Google Pixel 10/Pro/Fold Impressions: Magnets!

Summary

MKBHD delivers his first hands-on impressions of Google’s entire Pixel 10 lineup, including the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The video highlights two major additions to the base Pixel 10: triple cameras (finally!) and Pixelsnap (Google’s Qi2 magnetic charging system). While the Pro models offer incremental improvements over the base model, the real story is Google’s continued focus on being the “smartest phone in the room” through AI-powered features like Magic Cues and Conversational Editing in Google Photos, rather than chasing spec-sheet dominance.

Highlights

”We Just Won Gold at World Games”

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“First off the plane, by the way. I’m recording this after, back from Chengdu, China, where we just won gold with Team USA in Ultimate Frisbee at the World Games.” — Marques Brownlee, 0:01

”Pixelsnap is Basically MagSafe”

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“For all intents and purposes, Pixelsnap is basically MagSafe. It’s great. We’ll take it.” — Marques Brownlee, 3:08

”I Knew We’d Get Here Eventually”

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“I knew we were gonna get here eventually. I just didn’t know when. But the idea is, you don’t need to know how to use the photo editing tools. You can just talk to your phone.” — Marques Brownlee, 10:03

”The Smartest Phone in the Room”

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“They’ve never had a 100-megapixel camera or 100-watt charging. But instead, the Pixel focuses on being the ‘smartest’ phone in the room by just having a ton of really useful AI features.” — Marques Brownlee, 8:21

Key Points

• 0:01 - Introduction and personal note about winning gold at World Games Ultimate Frisbee in Chengdu, China
• 0:34 - Overview of all four Pixel 10 models announced
• 1:08 - Pixel 10 design: four colors (Obsidian, Frost, Indigo, Lemongrass), IP68, 3,000-nit display
• 1:28 - Triple cameras finally come to the base Pixel (50MP main, 13MP ultrawide, 10MP 5x telephoto)
• 1:49 - Pixelsnap announced: Google’s Qi2 magnetic charging solution
• 2:41 - iPhone MagSafe accessories work with Pixelsnap
• 3:15 - Comparing base Pixel 10 vs Pro: minimal differences don’t justify price gap
• 3:39 - Pro display differences: LTPO with 1-120Hz vs 60-120Hz on base
• 4:04 - Pro camera upgrades: 50MP main, 48MP 5x telephoto with 100x zoom capability
• 4:58 - Pixel 10 Pro XL adds bigger display, battery, double storage, and Qi2.2
• 5:30 - Pricing: $799, $999, $1,199 (same as last year)
• 5:37 - Pixel 10 Pro Fold introduction: Google’s second-gen foldable
• 6:05 - New gearless hinge is the most important upgrade on the Fold
• 6:37 - First foldable to be fully IP68 dust and water resistant
• 7:05 - Fold specs: 5,000mAh battery, 8-inch interior display, Tensor G5, 16GB RAM, up to 1TB storage
• 7:34 - Fold pricing: $1,799 (same as last year)
• 8:07 - Pixel philosophy: “smartest phone in the room” vs spec dominance
• 8:41 - New AI features: Magic Cues and Conversational Editing
• 8:48 - Magic Cues demo: contextual suggestions from emails, calendar, and texts
• 9:59 - Conversational Editing in Google Photos: edit photos by talking to your phone
• 11:28 - Conversational Editing coming to all Google Photos users, not just Pixel 10
• 11:35 - Other features: Pixel Journal app, live voice translate on calls
• 12:09 - Pixel story: clever software over brute force specs
• 12:15 - Tensor G5: 3nm chip, prioritizes TPU over raw CPU/GPU performance
• 13:06 - Phones run Material 3 Expressive with Android 16, feel smooth
• 13:18 - Pixel Watch 4 announced: domed display, faster charging, 25% longer battery
• 13:35 - Pixel Buds 2A also announced
• 13:49 - Sponsor segment: dbrand Prism 2.0 screen protectors challenge

Mentions

Companies

• 0:34 - Google - Manufacturer of the Pixel 10 lineup
• 2:41 - Apple (iPhone/MagSafe mentioned) - Qi2 magnets are compatible with MagSafe accessories
• 9:22 - United Airlines - Example used in Magic Cues demo
• 13:49 - dbrand - Sponsor, Prism 2.0 screen protectors and Ghost cases
• 12:45 - Qualcomm (Snapdragon mentioned) - Comparison for Tensor G5 performance

