It's sometimes strange to me that the tech industry seems to think that people who prefer bigger-sized things would also have bigger-sized wallets. Still, here we are with the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, which is not only the most expensive in the Pixel 10 series at RM5999, but it also has the largest 6.8-inch Actua display.
In addition, it has a Google G5 Tensor chipset, 16GB of RAM, up to 100x Pro Res zoom, a PixelSnap magnetic backside and more. Does it deliver? Is it also big on performance? Find out in our full review of the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL below.
Design - Looks the same but not exactly
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL has the largest 6.8-inch Actua display in the Pixel 10 series
However, it doesn't stray too far from the usual template of flat sides and rounded corners and keeps the now iconic pill-shaped rear camera hump
In terms of design, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL doesn't really change much, at least in terms of the look and feel. As before, it goes for the usual template design of rounded corners with flat sides. The front and back are covered in glass and are flat, while the pill-shaped camera hump has triple rear cameras.
Measurements remain the same at 8.5mm thick, but the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is also about 11g heavier than its predecessor, perhaps because it now has PixelSnap magnets. If you didn't know already, PixelSnap is Google's version of Apple's MagSafe, and it supports up to 25W Qi2 wireless charging.
On the bottom there's the USB Type C port and dual speakers
On the side there's the power button and volume rocker
Strangely enough, despite the same measurements as before, the pill-shaped rear camera hump has been moved a bit. This means that if you were planning to use the case for the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it won't fit on the Pixel 10 Pro XL, so you'll have to get a new case specifically for the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
Available in Moonstone, Jade, Porcelain and Obsidian, our review unit was Moonstone, which is a light grey colour. The 6.8-inch LTP OLED Actua display is also a bit brighter, capable of reaching up to 3300 nits.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL can be well protected with the silicone case
However, you'll have to buy the case for the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and while it's less slippery, it still makes the phone look thick
This makes it easy to see under direct sunlight. It also still has a 120Hz refresh rate, supports HDR10+ and is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (on both front and back).
The metal chassis is aluminium and feels premium, with the usual power button and volume rocker on the side. A USB Type-C port is at the bottom with two speaker vents, while a SIM card tray is at the top.
The silicone case still has to be bought separately, and it makes the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL look like a brick. Thankfully, it does feel a bit less slippery than before.
Tech Specs and Features - More AI and "flagship" Camera features
Here is a full list of the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL tech specs and features:
- Google Tensor G5 chipset (Titan M2 security coprocessor)
- 16 GB RAM + 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB storage with Zoned UFS (128 GB is not available on Pixel 10 Pro XL)
- 6.8-inch Super Actua display (1344 x 2992 LTPO OLED at 486 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio, Smooth Display 1-120 Hz, Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2 cover glass, HDR support, up to 2200 nits HDR and up to 3300 nits peak brightness, >2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, Full 24-bit depth for 16 million colors)
- Triple Rear cameras: 50 MP Octa PD wide camera (ƒ/1.68 aperture, 82° field of view, 1/1.3" image sensor size) + 48 MP Quad PD ultrawide camera with autofocus (ƒ/1.7 aperture, 123° field of view, 1/2.55" image sensor size, with Macro Focus) + 48 MP Quad PD telephoto camera with optical image stabilization (ƒ/2.8 aperture, 22° field of view, 5x optical zoom, 1/2.55" image sensor size)
- Front camera: 42 MP Dual PD selfie camera (with autofocus, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 103° ultrawide field of view)
- Measurements: 162.8 mm (height) x 76.6 mm (width) x 8.5 mm (depth) | 232g
- 5200 mAh battery (minimum 5079 mAh, 45W wired charging, 25W PixelSnap wireless charging)
- Features: VPN by Google, End-to-end security designed by Google, Multi-layer hardware security (Tensor security core, certified Titan M2 security chip, Trusty), Anti-malware and anti-phishing protection, Spam and scam protection in Google Phone and Messages, 7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates, Fingerprint Unlock, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, password, Gemini Nano, Gemini (built-in AI assistant), Gemini Live, Gemini apps, Pixel Screenshots, Magic Cue, Circle to Search, Live Translate, Call Assist, Stereo speakers, 3 microphones, Noise suppression, Spatial Audio
- Supports: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth® v6 with antenna diversity, NFC, Google Cast, Ultra-Wideband chip, Dual Band GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo), Thread networking technology, Dual eSIM (two active eSIMs; stores 8 or more eSIMs), USB Type-C® 3.2
- Available in Moonstone, Jade, Porcelain, Obsidian
- Android 16
Here's what else you get inside the box for the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
Just like its other siblings, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is powered by the Google Tensor G5 chipset. The only major hardware difference aside from the 6.8-inch 3300 nits display is the 16GB of RAM and a larger 5200 mAh battery.
Like the Pixel 10 Pro, the Pixel 10 Pro XL has a triple rear camera setup featuring a 50MP OIS wide camera, 48MP ultra-wide camera, and 48MP OIS periscope camera. A 42MP front camera takes care of selfies.
