Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Google recently announced the Pixel 10 series, and these phones excel on the software front. This includes seven years of updates, a slew of AI tricks, and some nifty Pixel-only features. However, Pixel phones tend to lag behind rivals on the hardware front in several ways.
I have a pie-in-the-sky solution that would allow smartphone buyers to pair the best software with the best hardware. There’s just one problem: it almost certainly won’t happen. Say hello to phones like the OnePlus 13 Pixel Edition and Xiaomi 15 Ultra Pixel Edition.
Would you buy a Pixel Edition phone by a Chinese brand? 88 votes Yes, absolutely 32 % Maybe, it depends on the model/price 27 % No, but I'd buy a Pixel Edition Samsung phone 23 % No, I wouldn't buy a Pixel Edition phone 18 %
The best of both worlds
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Pixel phones offer a fantastic software experience. I’m a big fan of features like Now Playing, the Pixel Recorder app, and the recents menu. Google also offers other great features like Call Screening (in supported markets), scam detection functionality, and the Pixel Screenshots app.
However, these phones generally fail to deliver on the hardware front compared to Chinese rivals, in particular. Pixel devices generally offer less advanced camera hardware, smaller batteries, less base storage, and slower charging speeds. Then there’s the fact that Tensor chips lag behind MediaTek and Qualcomm chips in terms of performance, efficiency, and heating. It also doesn’t help that Google clearly has battery problems on some phones. Even with the latest Pixel 10 Pro, it still falls short of the performance and battery life of competing flagships.
On the other hand, some of my favorite flagship Android phones have truly excellent hardware. The vivo X200 Pro has a powerful Dimensity 9400 chipset and a 200MP periscope camera with macro capabilities. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra sports a 50MP one-inch main camera and dual tele cameras (including a 200MP periscope camera). The OnePlus 13 offers a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a great screen. All three phones also have larger batteries and faster charging speeds than Pixel devices.
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
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