the usual test subjects - Fortnite, Call of Duty Mobile and Infinity Nikki - though extended sessions generate noticeable heat, requiring performance scaling to manage thermals.
Where the phone is truly a cut above is in intelligence, with Gemini running deeper than ever through the Pixel experience. Gemini Nano, Google’s smallest on-device AI model, handles tasks like summarisation, call screening, transcription and smart replies entirely on the phone - meaning they are instant, private and importantly available offline.
This is a key differentiator, since most rivals still lean heavily on cloud-based AI to deliver the goods. On the Pro XL, the combination of Tensor G5, 16GB of RAM and faster storage means Nano can process longer transcripts, quicker translations and more fluid dictation without hesitation.
For those who want more power, Gemini Advanced ties in the cloud models for bigger tasks like document analysis, image generation and cross-app help, but the balance here is important - Pixel is the only flagship where the most meaningful AI runs locally, rather than as a server-side operation.
A nice benefit is that Pixel 10 Pro owners get a year’s trial of a Google AI plan and 2TB of storage with purchase, worth almost a whopping £230. Even those who’ve already got a cloud subscription receive a refund for the remainder, allowing you to enjoy all of that Gemini goodness at no additional cost - albeit temporarily.
At a time when manufacturers are still trying to figure out how to monetise their AI functionality (sorry Honor, I’m not paying to generate videos on a per-use basis!), it’s a confident offer which gives you unfettered access, but also naturally build a dependency on its impressive potential.
Everyday features benefit too. Magic Editor has been upgraded with smarter generative fill, real-time translation feels sharper, and voice dictation is lightning-fast in noisy environments. Gemini can even summarise voice notes, structure meetings into bullet points, or suggest edits in Google Photos - all without leaving the native apps.
Software support is another headline. The Pixel 10 Pro XL ships with Android 16 and promises at least seven years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates.
This places it alongside the very best in the industry and offers reassurance that the phone will remain relevant well into the next decade, while Gemini’s evolution ensures that its software only grows more capable over time.
Battery life and charging
A 5,200 mAh battery underpins the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and while endurance is solid, it can sometimes feel a tad disappointing.
Even with heavy usage including gaming, video streaming and navigation, it will usually last a full day, but pushing the display to maximum brightness appears to drain more quickly than expected. Moderate usage stretches this to a day and a half, while lighter routines can push towards two full days.
Charging speeds have improved however, with 45W wired charging restoring around 70 percent in 30 minutes - but we got a shade slower than that on a standard third-party charger - with full top-ups taking just over an hour.
Comparable to most devices in this price range, but the Chinese manufacturers - Oppo, Honor, OnePlus - continue to lead the way in silicon-carbon and rapid charging to suit modern lifestyles - there remains a bit of daylight between the 10 Pro XL and rivals in this department.
Wireless charging has also been enhanced however, with 25W 'Pixelsnap' Qi2-certified charging ensuring proper alignment and efficiency with relevant accesories.
On a weekend city break, the Pixel 10 Pro XL handled navigation, photos and streaming without needing an emergency charge, underlining the practical benefit of its larger battery.
The improved charging options mean that even short breaks at an amenable café can add enough power for the rest of the day.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL UK pricing and availability
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is available in three storage sizes, starting at a firmly premium £1,199 for the 256GB model, rising to £1,319 for 512GB and an eye-watering £1,549 for the top-end 1TB version.
Buyers can choose between Porcelain, Jade, Obsidian and Moonstone colours, with identical specifications across all colour variants of Pro XL models.
Google is currently running a trade-in programme through the Google Store, where customers can send in an eligible device to receive credit toward a new Pixel. The maximum saving reaches £615, which includes a £150 promotional bonus on top of standard trade-in value.
As with previous launches, Google continues to sweeten the package with added services, such as limited trials of YouTube Premium and the aforementioned Google One storage, complete with Pro AI functionality.
While these offers shift over time, the combination of trade-in credit and subscription extras helps soften the asking price and makes early adoption a more attractive prospect.
Final verdict
The Pixel 10 Pro XL represents Google’s boldest effort yet in smartphones, combining expansive hardware with advanced AI integration and long-term support.
The display is superb, audio is strong and the camera system is among the best available, delivering consistency and excellence across stills and video.
AI tools make the experience both approachable and powerful, lowering the barrier for casual users while opening creative possibilities for enthusiasts.
Software feels intelligent without being intrusive, and the seven-year update promise is leading the pack in reassurance against obsolescence.
Drawbacks do remain however - size and heft make it impractical for some (but you should know what you're getting into with the XL variant), the price keeps it out of reach for many, and battery life can feel underwhelming if you are pushing the display at full brightness.
For those who already own the Pixel 9 Pro, the improvements may also seem rather incremental.
The decision point comes when looking across the Pixel 10 range. The standard Pixel 10 remains a strong choice with clean software and excellent cameras, but it lacks the telephoto versatility and AI horsepower of the Pro line.
The Pixel 10 Pro delivers all the key upgrades, but the XL stretches things further with a larger screen that feels cinematic, an objectively bigger battery that keeps pace with heavy use, and extra memory and storage bandwidth that allow Gemini Nano to flex more of its potential.
Against competitors, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has surged ahead once again for video and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra takes it to the wire on imaging capability, but Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL is the most consistent all-rounder.
It is a device that delivers excellence in every major category, wrapped around the most advanced on-device AI integration in a smartphone today.
For anyone considering a flagship Pixel in 2025, the 10 Pro XL is the version that feels most complete, and the 10 Pro XL feels like the Pixel designed without compromise.
If you are going big, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the one that justifies the investment.
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