The Pixel 10 is Google’s smartest ever smartphone

Google has unveiled the new Pixel 10 and, while it might look strikingly familiar on the outside, this is one of the most significant under-the-bonnet upgrades the series has ever seen. The new flagship phone focuses on internal hardware and a powerful new suite of on-device AI features, all powered by the next-generation Tensor G5 chip.

Among the handful of physical changes this year is a huge camera upgrade for the standard Pixel 10, which for the first time gets a dedicated telephoto zoom lens – a feature previously reserved for the pricier Pro models. The entire Pixel 10 range also gets MagSafe-style magnetic charging, bringing it in line with the iPhone. Called Pixelsnap, it’s even compatible with MagSafe accessories made for the iPhone.

The new line-up includes the standard Pixel 10, the larger Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the updated Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Prices for the main line-up remain unchanged from last year, with the Pixel 10 starting at £799, the Pixel 10 Pro at £999, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL at £1,199. Pre-orders are open from today, with the phones set to launch on 28 August. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold arrives on 9 October, priced at £1,749.

Ready to dive into the details? Here’s everything you need to know about the new Google Pixel 10 series.

Google Pixel 10 series: From £799, Google.com

The Pixel 10 in indigo (Google)

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and the larger Pro XL look almost identical to last year’s phones. Fresh new colours notwithstanding, their own mother would struggle to tell them apart.

That said, I’ve no complaints about the recycled design of the Pixel 10 series. They retain the sleek, pill-shaped camera island and polished aluminium frames that debuted with the Pixel 9. Screens are brighter across the board, with the standard Pixel 10 sporting a 6.3in screen and the Pro models offering a more expansive 6.8in display.

The biggest physical change is one you’ll feel rather than see. Google has finally embraced the Qi2 wireless charging standard, introducing a MagSafe-style magnetic ring to the back of the entire Pixel 10 series. Called ‘Pixel Snap’, it allows the phone to charge at up to 25W and magnetically snap to a whole new family of magnetic accessories, finally catching up to the convenience that iPhone users have enjoyed for years.

In terms of colours, the standard Pixel 10 will arrive in four colourful shades: a vibrant ‘indigo’, pale blue ‘frost’, yellow-green ‘lemongrass’ and dark grey ‘obsidian’. Both the Pro and Pro XL phones come in ‘obsidian’, white ‘porcelain’, grey ‘moonstone’ and green-tinted ‘jade’.

That mid-grey ‘Moonstone’ seems to be the star of the range. The new colourway features on the lightly updated Pixel Buds Pro 2, which will be available at the same time as the Pixel 10 series.

Tensor G5

While the outside hasn’t changed, the Pixel 10’s innards have been overhauled. The phone’s new brain is the Tensor G5 chip. Designed in-house, the latest 3nm processor is designed to handle complex machine learning and AI tasks directly on the device, rather than sending your data to the cloud. Google claims it represents a “monumental leap” in performance over last year’s phone, enabling a host of new on-device assistant features that are more predictive and context-aware than ever.

Leading the charge is Magic Cue, an invisible AI agent that helpfully surfaces suggestions based on what you’re doing. Google showed me a few examples: when a friend messages to suggest dinner, Magic Cue can analyse the context, check your calendar for availability and then pop up a suggestion to reply with the times you’re free, all without having to switch apps.

The full Pixel 10 series line-up includes the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel Buds Pro 2, Pro XL, Pro, Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel 10 (Google)

Another example showed the Pixel 10 displaying your flight information on-screen when you call an airline (though who still does that?) or your reservation details when you call a restaurant. Magic Cue is designed to reduce the number of taps and app-swapping required to find important information and get things done, and pulls in data from across your calendar, inbox, maps and more. The latest Galaxy phones offer a similar experience with the context-aware Now Bar.

A new feature called Voice Translate can now translate a phone call in both directions, not just with text, but by generating an AI-cloned version of your own voice speaking the other caller’s language. I’ve tested a similar feature on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series – which translates using a generic voice rather than your own – with mixed success, so it will be interesting to see if Google can crack this use case with the Pixel 10.

