Pixel 10 Pro XL vs Pixel 9 Pro XL: All the expected differences

Phone Arena

2 days ago

Google's most anticipated big-screen flagship, the Pixel 10 Pro XL, is right around the corner, but what new features will it bring? And should Pixel 9 Pro XL owners upgrade? The Pixel 10 series will get officially unveiled on August 20th, but Google has already revealed design photos of the new phones, and numerous leaks and rumors have already given away many of the details.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is coming with a new Tensor chip, now made by TSMC, and it is projected to finally have Qi2 wireless magnetic charging. The base price of the Pixel 10 Pro XL will also now be $1,200, but that is because Google will no longer sell a 128 GB base model of the phone and switch to a new 256 GB base storage configuration. Curious about the rest? Read on.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL vs Pixel 9 Pro XL expected differences:
Table of Contents:
Design
Display
Performance
Camera
Battery
Specs
Summary
The Pixel 10 Pro XL will keep mostly the same design style as its predecessor.
That means a flat screen, flat sides, an aluminum body construction and a glass back.
The only thing Google has changed is the weight of the phone, which is now slightly heavier at 232 grams (5% heavier than before), likely because of the bigger battery inside.
The same IP68 water and dust protection is on board and there are no new physical buttons, in case you were wondering.
Color-wise, expect to see the following options on the Pixel 10 Pro XL:
Obsidian (Black)
Porcelain (White)
Moonstone (Gray with some blue in it)
Jade (Gentle pistachio green shade paired with a subtle gold frame) Display Differences
Google set the bar high last year with the high quality display on the 9 Pro XL. This year, however, we expect no big changes: the same 6.8-inch screen size, same Super Actua brand name with 120Hz refresh rate, and - best of all - same amazing 3,000 nits of peak brightness, higher than all other phones we have tested.
We are yet to hear if there will be some changes to the screen or if it will absolutely the same as before.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is projected to use an ultrasonic fingerprint reader. Last year's Pixel 9 Pro XL first adopted that, but this new model is supposedly getting a fingerprint reader that is faster and works better if you use it with wet hands. Cool!
With 16GB of RAM and a Tensor G5 now finally made by TSMC, and not Samsung foundries, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is shaping up as a solid performance upgrade over the 9 Pro XL.
One curious detail about the Pixel 9 Pro XL is that it was using UFS 3.1 storage, which is not quite the latest and fastest technology (most flagship phones use UFS 4.0). That is yet another area that we hope to see improve in the 10 Pro XL. It's also no surprise that we are getting the latest Android 16 on board.
The new Android version is about some smaller tweaks, but excitingly, it is expected to have a new Desktop Mode (think DeX but for native Android) in the near future. That feature is already available as part of Android quarterly release betas.
Pixel phones have traditionally relied a lot on computational photography and on AI tricks, but when it comes to the camera hardware inside the Pixel 10 Pro XL, we don't expect any big changes whatsoever.
Which means that you will likely have three cameras on board:
There are no big changes expected on the camera front. In fact, the specs for all three cameras look mostly the same as on the Pixel 9 Pro XL .
That means we expect to have a 50MP main camera with a 1/1.3" sensor, then a 48MP ultra-wide camera with Macro Focus, and finally a 5X periscope zoom camera that this year will be able to go to 100 times digital zoom (with some help from AI for these long range zoom. I am not at all convinced by this new 100X zoom number. We have seen no phone that can capture usable photos at 50X, let alone 100X, so don't expect this to change with this new Pixel. However, if this is indication that AI will help us get better zoom photos at 10X or 20X, I'm all for it.
The most impressive new video feature is expected to be 8K video resolution. Leaks say this will be powered by Video Boost, Google's own solution where you export a video to the cloud for upscaling and other light/color improvements. So we are not sure if this means native 8K video or if this will be the same 4K upscaled to 8K in the cloud as before. If it's natie, though, expect to be able to record 8K24 or 8K30 footage (no 8K60 option expected). Samsung phones have had this for years, and now it could come to the Pixel Pro series as well.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is getting a very small, but still welcome upgrade to battery size.
With a 5,200 mAh battery inside it, the battery is nearly 3% bigger than the one on the 9 Pro XL.
And in terms of battery life, leaks show a promise of up to 100 hours with power saving mode on the 10 Pro XL. The one big remaining question is whether the Pixel 10 Pro XL will be the first Android phone to have Qi2 magnets included in it. Leaked images showcase that it will indeed support Qi2, but we are not sure whether you would need a case with magnets or whether the magnets will be present on the phone itself.
Naturally, all of this should bring faster wireless charging speeds, and you will no longer need to buy the proprietary Pixel Stand wireless charger (you can just get a universal Qi2 wireless charger that would also work with iPhones).
Based on all the leaks and rumors, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is shaping like a small upgrade to the already excellent 9 Pro XL.
The new Tensor G5 by TSMC is the star of the show, and if it helps us get longer battery life and a cooler-running Pixel, that would be great. But camera quality is not expected to change much, and a tiny battery size increase is not enough of a reason to upgrade. The possibility for Qi2 magnetic wireless charging on the 10 Pro XL is probably the most exciting rumor (if it indeed comes true).
We advise you to come back to this article on August 20th, right after the official Google announcement. We will be updating this comparison with the final specs for both devices, so you can see the full picture.