Products

• 0:38 - Pixel 10 - Base model, $799
• 0:38 - Pixel 10 Pro - Pro model, $999
• 0:38 - Pixel 10 Pro XL - Larger Pro model, $1,199
• 0:42 - Pixel 10 Pro Fold - Foldable model, $1,799
• 1:49 - Pixelsnap - Google’s Qi2 magnetic charging system
• 2:54 - Pixelsnap Charger - $40 magnetic charging puck
• 2:59 - Pixelsnap Ring - $30 magnetic ring stand
• 2:37 - Pixel Ring Stand - Magnetic phone stand accessory
• 7:16 - Tensor G5 - Google’s new 3nm chip
• 8:41 - Magic Cues - AI feature for contextual suggestions
• 8:48 - Conversational Editing - Voice-controlled photo editing in Google Photos
• 11:38 - Pixel Journal - New journaling app
• 13:18 - Pixel Watch 4 - New smartwatch
• 13:35 - Pixel Buds 2A - New wireless earbuds
• 13:08 - Material 3 Expressive - New Android UI design language
• 13:08 - Android 16 - Latest Android version
• 10:57 - Photoshop (mentioned as reference) - For photo editing comparison
• 10:37 - Magic Editor - Existing Google Photos editing feature

People

• 0:01 - Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) - Video creator
• 0:16 - Team USA - Ultimate Frisbee team at World Games
• 14:13 - Andrew - MKBHD team member (timer for screen protector challenge)

Events/Places

• 0:14 - Chengdu, China - Location of World Games
• 0:19 - World Games - International sports event

Surprising Quotes

“This is one of literally two phones now that I’ve ever held in my hands that has the full Qi2… the other one being [a phone] that very few people have ever heard of.”

• 2:09

“So for all intents and purposes, Pixelsnap is basically MagSafe. It’s great. We’ll take it.”

• 3:08

“And this has been a theme with the Pixel, which is that there isn’t [enough difference] between the base Pixel and the Pro Pixel to justify the price.”

• 3:26

“But I do also have to admit it doesn’t really do anything [special]… Like, it’s not offering some [unique feature]. The hardware is not incredibly thin or some crazy lack of a [crease]. It doesn’t have super-fast charging. It doesn’t have incredible cameras.”

• 7:43 (on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold)

“They’ve never had a 100-megapixel camera or 100-watt charging. But instead, the Pixel [focuses] on being the ‘smartest’ phone in the room by just having a ton of really [useful AI features].”

• 8:21

“I knew we were gonna get here eventually. I just didn’t know when.”

• 10:03 (on Conversational Editing)

“Now that family member might just be able to talk to their phone and have it do it themselves.”

• 11:01 (on Conversational Editing replacing the need to ask someone to Photoshop images)

“Is that a little bit disappointing? To me, a nerd, yeah, a little bit.”

• 12:54 (on Tensor G5 not matching Snapdragon performance)

Full Transcript

0:00 (groovy upbeat music)

0:01 All right, they’re finally here, the new big 10th-generation and I’ve got your first hands-on. First off the plane, by the way. I’m recording this after, back from Chengdu, China, where we just won gold with Team USA in Ultimate Frisbee at the World Games. The games were incredible. The team was incredible. And so, if for the next couple of months I use this massive gold medal sorry in advance, I can’t help it.

0:34 So there were big hopes and expectations for this Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. They’ve been showing us the design on social media for weeks that has the potential I will say, though, I actually do like the Pixel 10s’ designs. At this point, the camera so they’re keeping that. But then this build is and high-quality than ever before. It’s still IP68-rated, but now and it’s in these four colors: Obsidian, Frost, Indigo, and Lemongrass. It has a nicely upgraded top speaker. It has a brighter 3,000-nit display. They’ve matched, actually, with the metal color.

1:20 But then the two biggest things, which both technically triple cameras and Pixelsnap. So, triple cameras. I wasn’t actually sure if because we saw the leaks, and I wasn’t sure if But it turns out they are finally doing triple cameras in the base Pixel. So we have here a a 13-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 10-megapixel 5x telephoto camera. So that’s great, and we’ll get to the

1:49 But these phones all also which is basically Google’s branding word for finally including Qi2 built into the phone. Wow! I actually didn’t see that coming, but I’m very excited about it. This is one of literally two phones now that I’ve ever held in my hands that has the full Qi2 the other one being that very few people have ever heard of.

