Google Pixel 10 Pro: What's New Over Pixel 9 Pro?

While the Google Pixel 10 Pro may not seem as compelling as the vanilla Pixel 10 in terms of upgrades, it still gets a decent set of upgrades that are worth talking about. For starters, the Pixel 10 series gets Qi2 with Pixelsnap, bigger batteries, faster charging and performance improvements. So if you're wondering if it's worth upgrading to the same from the Pixel 9 Pro or buying the Pixel 10 Pro over the last generation, stick around.

Google Pixel 10 Pro is heavier and gets new colours

Google hasn't strayed far from the familiar Pixel design language. The camera bar and the dimensions of the devices are pretty much identical, with the Pixel 10 Pro being 0.1 mm thicker, just like the Pixel 10, presumably due to the bigger battery. The Pixel 10 Pro is slightly heavier at 207 grams, in contrast to 199 grams on the Pixel 9 Pro.

The Pixel 10 Pro gets new colours – Jade and Moonstone, ditching Rose Quartz and Hazel. These are hands down some of the most unique colours on Pixels ever, and a great change of pace from Pixel 9 Pro colours, which were quite boring to look at.

Google Pixel 10 Pro gets a brighter display

The Pixel 10 Pro continues with an LTPO OLED panel and QHD+ resolution, but with a brighter 3,300 nits panel. There's a bump in HDR brightness as well, as the Pixel 10 Pro can get 200 nits brighter (2,250 nits) than the Pixel 9 Pro's 2,050 nits brightness.

The Pixel 10 Pro also gets a higher 480 Hz PWM dimming in contrast to 240 Hz on the Pixel 9 series, which should result in less strain on people sensitive to display flickering.

Tensor G5 on Pixel 10 Pro bumps up performance

Performance is where you'll find the Pixel 10 Pro most improved. Thanks to Tensor G5, which is manufactured on TSMC's 3nm (N3E) process, there's around a 15 % uplift in performance from the Tensor G4 in Pixel 9 Pro.

The Tensor G5 is an octa-core chipset and performs similarly to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but don't expect it to compete with the likes of Snapdragon 8 Elite or the MediaTek Dimensity 9400.

TSMC-made chipsets are known for their efficiency. Therefore, while the Tensor G5 may still lack the raw performance of other chipsets, it's at least expected to finally rid Pixels of their thermal throttling issues, offering decent peak performance gains.

The storage, too, has been bumped to UFS 4.0 this time, offering better read/write speeds. Combined with 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, the performance is getting a decent uplift for a generational upgrade.

Google has added a bigger battery

The battery on the Pixel 10 Pro is a 4,870mAh unit, a decent uplift from the 4,700mAh unit on the Pixel 9 Pro. The charging speeds have been bumped from 27W to 29W. We don't expect the newer Pixels to charge faster, but the increase in charging speeds should help compensate for the increased capacities. 

Besides, the Pixel 10 Pro now support Qi2 and the Pixelsnap interface. While the wireless charging speeds remain the same at 15W, Pixelsnap is a MagSafe-like interface that should make it more convenient to charge your device wirelessly without worrying about properly aligning your phone to the charging pad. Besides, Google says it will sell stands, grips, wallets and more accessories to go with it.

Pixel 10 Pro gets new software tricks

Besides Material 3 Expressive, which could soon bring Quick Settings customisations, revamped UI and more, Google announced a few new features that could be exclusive to the Pixel 10 series for quite some time. These include Magic Cue and Camera Coach powered by Gemini. Some of these features are expected to eventually arrive on the Pixel 9 series, but they could be exclusive to the Pixel 10 series for quite some time.

Besides, the Pixel 10 Pro will get updates till 2032. On the other hand, the Pixel 9 Pro will be supported until 2031. Either way, the software experience isn't a major differentiating factor when choosing between the 10 Pro and 9 Pro.

Is the Pixel 10 Pro an upgrade over the Pixel 9 Pro?

Before delving into whether the Pixel 10 Pro are worth getting, here are all the specifications of the same and how it contrasts to last year's Pixel 9 Pro.

As you may have guessed, the answer, the Pixel 10 Pro, is not worth upgrading to, if you already own a Pixel 9 Pro. The display, cameras, build and design, and connectivity features remain the same. Sure, the Tensor G5 brings better performance and efficiency, and the larger battery should last a bit longer, but there just aren't enough upgrades to justify upgrading to the newer 10 Pro.

That said, Pixel 10 Pro does make sense if you're on the Pixel 6 Pro or 7 Pro and are looking to upgrade. The new Jade and Moonstone colour options are compelling, and with most of the things improved across the board, the 10 Pro make up for a compelling upgrade from the older Pixels.