Google has sabotaged the success of the Pixel 10 Pro XL

Every time I set up a new Android phone to review, one of the first things I do is change the level of keyboard vibration feedback. It's a small thing (OK, a nerdy thing) and probably not what most people do first, but I like to fine tune the haptic levels to my tastes. It's attention to detail you can usually only get with Android as opposed to an iPhone.

But on the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, you can't adjust the vibration level - it's either on or off, just like on an iPhone. I also found you can't set double tap to lock, a common Android feature where you double tap anywhere on the home screen to lock your phone. I've used it for years on other phones.

These choices by Google to remove customisation in certain areas epitomises the Pixel experience in 2025. The firm chooses not to add functions rivals offer, despite being the owner and maker of Android, in favour of iPhone-like simplicity and polish, alongside a boatload of Google AI tools.

If you do switch, you'll also be able to use all your MagSafe chargers and accessories. Google has integrated its own version of the magnetic standard into all Pixel 10 models, and named it Pixelsnap. It's another step towards feature parity between iPhones and Pixels. Likewise the lack of a dual-SIM slot. I could go on.

I've been testing the Pixel 10 Pro XL for ten days, and though I think it's an excellent device with one of the best screens on a phone alongside very accomplished cameras, I can't recommend it wholeheartedly - especially as it costs £1,199. When the Pixel 10 costs £799 and the superb Pixel 9a just £499 with many of the same core features and software, it makes the 10 Pro XL a much harder sell in context.

But if you're fed up with getting the best iPhone every few years, this is the high-end Android phone to switch to for the smoothest transition thanks to simple, clean software and premium hardware.

You may well be better off buying the regular Pixel 10, which has triple cameras for the first time on a 'regular' Pixel and doesn't lack anything essential you'll find on the 10 Pro XL.

There is also a Pixel 10 Pro with a smaller screen, which I have not been testing. That £999 phone saves you £200 on the 10 Pro XL at the expense of screen size, battery life, and slower charging speeds. Either way, no Pixel 10 models have a charger in the box.

For the first time in its ten iterations, the Pixel has not really changed visually from its predecessor. This has resulted in a very well made phone with metal sides and a frosted glass back, and a triple camera module that spans the back. I found the 232g handset too heavy though, as this really is a weighty and cumbersome device thanks to the materials and large 6.8-inch OLED screen.

But that screen is hands down one of the best I've seen on any phone. It's incredibly sharp and bright, and a joy to use in any lighting. It's a little too good, and I found myself mindlessly scrolling more than usual because it's so nice to stare at. Even though it's durable thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus 2, you will still probably want a case.

I tested Google's official Pixelsnap Case (£49.99) which has nice clickly buttons, all-over cover and a rubbery feel. But two third-party options might suit you better, both of which are made in collaboration with Google.

The Mous Lightweight Phone Case (£34.99) is pleasingly thin with a smooth but grippy finish that leaves button cutouts and slips easily in and out of pockets. It's the best choice for the least bulk. Bellroy's Leather Pixel Case (£55) is a real treat though, with full grain leather, metal buttons and a choice of fun colours. Both these options have Pixelsnap and are great alternatives to Google's own cases.

The phone is powered by Google's own Tensor G5 chip which is perfectly great and snappy for my needs, but is not as powerful as the Appel and Qualcomm chips in the iPhone 16 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S25. The Pixel is not a phone for keen mobile gamers, as it heats up and can't keep up where rivals easily can. Tensor is built for AI. Lots of it.

The hefty £1,199 price is partly because Google has ditched the 128GB model option, so the cheapest 10 Pro XL costs this much with 256GB. What Google has not ditched is the camera quality Pixels are known for, and this year you need to buy the 10 Pro or 10 Pro XL to get the best lenses. That's because the regular Pixel 10, despite gaining a telephoto lens, actually has the main and ultrawide lenses from the mid-range Pixel 9a, rather than the superlative 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide and 48MP 5x optical telephoto on the Pros.

And what a camera. Though I am wary of just how much AI processing Google is slathering onto images, I have been impressed with the consistent quality of stills from the 10 Pro XL. The main and telephoto in particular are a dream to shoot with, even if images are often very processed - you may not love the highly sharpened look:

Exclusive to the Pixel 10 Pro this year is Google's Pro Res Zoom, which is misleading branding. You can zoom between 30x and 100x, and the phone will naturally give you a blurry image. But then Pro Res Zoom kicks in and uses AI to give you a sharper image, but this is only what the AI thinks the scene should look like. It's not image data that actually existed, even if the below example seems to have worked very well:

The AI flaws are far more apparent when text is involved, with the system appearing to make up a language in the below example:

It's a cynical feature to include on a phone, as Honor has done before. Phones have bad zoom lenses on them. Companies should not be using AI to make up image data to compile a fake image.

It made me feel a little animosity towards a phone that otherwise uses AI quite tastefully. Despite stuffing the Pixel 10 Pro XL to the gills with AI features, they are pleasingly easy to ignore if you don't want to use them. Google's software doesn't shove the options in your face as much as Samsung does.

New for Pixel 10 is Magic Cue. It's billed as a smart assistant that can surface information when you need it on your screen, for example if a friend texts to ask which restaurant you are going to on Sunday, your phone can scan your Google Calendar app in the background and suggest the calendar marker as the information to send.

It also claims to pop up with information on a phone call if someone asks you when your flight is landing, with flight information from Gmail. All of this is said to work on-device without a data connection.

In testing, I could not get Magic Cue to work. It did not once even suggest anything. I've only seen it successfully demoed by Google. It's also only designed to work in Google apps, so you'll need to use Google Messages, Calendar and Gmail to have an y fighting chance of it working. Don't buy this phone on the promise of Magic Cue.

Better uses of AI can be found in the camera app, including longstanding tools such as Magic Eraser to remove people and objects from photos (again, controversially), as well as Camera Coach, AI that says it'll make you a better photographer. It makes fine suggestions for framing and zooming, often identifying what you're shooting, but it won't turn you into the next Annie Leibovitz.

Pixel fans will be pleased to see Call Screen and Hold For Me still here and working well, which can answer calls for you and display what the caller is saying on screen, or hold your call to a customer service number or similar so you don't have to sit on the line. There's even a spookily good new live translation tool that works if you're talking to someone on the phone in another language. It live translates both ways, and even mimics your voice tone. It's rough around the edges, but impressive. If terrifying.

AI aside, battery life is very good, but not industry-best. Using the phone out and about on a 15 hour day for personal and work use, it hit 22 percent by the time I hit the pillow. It'll last you all day, but it's not a two day phone.

You'll need to buy a charger as there isn't one in the box, but the 10 Pro XL can reach 45W speeds wired and 25W wirelessly thanks to Pixelsnap and the Qi 2.2 standard - the 10 Pro XL actually has faster wireless charging than the 10 or 10 Pro. Oddly, Google has ditched reverse wireless charging, so you can't charge accessories or other phones wirelessly using the phone.

Android 16 is the software the Pixel ships with and it's a lovely version. Clean and customisable, it's a much less cluttered alternative to Samsung's One UI or Honor's MagicOS that I prefer. Google offers seven years of support, so the phone will get updates until 2032.

I have always liked using Pixel phones and have enjoyed the Pixel 10 Pro XL immensely, if not partly because I chose to ignore a lot of its AI features. The sheer quality of the build, screen, cameras, battery and software is enough for me. Where this phone falls down is with AI tools that don't work, the fact it's very big and heavy, and its high price. If you want most of what it offers, the much cheaper Pixel 10 or even Pixel 9a are better value for money. But if you want the best Pixel money can buy, the 10 Pro XL is it.