The real-world usefulness of these features will only become clear with extensive hands-on testing – not to mention that Google has a track record of over-promising and under-delivering on Pixel AI tech – but I welcome a phone that anticipates your needs rather than just reacting to your commands.

The Pixel 10 Pro in jade (Google)

Cameras

One of the biggest differences between the standard Pixel and the pricier Pro models has been the lack of a dedicated zoom lens on the cheaper handset. Google has addressed this with the entry-level Pixel 10, which at £799 now comes equipped with a 5x optical telephoto lens, a big upgrade that makes it a more comprehensive camera package. The new lens joins an upgraded 48MP main sensor and a 13MP ultrawide lens with macro focus.

Meanwhile, the Pro models manage to pull away from the standard Pixel 10’s camera hardware with a new 50MP main lens, a 48MP ultrawide and a new 48MP periscope telephoto lens capable of a staggering 100x Pro Res Zoom from the 5x optical zoom lens.

Pro Res Zoom isn’t just a digital crop with a bunch of sharpening applied – it’s potentially much weirder than that. Zoom in far enough and Google will use AI diffusion models – the same technology behind generative AI art – to add missing detail back into the shot. It’s an audacious bit of photo-fakery for sure, but still an appealing feature that should make 100x zoomed-in shots look like something other than melted cheddar.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold (Google)

Curiously, Google says that Pro Res Zoom won’t work on humans, presumably to avoid the diffusion model inventing entirely new faces for distant, non-consenting subjects.

On the software side, a new feature called Camera Coach uses Gemini to analyse your scene in real-time and offer suggestions on composition and framing to help you capture a better shot. And in a nod to the growing concerns around AI-generated imagery, the entire Pixel 10 series will be the first to implement C2PA content credentials directly within the native camera app.

This embeds a secure, cryptographic signature into every photo’s metadata, creating a verifiable record of when and how an image was captured or edited. Whether or not your nan continues to be convinced she’s seen a puppy backflip over a fire engine on Facebook remains to be seen.

Everything else Google announced

Alongside the new Pixel 10 series, Google also showed off the next generation of its wider hardware ecosystem.

The Pixel Watch 4 gets a design refresh with a new domed ‘actua 360’ display, a subtly curved screen that blends seamlessly into the domed glass case and reduces the size of the watch’s bezel by 16 per cent. It’s powered by a new 3nm processor for 25 per cent faster performance, 50 per cent less power draw and a 25 per cent boost to battery life, which now promises up to 40 hours on a single charge.

The Pixel Watch 4 in iris silver (Google)

If you thought the Pixel Watch 4 would get away without a bunch of AI features, you’d be mistaken. You’ll be able to raise your wrist to start talking to Gemini immediately, which is probably one of the most futuristic applications of AI tech you’ll find this year.

Fitbit – now Google’s official health app – gets an update too, working with the Pixel Watch 4 to deliver more accurate sleep tracking and AI-powered activity recognition. All Fitbit users will get access to an AI-powered personal health coach, which will provide personalised health information and answer your health-related questions, with responses “backed by science”. Hard to believe it’s only been a year since Google’s search AI was telling people to eat rocks.

Finally, the Pixel Buds 2a were introduced as the new budget-friendly option, offering active noise cancellation for an impressively low price point, while the flagship Pixel Buds Pro 2 will get a new ‘moonstone’ colourway and receive a software update adding adaptive audio that dials in the ANC depending on how noisy your surroundings are, as well as improved Gemini performance in loud environments.

The early verdict: Pixel 10

There’s no denying that the Pixel 10 is an iterative update for the series, with the most impressive new features being software-based rather than hardware. But don’t overlook the addition of a telephoto lens to the standard Pixel 10 and the introduction of Pixel Snap magnetic charging across the range, two welcome hardware upgrades that make the unchanged price of the three phones all the more impressive.

The real story this year is Google’s relentless push into on-device AI, which now promises to start paying dividends when it comes to day-to-day utility. The new Tensor G5 chip and the proactive Magic Cue assistant promise to turn your phone into an intelligent, predictive companion. As ever, we’ll have to wait and see just how magical these new AI features feel in the real world.

From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.