Pixel 10 Pro XL

A Phone That's Pretty But Pricey

I'm going to be honest with you: the Pixel 10 Pro XL is a beautiful phone that does some things really well. But at $1,319, it's asking a lot of your wallet.

Let's start with what reviewers loved. The display is genuinely stunning. At 3,300 nits peak brightness, you can actually use this phone in direct sunlight without squinting. If you're snapping pics at the park or scrolling during carpool pickup, the screen stays crisp and vibrant. That's a real win for everyday life.

The camera is another highlight. The 50MP main sensor takes beautiful photos when lighting is good, and the improved portrait mode shows real thought went into this upgrade. The AI editing features enhance your shots naturally without making everything look over-processed. For a parent who wants to capture great moments of the kids without fussing with manual settings, this camera delivers.

The design is genuinely nice too. Reviewers called it refined and polished, more durable than before. It's the kind of phone that feels good to hold and looks pretty sitting on your nightstand.

Here's where it gets complicated: the battery life is just okay. Reviewers consistently reported hitting 30-50% by evening on normal days, and the 5000mAh battery hasn't really improved from last year. For a $1,300 phone, that's disappointing. The Tensor G3 processor also showed some slowdowns when shooting 50MP images, which is annoying when you're trying to capture quick moments.

The AI features are interesting but inconsistent. Some are genuinely useful, others feel like gimmicks. And some still don't work quite as advertised, which is frustrating when you're paying this much.

Here's my real take: if you can snag this at Best Buy's $899 price, it becomes much more interesting. At that price, you're getting a beautiful phone with an excellent camera and stunning screen. But at the $1,319 MSRP? You're paying flagship prices for a phone with real compromises. For busy families watching their budget, there are better options out there.

A Premium Device With Fundamental Flaws

Google's positioning of the Pixel 10 Pro XL as a $1,319 flagship puts it in direct competition with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. But the moment you look at the technical execution, the cracks appear.

The most troubling issue is battery life. With a 5,000mAh battery, you'd expect meaningful endurance at this price point. Instead, real-world testing shows only one hour improvement over the standard Pixel 10, and heavy usage drains the device to 30% by evening. At $1,319, this is inexcusable. Competitors deliver 2-3 additional hours of screen-on time. Google's hardware team had one job: make the battery better. They didn't.

Performance is the second major problem. The Tensor G3 shows processor slowdowns when shooting 50MP images, leaving the shutter button unresponsive for several seconds. That's a core camera function failing during normal use. Yes, thermal management improved slightly, but inconsistency at this price tier suggests Google cut corners on silicon optimization or power delivery. For a flagship, this shouldn't happen.

The display is genuinely excellent. At 3,300 nits peak brightness with a 1-120Hz refresh rate, it's one of the best smartphone screens available. The design is also solid, more durable and polished than previous generations. These are the redeeming hardware elements.

The camera situation is mixed. Bright-light photography is excellent with natural portrait mode bokeh and improved edge detection. But low-light performance shows mushiness, zoom beyond 30x becomes blurry and poorly focused, and oversharpening creates a crunchy aesthetic. It's a competent camera system, not a flagship-tier one.

Google's AI features highlight the software problem. Magic Cue is genuinely useful, but others feel like gimmicks. Image generation exhibits bias, and inconsistencies plague the feature set. Some AI tools don't work as advertised. At $1,319, you expect polished, reliable software. What you get is beta-quality features masquerading as finished products.

The real issue is value. Minimal hardware upgrades from the Pixel 9 Pro, stagnant battery life, performance inconsistencies, and half-baked AI features don't justify flagship pricing. You're paying premium money for incremental improvements in a phone that compromises on the fundamentals. Better Android flagships exist at this price point, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max delivers superior battery life and more consistent performance.

Google built a good phone. It's not a great one at $1,319.