It’s hard to believe we are on the tenth generation of Pixel phones. Not only is it hard to believe because the OG Pixel launched nine years ago (seriously; I’m so old), but also because it’s so rare for Google to actually stick with any kind of product for that long. Regardless, here we are with the Google Pixel 10 series — and it might just be the company’s most important launch ever.
I had the opportunity to go hands-on with all the devices launched at the 2025 Made by Google event, but here I want to focus on the core products: the Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL — the three “slab” phones in the lineup. Despite how they appear, there is actually a ton of stuff to talk about with these devices, so let’s get right into it.
Pixel 10 series designs: An acceptable rehash
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
In August 2024, I was led into a room at a Google-run building in Manhattan to get my first-ever look at the Pixel 9 series. This year, I was led into that exact same room by the exact same people and found myself looking at…the exact same phones. Seriously, the Pixel 10 series looks so much like the Pixel 9 series that it almost felt a bit deflating touching them for the first time. This was especially notable for me, personally, considering the Pixel 9 Pro has been my daily driver since it launched. Everything felt so immediately familiar, almost to a negative extreme.
Not much at all has changed with the Pixel 10 designs — and that's totally OK.
However disappointing it might be to hold a Pixel 10 and feel like nothing has changed, we need to give Google some credit here. Ever since the Pixel 6 series, Google has been steadily tweaking how Pixels look and feel. Literally every year since 2022, we’ve seen a new Pixel phone that’s looked way different from everything that came before it. Just look at the progression in the images below:
Pixel 6 Pro Pixel 7 Pro Pixel 8 Pro Pixel 9 Pro XL
In 2024, I believe that Google struck gold. The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL are some of the best-designed phones I’ve ever seen or held. After four years of incredibly hard work, I feel like Google deserves a rest year. In other words: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Now that I’ve said all that, it’s not like these phones are exactly the same. There are quite a few differences once you go looking for them. One of the most significant ones — here in the United States, anyway — is the removal of the physical SIM card slot. Previously, you’d find this on the bottom right of the phone, opposite a speaker grille. Now, it’s gone, replaced by a second speaker grille. In some areas of the world, the SIM tray still exists, but you’ll find it on the top of the phone. Here in the US, though, it’s simply not there.
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