Pixel 10 Professional XL evaluation: Google’s superphone will get AI and magnetic upgrades

[ad_1] G oogle’s Pixel superphone is again, full of a much bigger battery, quicker charging, magnetic equipment and much more cutting-edge AI instruments to attempt to usurp Apple and Samsung because the monarchs of actually large telephones.

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The Pixel 10 Professional XL is the most important slab cellphone Google makes and is without doubt one of the largest obtainable in Europe and the US. It prices £1,199 (€1,299/$1,199/A$1,999), sitting above its smaller sibling the Pixel 10 Professional and beneath the upcoming folding Pixel 10 Professional Fold, and competing instantly with Apple’s iPhone 17 Professional Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Extremely.

The ten Professional XL is nearly an identical on the skin to the 9 Professional XL it replaces when it comes to dimensions however with 11g of further weight. It's a large, heavy cellphone that requires two palms to make use of more often than not and advantages from a cellphone grip or deal with.

The Pixel has a hoop of magnets to connect any variety of Qi2 or MagSafe equipment to the again together with cellphone grips, such because the Popsocket, in addition to automobile mounts, wallets, stands and batteries. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian It has an enormous, brilliant and clean OLED display, which is without doubt one of the highest and glorious for watching TV and movies. The again hides Qi2.2 wi-fi charging and magnetic accent assist, making it one among a really small variety of telephones that may cost at as much as 25W utilizing a brand new technology of wi-fi chargers.

The ten Professional XL has the identical Google Tensor G5 chip as the remainder of the Pixel 10 lineup and performs simply as effectively, feeling speedy on the whole use. It performs video games simply high quality, however these wanting one of the best graphics and body charges in high-end cell video games are higher served by rivals with Qualcomm’s prime Snapdragon chip, such because the S25 Extremely.

The most important Pixel additionally has the most important battery with the longest run time. The ten Professional XL matches its predecessor, lasting about 52 hours between costs after a mixture of utilization throughout wifi and 5G. The cellphone ought to outlast even the heaviest of utilization days, with most individuals in all probability needing to cost it each different day.

The cellphone takes lower than 90 minutes to cost by way of cable or about two hours utilizing a Qi2 25W wi-fi charger, such because the Ugreen MagFlow 2-in-1 (left) or Belkin UltraCharge Professional (proper). {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian Specs Display screen: 6.8in 120Hz QHD+ OLED (486ppi)

Processor: Google Tensor G5

RAM: 16GB

Storage: 256, 512GB or 1TB

Working system: Android 16

Digicam: 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 half-hour)

Dimensions: 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm

Weight: 232g

Android 16 with AI Magic Cue is without doubt one of the most superior AI options obtainable, working silently within the background to provide useful and well timed data. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The ten Professional XL has the identical Android 16 software program and AI options as the ten Professional, making it one of the expressive and polished experiences obtainable. Google will present updates till 2032.

The Gemini chatbot is on the market all through the system, and has its personal stand-alone app that may see what's in your display or by way of the digicam to assist. However the standout new characteristic is Magic Cue, which runs regionally within the background as a proactive little helper presenting information out of your calendar, emails, chats and different Google apps in your cellphone if you want it. It can pop up with the situation of a restaurant when a buddy texts about your dinner date or reveals your order emails within the cellphone app if you ring a recognised enterprise. It really works nice in Google’s varied apps, and a handful of third-party ones, however not WhatsApp or different standard messaging apps but.

The ten Professional XL additionally comes with a 12 months’s subscription for Google AI Professional, for entry to the corporate’s extra highly effective Gemini fashions, and 2TB of cloud storage for photographs, recordsdata and e mail, price £19 a month.

Digicam Level and shoot with the ten Professional XL and you might be nearly assured an ideal shot whatever the situations {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The massive Pixel has the identical digicam system as the ten Professional, that means your selection is barely about cellphone measurement not digicam high quality. The 50-megapixel fundamental, 48MP extremely vast and 48MP 5x telephoto cameras are among the highest you may get. Level and shoot with the ten Professional XL and you might be nearly assured an ideal shot whatever the situations.

It additionally has a handful of useful AI instruments together with: the novel Digicam Coach; Add Me, which blends two photographs to place the photographer into group photographs; and Finest Take, which has now been made computerized. It helps get group photographs the place everyone seems to be trying on the digicam by capturing a photograph when everyone seems to be trying when you press the shutter button or mixing a number of photographs the place wanted.

Lastly, it has the Professional Res Zoom characteristic that kicks in if you push past 30x magnification and makes use of genAI to place the element and sharpness again into photographs misplaced to digital zoom. It isn’t at all times excellent and is switched off when the system detects an individual, however it might have outstanding outcomes, making blurry 100x zoom photographs a lot clearer and extra usable. However it's also not a real photograph at that time, because it has been interpreted and remade by AI, and is labelled as such by the digicam app utilizing C2PA content material credentials.

General, whether or not you utilize the AI instruments or not, the Pixel has one of many highest digicam techniques in the marketplace.

Sustainability The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner beneath the display is tremendous quick and correct, making unlocking the cellphone a breeze. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The battery is rated to final in extra of 1,000 full cost cycles with a minimum of 80% of its unique capability. The cellphone is repairable by Google, third-party outlets, or self-repair utilizing manuals and components obtainable.

The Pixel 10 Professional XL incorporates 29% recycled supplies by weight together with aluminium, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, plastic, rare-earth components, tungsten and tin. The corporate breaks down the cellphone’s environmental impression in its report and can recycle outdated gadgets without spending a dime.

Worth The Google Pixel 10 Professional XL prices from £1,199 (€1,299/$1,199/A$1,999) in a selection of 4 colors.

For comparability, the Pixel 10 prices from £799, the Pixel 10 Professional from £999, the Pixel 9a prices £399, the Galaxy S25 Extremely prices £1,249 and the iPhone 17 Professional Max prices £1,199.

Verdict The Pixel 10 Professional XL is a real superphone in measurement, worth and functionality. In case you like what Google’s been doing with 6.3in smartphones however need the whole lot larger, that is the mannequin to get.

The digicam is without doubt one of the highest, the display is nice and the software program, together with Google’s most cutting-edge AI options, is prime notch. The addition of Qi2.2 assist accelerates wi-fi charging, however extra helpfully opens up a world of magnetic equipment together with grips to make the large cellphone simpler to carry.

The Pixel feels responsive but it surely isn’t a dramatic improve on final 12 months’s 9 Professional XL mannequin. In the case of uncooked energy, notably for video games, the Pixel falls brief towards rivals such because the Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Extremely, which stays the superphone to beat.

Professionals: seven years of software program updates, nice digicam with 5x and 10x optical magnification plus AI zoom, nice large display, Magic Cue and spectacular native AI options, Qi2.2 wi-fi charging and magnetic accent assist, good battery life, nice measurement, quick fingerprint and face recognition, 12 months of Google AI Professional included.

Cons: very costly, large and heavy, face unlock possibility not as safe as Face ID, uncooked efficiency and battery life wanting best-in-class, no bodily Sim card slot within the US, not an enormous improve.

Be aware that the Pixel 10 Professional XL comes and not using a bodily sim slot within the prime of the cellphone within the US, relying solely on eSims. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian [ad_2] Source link