The Google Pixel is no longer a stranger to Android device enthusiasts. This is because the Pixel device is popular for its camera capabilities, the cleanest software without any bloatware, and every new update for Android devices will be given to the Pixel first. The Pixel 10 series was launched last month and for the first time I had the chance to try out the base model, the Pixel 10.
Specifications
6.3″ OLED screen, 120Hz
Actua Display, HDR10+
Google Tensor G5 processor (3nm)
1×3.78 GHz Cortex-X4 chip
5×3.05 GHz Cortex-A725
2×2.25 GHz Cortex-A520
PowerVR DXT-48-1536 graphics chip
12GB RAM GB LPDDR5X
128 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
48MP f/1.7 main camera, OIS (main)
13MP f/2.2 (ultrawide)
10.8MP f/3.1, OIS, 5X Optical Zoom (Telephoto)
10.5MP f/2.2 selfie camera
4970 mAh battery
Wired charging 30W
Wireless charging 15W
PixelSnap
SIM/Telephony 1 Nano, 1 eSIM
5G Sub 6
NFC Yes
Audio jack None
Waterproof IP68
Scanning System Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner
Face scan
Selling price RM 3999 (12/128GB)
RM 4499 (12/256GB)
Design
A quick look at the design of the Pixel 10 is more or less the same as the previous model with the iconic horizontal camera bar design. This time, the base model of the Pixel is equipped with a telephoto lens and with this lens, the base model of the Pixel looks like its big brother from the outside. To distinguish whether it is a base model Pixel or a Pro model is with the flash light on the camera bar where the Pro model has an additional sensor while the base model only has a flash light.
The back panel of the Pixel 10 uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass construction with a glossy finish that is quite easy to trap fingerprints. The frame of the device uses aluminum with a matte finish. What I like about the Pixel 10 is its flat design. In the hand, it is very comfortable to hold and feels premium, plus its small size makes it more comfortable in the hand.
On the right side there is a power button and volume buttons that are placed upside down unlike most other Android devices. This upside down arrangement of these buttons always makes me press the wrong button whether to adjust the audio or turn on the device. At the bottom there is a USB-C charging hole and speaker. At the top there is still a physical SIM slot for the Malaysian market.
In short, I am quite attracted to the design of this Pixel 10 which looks neat and premium. Furthermore, this Pixel 10 has a rather interesting color choice like the one I tested, which is Indigo Blue which looks very bright from afar.
Screen
Pixel 10 is equipped with a 6.3” Actua Display screen that uses an OLED panel with FHD+ resolution plus HDR10+. Brightness levels can reach up to 2000 nits for HDR content and 3000 nits for maximum brightness. It also supports a 120 Hz refresh rate, but for this base model it does not use an LTPO screen.
Throughout use, I have not had a bad or bad experience with the screen on this Pixel 10. The colors produced are very good and the content still looks sharp even though it still uses FHD+ resolution. Another thing that makes me like the Pixel 10 screen is its very fast fingerprint scanner using an ultrasonic sensor.
Performance
All Google Pixel 10 series this year use the Tensor G5 chip and for the Pixel 10 that I tested, it comes with a configuration of 12GB LPDDR5X RAM with 128GB UFS 3.1 storage. Some may hope that this Tensor G5 is more powerful and can compete with other flagship chips such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite and so on. Unfortunately it's not what you expect.
For the benchmark test, I chose Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 (Exynos 2500), Nothing Phone (3) (Snapdragon 8s Gen 4), and vivo X200 FE (Dimensity 8300+) to compare with Google Pixel 10.
Antutu 3D
Google Pixel 10 – 1,027,922
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 – 1,542,966
Nothing Phone (3) – 1,891,347
vivo X200 FE – 1,384,721
Geekbench 6
Google Pixel 10 – 2300/5006
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 – 2236/7627
Nothing Phone (3) – 2107/6429
vivo X200 FE – 1909/6560
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme
Google Pixel 10 – 3164
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 – 5201
Nothing Phone (3) – 4207
vivo X200 FE – 3482
Compared to other flagship devices, the power produced by the Tensor G5 is quite far behind. However, I myself expected this because the main focus of this chip is not on the highest power but rather it is made for AI capabilities and smoothness for its software.
However, the actual usage experience feels very smooth and fast. Launching applications feels fast and there are no major issues. If I didn't know about the performance of this Tensor G5 chip on paper, I would probably say this is a flagship device. The only problem I faced was the heating issue. When using social media applications it was no problem but this issue arose when using the camera even for a short period of time. However, the heat generated was not so hot that this device could not be used.
The heating issue and lack of power of the Tensor G5 chip is more felt when playing games. For e-sports games like Mobile Legends, this device has no problem using ultra settings. When playing games that require a little graphics power, it is already felt that this chip lacks power where the frame rate will drop a little and start to heat up. However, I am sure that most people who own this device are not hardcore gamers.
