The excitement of phone season is upon us, and the Google Pixel 10 series is just around the corner. Set to debut on August 20th at the Made by Google event, this lineup includes the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and potentially the Pixel Watch 4. While Google has yet to confirm official specs, leaks and rumors have painted a fairly clear picture of what to expect. Here’s a detailed breakdown of everything we know so far, from the new Tensor G5 chip to design tweaks, camera upgrades, and more.
🔋 The Big Upgrade: Tensor G5 Chip
The most significant change across the Pixel 10 lineup is the introduction of the new Tensor G5 chip. Google is switching the manufacturing of its Tensor chip from Samsung to TSMC, which means it will be built on the cutting-edge 3-nanometer process. This should yield efficiency and performance improvements, though concrete details about the chip remain scarce.
Leaked benchmarks from a Pixel 10 Pro Fold prototype reveal a 36% improvement in both single-core and multi-core performance compared to the Tensor G4. While this is a solid upgrade, it still doesn’t quite match the power of Snapdragon’s elite chips or upcoming flagship processors like the Galaxy S26.
That said, Google’s software optimization for Tensor chips has always been impressive. Despite the Tensor G4 being weaker on paper than Snapdragon’s flagship, everyday tasks felt smooth and responsive. Expect the Tensor G5 to feel quicker and snappier in real-world use with the Pixel 10 series.
📱 Design: Familiar Yet Refined
For those hoping for a bold redesign, the Pixel 10 phones will look almost identical to the Pixel 9 series. The design changes are minimal, with the biggest visible difference being the relocation of the SIM card tray on the Pixel 10 Pro.
Honestly, that’s not a complaint. Google nailed the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro’s design last year, and sticking with a winning formula makes sense. Renders and leaked photos have confirmed that the design remains consistent, and we even caught glimpses of Google filming the Pixel 10 commercial, further confirming the look.
📖 The Pixel 10 Pro Fold: A Foldable with Big Improvements
If folding phones are your thing, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is shaping up to be the highlight of this year’s Pixel lineup. Having spent considerable time with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, one recurring annoyance was the bezel on the cover display. This year, Google is addressing that by increasing the cover display size to 6.4 inches and boosting peak brightness to an impressive 3,000 nits.
One design gripe remains: the curved corners on the foldable screen. They intrude noticeably into the display area, which can be distracting. However, Google is rumored to be compensating with a much larger battery — a 5,015mAh cell, the biggest battery in any folding phone that doesn’t use silicon-carbon technology. This battery surpasses even the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s 4,400mAh.
Another major upgrade for the foldable is its IP68 rating. This would make the Pixel 10 Pro Fold the first folding phone to offer full dust and water resistance comparable to traditional slab phones. Most current foldables protect against water but not dust, so this is a huge leap forward for durability in the foldable segment.
📸 Camera and Charging on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Unfortunately, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s cameras are expected to carry over unchanged from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. That means the ultra-wide camera remains underwhelming, and wired charging speed stays slow at 23 watts, which is disappointing given the competition.
📷 Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro: Subtle Yet Meaningful Upgrades
The classic slab-style Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro are getting mostly refinement rather than revolution. Interestingly, the base Pixel 10 will be the first Pixel base model to feature three cameras, adding a telephoto lens — the same 10.8-megapixel, 5x zoom lens used on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
This addition is great news for those who want more versatile photography on the base model, and it might encourage many Pixel 9 owners to upgrade. However, this comes with a tradeoff: to make room for the telephoto camera, the main and ultra-wide cameras are slightly downgraded. The Pixel 10 will use the same 48-megapixel main camera as last year’s Pixel 9a and reduce the ultra-wide from 48 megapixels to just 12 megapixels.
Thankfully, Google’s camera processing remains stellar, so the drop in sensor specs might not significantly impact photo quality. This move also helps differentiate the Pixel 10 from the Pro models, which retain bigger, better main and ultra-wide cameras.
⚡ Other Upgrades on the Pixel 10
- Slightly brighter display with 3,000 nits peak brightness
- Charging speed bumped up modestly to 29 watts
- Battery capacity increased from 4,700mAh to 4,970mAh
Overall, these are solid but modest improvements that make the Pixel 10 a worthy upgrade for some, especially with the new telephoto camera.
📏 Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL: Consistent with a Few Tweaks
The Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL keep their display sizes unchanged at 6.3 inches and 6.8 inches respectively. Their camera setups remain largely the same, featuring a 50-megapixel main sensor and 48-megapixel ultra-wide and telephoto lenses.
A notable new feature is the ability to use macro photography on the telephoto lens in addition to the ultra-wide lens, which was the only one capable of macro shots on the Pixel 9 Pro. This could lead to more detailed close-up shots thanks to better light capture through the telephoto lens.
🔋 Bigger Batteries and Storage Changes for the Pros
The Pixel 10 Pro XL will get the largest battery in any Pixel to date, increasing to 5,200mAh from last year’s 5,060mAh. While not a massive jump, it’s always welcome. The Pixel 10 Pro also sees a battery bump, but it’s smaller — up to 4,870mAh from last year’s capacity. This smaller increase is to accommodate a new vapor chamber cooling system inside the phone.
Storage options change slightly as well. The Pixel 10 Pro XL drops the 128GB base model, with 256GB becoming the minimum storage option. The regular Pixel 10 Pro will still offer 128GB as the base.
🔌 Exciting New: Qi2 Wireless Charging and Pixel Snap Accessories
Perhaps the most exciting rumored upgrade across the entire Pixel 10 lineup is the introduction of Qi2 wireless charging with magnetic accessories. Marketing materials suggest Google will finally add magnetic charging capabilities similar to Apple’s MagSafe.
While it’s unclear if the magnetic system will be built directly into the phones or rely on external magnetic accessories, we do know of three Pixel Snap accessories coming this year:
- Pixel Snap Charger
- Pixel Snap Charging Stand
- Pixel Snap Ring Stand (likely a phone stand for media consumption)
This move could be a game changer, as almost no Android phones currently integrate magnets for wireless charging. Magnetic charging would fill a key feature gap for the Pixel 10 series and enhance the overall user experience.
🎯 Conclusion: More Refinement Than Revolution
While the Pixel 10 series might not bring the sweeping changes some hoped for, it delivers meaningful upgrades and refinements, especially with the new Tensor G5 chip and the foldable Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s improvements. The addition of more cameras on the base Pixel 10, bigger batteries for the Pros, and the potential for magnetic Qi2 wireless charging make this a compelling lineup for late 2024.
The big question remains how the Tensor G5 will stack up against Snapdragon’s latest chips, but Google’s proven optimization skills mean real-world performance will likely impress.
Are you excited about the Pixel 10 series? Will the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s IP68 rating and battery size convince you to switch? Let us know your thoughts!