2:19 But I’m so happy to see it here because it means you can at 15 watts. And there’s also now of magnetic accessories that can slap onto the back of the phone, wireless chargers and stands of course, but even non-chargers like this Pixel Ring stand they’re making. And it is, like, firm to which is awesome. And yes, iPhone MagSafe accessories do line up with these Qi2 magnets. So basically, any accessory out there that will lock onto the back of an iPhone will also lock onto the

2:53 So Google is, of course, gonna be selling this $40 Pixelsnap charger. It’s just a metal puck; you And the Pixelsnap Ring is $30, and it is actually pretty at a bunch of different So, for all intents and purposes, Pixelsnap is basically MagSafe. It’s great. We’ll take it.

3:15 So you might be thinking, “Marques, if the base Pixel is so good and it’s got the triple cameras now and it’s got Pixelsnap then what’s new with the Pros? Like, is there anything And this has been a theme with the Pixel, which is that there isn’t between the base Pixel and the Pro Pixel to justify the price. And that’s kind of true again here. So let’s play spot the differences.

3:39 So both these phones are the same size: 6.3 inches on the base, But the Pro’s display is and slightly brighter, and it’s LTPO with a full instead of 60-to-120 on the base. You also get more RAM and max storage, and it actually has a likely to make room for the

4:04 So, same focal lengths, but now this time: 50-megapixel main camera, and a 48-megapixel 5x telephoto. So with the extra resolution you can zoom in further, all the way into 100x, And Pro Res Zoom will and try to process and sharpen what it thinks you’re taking a picture of, where you can only go And the Pros come in

4:34 Now, how much better are the than the base phone’s triple cameras? We’ll see, you know? And also, does the extra Is the better selfie camera These are things that I have So definitely get subscribed to be among the first to But at this point, doesn’t seem like there’s between the base Pixel

4:58 Now the 10 Pro XL is a because then you’re also getting a bigger display, of course. Also, a bigger battery, double the starting storage as well. And it actually charges a little more thermal room, so And they gave it Qi2.2, so it will wirelessly charge But that’s basically it.

5:22 So the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 and they are the same as last year. So 799, 999, and 1,199.

5:34 And then there’s the foldy one. So we have the Pixel 10 because we get to see now that Google has learned along the way. They’ve made a first-generation foldable. Okay, so now what are What are they gonna settle that they keep and the things And this one is again for sure more flagship-y than last year, but not in a way that’s gonna just a definite solid

6:05 The most important piece, got the most work. It’s this new gearless hinge, it makes that left-side leaving the outside screen feeling much more just like instead of being slightly So now it’s a great phone to use closed. It’s a slightly bigger the same 20-by-9 aspect ratio. It’s a 60-to-120Hz refresh rate, and it’s up to 3,000 nits

6:33 So this for sure feels like And it’s now IP68 dust- which I believe is the first be fully dust- and water-resistant. So shoutout to the hinge engineers, the hinge-gineers, for

6:51 So then I unfold it, and eight-inch interior display. Nothing too dramatically different here. There’s still a somewhat it’s not terrible through The battery is a little bit bigger now: 5,000 milliamp-hours. That’s nice to see. And yes, it also still has Pixelsnap, so Qi2 15-watt wireless Love that.

7:16 Tensor G5. 16 gigs of RAM. Up to a terabyte of storage. And roughly the same triple It’s a 48-megapixel primary but then the same and 10-megapixel ultra-wide with macro. It’s all in a package than last year’s. And the price is also the same: 1,799. And it comes in some nice,

7:40 So it’s interesting. I like it. But I do also have to admit it doesn’t really do anything Like, it’s not offering some The hardware is not incredibly thin or some crazy lack of a It doesn’t have super-fast charging. It doesn’t have incredible cameras. It doesn’t really do I mean, IP68 is pretty

8:08 But really, it’s a Pixel. And that’s the thing that matters. Like, the slightly more is one thing that Google’s been slowly getting better at over the years. But massive numbers on paper They’ve never had a 100-megapixel camera or 100-watt charging. But instead, the Pixel of being the “smartest” phone in the room by just having a ton of really

8:34 And they’ve added some stuff this year that strikes me as stuff that because it’s using just Like, the two that really and Conversational Editing.