Camera
On the Google Pixel 9, there were only two lenses, the main lens and the ultra wide lens. For the Pixel 10 this time, it has a 10.8MP telephoto lens with 5X optical zoom that complements the 48MP main lens and 13MP ultra-wide. The addition of this telephoto lens will make this device more versatile to produce images with various angles.
As you know, the camera capabilities are one of the strengths of the Pixel device. I also have quite high expectations for this device. However, the image results from this Pixel 10 I can say are in the 'average' category only. During the day, the image results are quite good but for me the identity of the Pixel, which is images with quite strong contrast, seems to be lost because on this Pixel 10 it looks more natural. After that, the image is taken and it will also be processed by AI which takes 3-5 seconds.
The megapixel value on this ultra-wide lens has actually been lowered from 48MP and the image results also look less detailed but the colors produced are still similar to the main camera. This telephoto lens covers all the shortcomings of the Pixel 10 camera. I use this lens more than the main lens because I prefer a fairly tight composition. At 5X zoom and below, the image results look very good with high detail. Zooming more than 5X will start using AI assistance to further beautify the image.
At night, the Pixel 10 camera begins to show its shortcomings and more surprisingly it has the lens flare problem that is popular on iPhone devices. The image results are also less than satisfactory where the image has quite noticeable noise on all lenses. The selfie lens has no improvement and is still the same as the previous model. In short, the camera performance on the Pixel 10 is more than enough for most users who do not focus too much on the camera's capabilities at a higher level.
Software
Software is a big strength of the Google Pixel series where it offers a very clean stock Android experience without any ads and bloatware. For the Pixel 10 series, it is already running Android 16 right out of the box. The combination of the Tensor G5 chip and this software makes this device very smooth in daily use.
Although this is my first experience using a Pixel, I did not feel awkward using this device. This may be because I am used to Nothing OS which is more or less the same as stock Android. Although this software seems quite easy to use, if you are from another operating system it may take some time to adapt.
This Pixel 10 series would not be complete without new AI features from Google. There are several new AIs for this Pixel 10 series such as Camera Coach. As the name suggests, this Camera Coach will be your coach to take good pictures using AI assistance through several photo suggestions. However, this feature may be useful for some people who really have no foundation or knowledge about photography.
In addition, there is also Magic Cue which will help give you information about something when you need it without changing the application. This Magic Cue is also integrated with Google Calendar and Google Maps if there is any information containing dates and places. According to my test, this Magic Cue can only work with English, maybe Malay will come in the future.
Another latest AI function is that you can now create songs through the Recorder application. The resulting song will be made using the voice or sound that you record then the song will be generated according to several selected "vibes". To me, this is a rather interesting feature although perhaps not everyone will use it.
In my opinion, I am quite attracted to the stock Android software from Google because it looks very neat and easy to use. Before using this Pixel, I was a Nothing OS user which for me is not for everyone but for this Pixel software it is more flexible for most users. It also comes with 7 years of Android support making this device very suitable for long-term use.
Battery
The battery loaded in the small body of the Pixel 10 is 4970mAh. Maybe that number is quite small compared to some other Android devices and even smaller than the Pixel 9a. However, in daily use it can still last around 7-8 hours which is quite impressive for me. This shows that the Tensor G5 chip is very efficient in managing energy. Charging is also quite disappointing where Google only provides 30W fast charging and takes quite a long time to charge this device.
For the Pixel 10 series it also comes with magnetic wired charging with Qi2 support called PixelSnap with a speed of 15W. This feature is the first for Android after several years of iPhone using it.
Telephony & GPS
The Pixel 10 comes with 5G, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 6 networks. Throughout the period of use, the Pixel 10 has no issues with connectivity. Voice calls are also clear without any minor or major issues. Navigation using GPS also does not cause any problems, in fact it is quite excellent and fast.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Pixel 10 is a fairly good device with a quality build, smooth software, various AI capabilities, the latest telephoto lens and long Android support and fast updates. However, even though this is a flagship device from Google, it feels like a mid-range device when compared to other competitors in terms of its processor chip capabilities.
It is clear and obvious that this device is not for those of you who want power. Its camera capabilities are not rated as flagship devices even though there are new additional lenses. I can say that this device is more suitable for casual users who do not chase speed with very clean, smooth and fast software. Apart from that, I feel that the Pixel 10 is also suitable for those of you who want to try a Pixel device.
The Google Pixel 10 is sold at a starting price of RM 3999 but it starts with only 128GB of storage which for me is less relevant in 2025 because more and more applications are taking up storage space.
Advantages
Good build quality
Beautiful and quality display
Battery with good durability.
Equipped with an IP68 rating.
Clean software without bloatware.
Support for up to 7 Android versions.
Disadvantages
The Tensor G5 chip is not up to par with other flagship chips.
The night mode image quality is less than satisfactory.
30W charging is quite slow.
128GB of storage is not enough.