Android 16 looks Expressive
You can go to your MyPixel to check out what's new on your Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
Google also included Super Res Zoom for the 100x zoom Pixels, along with Google's version of MagSafe, which they're calling PixelSnap. This includes magnets along with its up to 25W Qi2 wireless charging, one which works with many Magsafe accessories.
Utilising Gemini, the Pixel 10 Pro XL also offers the usual Generative AI features such as Pixel Studio, Gemini Live, Circle to Search and Live Translate.
You can generate images using the Pixel Studio
Camera Coach provides step-by-step instructions and intelligent scanning of a scene with suggestions
The standout AI feature here is probably Ask Photos, which lets you edit photos by typing what you want it to do. It's only available in the US for now, but you can still achieve more or less the same thing in Gemini. There's also Reimagine, but it tends to replace the selected area outright.
The other standout AI feature is Magic Cue, which is supposed to present info that you actually need when you need it. However, we still weren't really able to make Magic Cue show up and do something, even with everything activated.
It may not be Ask Photos, but you can ask the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL to Reimagine things
But you can't use Ask Photos on the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL in Malaysia...
You can ask Gemini to do it instead
Camera Coach is also available on the Pixel 10 Pro XL. This helps to scan your surroundings with the camera, then make photo suggestions with step-by-step instructions from the AI. It still means that you have to take the photo in the end, but it is helpful for beginner photographers.
As usual for Pixels, the Android 16 UI is as stock Android as you can get. The only bloatware appears to be the Fitbit App, and as usual, you'll have to install your social media apps on your own. There's also 7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop (which includes a year of Google AI Pro and 2TB of storage) updates.
Performance - A cooler Pixel 10?
Geekbench 6 scores make the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL about as powerful as last year's flagships
While the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL does not really differentiate itself in terms of performance by that much from its more compact siblings, we did note that it stayed cooler under pressure. Perhaps this is because the larger size means there's more space for a vapour cooling chamber, but at least the phone does not get as toasty.
Like its other Tensor G5 chipset-powered compatriots, our benchmarks for the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL show the same previous-generation flagship-level performance as the rest. But this isn't entirely a bad thing.
3DMark scores shows that it can handle gaming
With normal usage, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL can last almost 2 days on a single charge or about 1 day and 17 hours. Recharging takes about 2 hours with a normal charger. The phone is quite loud with crystal clear audio, and the screen is a nice size for watching movies.
The phone can still run demanding games like Genshin Impact on maximum 60fps settings with no lag, and it doesn't get as hot as fast either. While some reports have indicated that you can't play Genshin Impact on the Pixel 10 series due to the GPU, we played the latest nod-krai area on the Pixel 10 Pro XL with no issues.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL can handle games like Genshin Impact on max settings
Like its predecessors, the Pixel 10 Pro XL excels at macro or really close-up shots without needing any extra macro lens. Thanks to the extra zoom, you can also take some really good shots from far away. It'd be nicer if it automatically stabilised instead of having to tap the stabilise icon though.
However, there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between taking the shot and the actual shot when using a 30x to 100x zoom. While taking the shot, it looks really pixelated, so all you can do is frame it appropriately. But when you open it up later, it looks a lot better.
The image on the left is how it looks like while taking the shot, while the image in the middle is how it looks like on the phone. The last image is when you transfer it to your laptop
We suppose that this is the Super Res Zoom in action, but it's not always perfect. Sometimes, it causes artifacts that aren't there to appear, so be prepared to take more than one shot.
Most of the time, the Pixel 10 Pro XL does deliver very well. Our moon shots turned out pretty well, so it does handle low-light zoom conditions with ease. Check out our samples below.
Clearly, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL can take some great shots in low-light with 100x zoom
It can also still take great macro shots without any external macro lens - see the words?
Auto - Pretty good macro
Here's the shot from the Camera Coach
Auto
Auto, Komorebi shot
Long Exposure shot was handheld
Auto, 1x zoom
Auto, 100x zoom
However, sometimes the AI goes a bit wonky in 100x zoom, showing things that aren't there
Auto, 100x zoom
It can also handle selfie shots with ease
Conclusion - For gamers and photographers
Overall, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL isn't just the bigger device in the Pixel 10 series. It's also the one to get if you're a gamer and photographer. The bigger screen and vapour chamber ensure good gaming performance for the most demanding games.
In addition, the cameras on the Pixel 10 Pro XL are very versatile and can handle both macro and super zoom shots superbly. We do have to note that the Super Res Zoom at 100x can be a bit wonky at times, but perhaps this might improve with further updates.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is the one to get if you're a photographer and gamer
However, due to many of the standout features like Magic Cue and Ask Photos not really being available, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL still feels like a work in progress. Still, with 7 years of updates, we fully expect Google to patch those issues and improve the phone as time goes by.
If you're looking for an alternative, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is probably your best bet, as it comes with Galaxy AI, 100x Space Zoom, Nightography, an S Pen and more for RM5099. However, Google's AI features are a bit more versatile.
So, would you prefer the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL? Or would the Google Pixel 10 be enough for your AI and photography needs? Feel free to check out our earlier Pixel 10 review and share your thoughts in the comments below. As always, stay tuned to TechNave.com.
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