8:48 So Magic Cues very cleverly from across different services to surface information So example, you’re texting someone, and they ask you where in New York is. When Google Messages detects that, it surfaces this little rainbow cue with the answer to the since you got an email to answer that question when you booked. So you can just tap it and have it send the Very convenient.

9:22 Or say your friend asks you to call United to change your flight ‘cause they can’t do it Okay, well, it knows So it surfaces that for you. And then when you call, it with your flight information the confirmation number, and everything, so you can talk about it. That is incredibly convenient. This is the type of because they know so much about you. They know all of your emails; they know when all of your and calendar events This isn’t new; this is in little convenient

9:59 But then the other thing, this was pretty crazy. I knew we were gonna get here eventually. I just didn’t know when or But the idea is, you how to use the photo You can just talk to your

10:18 So like, let’s say you of your parents, and oh, man, it would just if he wasn’t holding So okay, type into that box at the bottom, or just say, or literally ask Then give it a few seconds, and back with this AI-based it pops up your new photo

10:42 And it’s kind of insane I mean, it seems to understand It knows what the plastic bag is. It knows what “delete” means. It goes in. It uses generative fill. It does all that.

10:54 How many of you guys are and somebody needs to Photoshop something, and they just send it to Now that family member might just be able to talk to their phone and have it do it themselves. I mean, they can even get carried away. I tried asking for some more random edits, like turning a cloudy sky blue, and it did a surprisingly good job of it.

11:15 I also asked for it to it seemed to also have The limitations basically as what Magic Editor has been. So it doesn’t really But other than that, it’s

11:28 And this is coming to This isn’t just a Pixel 10 feature; this is coming to anyone who has Google Photos on their phone. So that’s pretty sick. That’s very Google.

11:37 Now there’s some other neat like the Pixel Journal app and live voice translate on phone calls that sounds remarkably but it’s AI-generated All this stuff could potentially that makes people fall for and just like call screening

12:00 And that’s the Pixel story. It’s not the brutal, it’s just clever software. The smartest phone in the room again.

12:11 And so, you can probably but let’s just talk about Tensor G5, it’s the newest It’s a three-nanometer chip. And I don’t think it’s going to being Snapdragon 8 with this one-generation bump. I mean, I didn’t get to run benchmarks, and so I will for my full review, so you can see exactly

12:36 And I get the sense that they and GPU performance to last year. But in theme with the rest of the phone, it’s not the main focus. They will be focusing on TPU, and things like the Now, is that a little bit disappointing? To me, a nerd, yeah, a little bit.

12:59 But at the same time, these phones, as I’m using them in my first impressions, they feel pretty smooth and snappy. I do have to wonder how they’ll age. But you know, bumping around the Pixel 10s with Material 3 Expressive and Android 16 and multitasking a little bit and just moving through all it was working quite well. So we shall see.

13:18 Oh, and by the way, Google a new Pixel Watch 4, which and much more domed display Plus, it charges much faster and has a 25% longer battery life. So that is very interesting. Plus some new Pixel Buds 2A

13:39 So let me know in the comments what you guys are interested But definitely stay ‘cause they’re coming up as soon as I get my hands on these phones. Should be very interesting. Thanks for watching.

13:49 All right, a bit of a As you can see in front of and I also have 10 of Prism 2.0 screen protectors. And I’m not usually a but I’ve been using these for so I know how to install them. And the deal is, if I can then you guys are gonna

14:13 So, Andrew, I’m gonna need a timer, and just let me know when to start. I’ll do a countdown. All right, ready? Three, two, one, go.

14:26 (plastic rustling) Okay, so 10 phones in a minute is about six seconds per phone. I just gotta keep at a good pace here, and I should be no problem.

14:42 (plastic rustling) Obviously, these are very easy to install, so it would be pretty embarrassing if I didn’t get them all in a minute.

14:52 (plastic rustling) Perfectly with no bubbles.

14:59 (plastic installers rattling)

15:09 Done! (claps) Easy!

15:12 Well, that was pretty sick. I think that unlocks a and now I have 10

15:20 All right, so the deal is 42% off a Prism when you bundle it in with one of their Ghost and shipping now for the Pixel 10 series. So just add any Prism at the link below, use and get 42% off the Prism.

15:36 (groovy upbeat music)