Google’s Pixel superphone is back, packed with a bigger battery, faster charging, magnetic accessories and even more cutting-edge AI tools to try to usurp Apple and Samsung as the monarchs of really big phones.
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The Pixel 10 Pro XL is the largest slab phone Google makes and is one of the biggest available in Europe and the US. It costs £1,199 (€1,299/$1,199/A$1,999), sitting above its smaller sibling the Pixel 10 Pro and below the upcoming folding Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and competing directly with Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The 10 Pro XL is almost identical on the outside to the 9 Pro XL it replaces in terms of dimensions but with 11g of additional weight. It is a big, heavy phone that requires two hands to use most of the time and benefits from a phone grip or handle.
The Pixel has a ring of magnets to attach any number of Qi2 or MagSafe accessories to the back including phone grips, such as the Popsocket, as well as car mounts, wallets, stands and batteries. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
It has a huge, bright and smooth OLED screen, which is one of the very best and excellent for watching TV and films. The back hides Qi2.2 wireless charging and magnetic accessory support, making it one of a very small number of phones that can charge at up to 25W using a new generation of wireless chargers.
The 10 Pro XL has the same Google Tensor G5 chip as the rest of the Pixel 10 lineup and performs just as well, feeling rapid in general use. It plays games just fine, but those wanting the best graphics and frame rates in high-end mobile games are better served by rivals with Qualcomm’s top Snapdragon chip, such as the S25 Ultra.
The biggest Pixel also has the largest battery with the longest run time. The 10 Pro XL matches its predecessor, lasting about 52 hours between charges after a mix of usage across wifi and 5G. The phone should outlast even the heaviest of usage days, with most people probably needing to charge it every other day.
The phone takes less than 90 minutes to charge via cable or about two hours using a Qi2 25W wireless charger, such as the Ugreen MagFlow 2-in-1 (left) or Belkin UltraCharge Pro (right). Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Specifications
Screen: 6.8in 120Hz QHD+ OLED (486ppi)
Processor: Google Tensor G5
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 256, 512GB or 1TB
Operating system: Android 16
Camera: 50MP + 48MP UW + 48MP 5x tele; 42MP selfie
Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 7, UWB, NFC, Bluetooth 6 and GNSS
Water resistance: IP68 (1.5m for 30 minutes)
Dimensions: 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm
Weight: 232g
Android 16 with AI
Magic Cue is one of the most advanced AI features available, working silently in the background to produce helpful and timely information. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The 10 Pro XL has the same Android 16 software and AI features as the 10 Pro, making it one of the most expressive and polished experiences available. Google will provide updates until 2032.
The Gemini chatbot is available throughout the system, and has its own stand-alone app that can see what is on your screen or through the camera to help. But the standout new feature is Magic Cue, which runs locally in the background as a proactive little helper presenting data from your calendar, emails, chats and other Google apps on your phone when you need it. It will pop up with the location of a restaurant when a friend texts about your dinner date or shows your order emails in the phone app when you ring a recognised business. It works great in Google’s various apps, and a handful of third-party ones, but not WhatsApp or other popular messaging apps yet.
The 10 Pro XL also comes with a year’s subscription for Google AI Pro, for access to the company’s more powerful Gemini models, and 2TB of cloud storage for photos, files and email, worth £19 a month.
Camera
Point and shoot with the 10 Pro XL and you are almost guaranteed a great shot regardless of the conditions Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The big Pixel has the same camera system as the 10 Pro, meaning your choice is only about phone size not camera quality. The 50-megapixel main, 48MP ultra wide and 48MP 5x telephoto cameras are some of the very best you can get. Point and shoot with the 10 Pro XL and you are almost guaranteed a great shot regardless of the conditions.
It also has a handful of helpful AI tools including: the novel Camera Coach; Add Me, which blends two photos to put the photographer into group shots; and Best Take, which has now been made automatic. It helps get group shots where everyone is looking at the camera by shooting a photo when everyone is looking once you press the shutter button or blending multiple shots where needed.
Finally, it has the Pro Res Zoom feature that kicks in when you push beyond 30x magnification and uses genAI to put the detail and sharpness back into images lost to digital zoom. It isn’t always perfect and is switched off when the system detects a person, but it can have remarkable results, making blurry 100x zoom images much clearer and more usable. But it is also not a true photo at that point, as it has been interpreted and remade by AI, and is labelled as such by the camera app using C2PA content credentials.
Overall, whether you use the AI tools or not, the Pixel has one of the very best camera systems on the market.
Sustainability
The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the screen is super fast and accurate, making unlocking the phone a breeze. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The battery is rated to last in excess of 1,000 full charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity. The phone is repairable by Google, third-party shops, or self-repair using manuals and parts available.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL contains 29% recycled materials by weight including aluminium, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, plastic, rare-earth elements, tungsten and tin. The company breaks down the phone’s environmental impact in its report and will recycle old devices for free.
Price
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL costs from £1,199 (€1,299/$1,199/A$1,999) in a choice of four colours.
For comparison, the Pixel 10 costs from £799, the Pixel 10 Pro from £999, the Pixel 9a costs £399, the Galaxy S25 Ultra costs £1,249 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max costs £1,199.
Verdict
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is a true superphone in size, price and capability. If you like what Google’s been doing with 6.3in smartphones but want everything bigger, this is the model to get.
The camera is one of the very best, the screen is great and the software, including Google’s most cutting-edge AI features, is top notch. The addition of Qi2.2 support speeds up wireless charging, but more helpfully opens up a world of magnetic accessories including grips to make the big phone easier to hold.
The Pixel feels responsive but it isn’t a dramatic upgrade on last year’s 9 Pro XL model. When it comes to raw power, particularly for games, the Pixel falls short against rivals such as the Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, which remains the superphone to beat.
Pros: seven years of software updates, great camera with 5x and 10x optical magnification plus AI zoom, great big screen, Magic Cue and impressive local AI features, Qi2.2 wireless charging and magnetic accessory support, good battery life, great size, fast fingerprint and face recognition, 12 months of Google AI Pro included.
Cons: very expensive, huge and heavy, face unlock option not as secure as Face ID, raw performance and battery life short of best-in-class, no physical Sim card slot in the US, not a massive upgrade.
Note that the Pixel 10 Pro XL comes without a physical sim slot in the top of the phone in the US, relying entirely on eSims. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
