One thing is for sure: it’s the two Pixel Pro models you should consider if you love Google’s phones and simply want the best camera performance possible at the moment.
Little has changed in comparison with the older Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL in terms of hardware, but as usual, Google has tweaked the software and algorithms so that it can squeeze more out of the camera hardware. The new Tensor G5 also helps immensely.
Features like the new Super Res Zoom, which lets the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL zoom up to 100X, are the result of this software enhancement, and so are other software features.
How does the Pixel 10 Pro XL fare in our camera test, the one that every phone we review has to go through?
Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL: same triple setup, refined by software
- Main camera: 50 MP Samsung GNV, ƒ/1.68, 1/1.3″, 82° FoV
- Ultra-wide: 48 MP Sony IMX858, ƒ/1.7, 1/2.55″, 123° FoV
- Telephoto: 48 MP Sony IMX858 with 5x optical and 100x digital Pro Res Zoom
- Selfie camera: 42 MP with autofocus and 103° FoV
Key upgrades for 2025 include:
- Pro Controls: Full manual controls for ISO, shutter, focus, and white balance
- 10-bit HDR video: Higher dynamic range and better color depth
- 4K 60fps support across all cameras
- Night Sight Video and Astrophotography Timelapse (Pro-only)
- Gimbal-like video stabilization (Pro-only)
- Macro Focus Video and Audio Magic Eraser
The Pro models also feature Pro Res Zoom up to 100x, optimized with Tensor G5’s first-ever diffusion model in Pixel Camera.
Additional camera features: what the Tensor G5 enables
- Camera Coach: An on-device Gemini-powered tool that guides users to take better photos with tips on lighting, framing, and composition
- Auto Best Take: Automatically selects the best group photo by analyzing up to 150 frames
- Edit with Ask Photos: Voice-commanded edits in Google Photos
- Zoom Enhance and Magic Eraser for touch-up tools
- Portrait Blur, Photo Unblur, and more
- Cinematic Rendering Engine: Enables real-time video relighting and cinematic blur
- Camera Coach: Step-by-step photo guidance using Gemini models
- Magic Mirror: An upcoming feature with unclear functionality but part of Google’s broader AI push
4K 60fps HDR video is now supported across the entire Pixel 10 family. Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL also include 8K video recording at 24/30fps (powered by Video Boost), while the base Pixel 10 supports 4K recording with enhanced HDR and zoom.
Night Sight Video returns on the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL, bringing improved low-light video recording, while features like High-Res Portrait Mode and Astrophotography Timelapse return with refinements.
Overall, it’s a familiar hardware and software setup that makes the Pixel 10 Pro XL undeniably a Pixel phone through and through.
Pixel 10 Pro XL camera score
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL camera spider chart
Image Quality
Main camera
Right off the bat, the main camera impresses with its smooth and natural detail without a hint of oversharpening. The colors also pop just enough without making the scene feel too oversaturated, and the overall exposure is just spot on.
Zoom quality
The big thing about the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the zoom, the 100X Super Res Zoom in particular. While it technically matches what Chinese phones have been doing for years now, it still leaves a lot to be desired in terms of legible details at the maximum zoom length.
What’s more impressive and down-to-earth, of course, are the more humble zoom levels, the ones you’d actually want to use: 3X, 5X, and 10X. Shooting at those delivers excellent image quality that’s very comparable with what you’d get with a Galaxy S25 Ultra in the same conditions.
The 3X zoom is good, but the 5X and 10X are even better at capturing those tiny, teeny details that make a great zoom photo, and the lack of unnecessary oversharpening is just the cherry on top here.
Ultrawide camera
The Pixel 10 Pro XL ultrawide camera is superb. It consistently delivers very detailed photos without any distortion and with lots of sharpness preserved in the corners of the photo. It doubles as a macro camera and performs well there, too, albeit recent industry trends indicate that more and more manufacturers are relying on the telephoto cameras for macro photography.
Selfies
The front-facing camera of the Pixel 10 Pro XL is also excelling in delivering detailed and natural-looking selfies. Despite that, they still have that oomph that makes them appealing and likely to be shared around social media. Of course, the same quality will more or less translate well to video calls as well.
Video Quality
Videos taken with the main camera look great, with good colors, excellent dynamics, and natural detail. Colors reside on that thin line between natural and oversaturated.
Screengrab from 1X video
Videos taken at 3X and 5X are good, but they are a bit more oversharpened than we’d like them to be. In the quest of delivering sharp footage, details often look overprocessed and lacking the natural appearance of the same camera in still photography mode.
3Screengrab from 3X video
Screengrab from 5X video
Ultrawide videos are also decent, but they leave something to be desired, mostly in terms of corner sharpness. Still, mostly a minor gripe.
Screengrab from ultrawide video
Selfie videos are also oversharpened and overprocessed but generally very decent.
Screengrab from selfie video
Conclusion
Overall, the Pixel 10 Pro XL offers familiar and all-too-expected camera performance that delivers consistent results in almost all types of scenarios one could stumble upon, giving us the predictability of one excellent camera package.
While not much has changed in terms of quality in comparison with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, that’s just proof that last year’s Pixel 9 Pro XL serves as an exceptional basis for a top-end smartphone. The Pixel 10 Pro XL builds well on that, utilizing the full force of Google’s forte: software optimization.
However, it doesn’t always go that smoothly. Videos taken with the Pixel are a bit too oversharpened right now, and that’s slightly disappointing, but nothing too drastic that can’t be fixed with a prompt update.
Overall, we are satisfied with the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
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