r/pixel_phones

I’ve been on iPhones for about 10 years now. I did try Android a few times before, but never stuck with it long. The one phone that really stayed in my memory was the Nexus 6 - I loved the clean UI and the camera.

Even though I’ve been on iOS, I mostly use Google apps anyway - Keep, Sheets, etc. I like that I can access everything on any platform without being locked in.

About a year ago, when it was time to upgrade, I was this close to trying the Pixel 9 Pro, but it didn’t work out with my carrier. So I played it safe and went with the iPhone 16 Pro.

Fast forward to now - Google kind of pushed me to finally try Android again. Back in my home country, I was paying like $3 CAD for YouTube Premium. After moving to Canada, it jumped to $12 CAD/month, which just didn’t feel worth it for me since I mostly use YouTube Music at the gym a couple times a week and occasionally watch on TV.

On TV, I solved it quickly with SmartTube. On iPhone, I tried using Brave browser, but it’s kinda unstable - background playback cuts off, lock screen controls are limited.

So I decided: screw it, I’ll just get an Android phone. Solve the YouTube issue and check out modern Android at the same time.

I wasn’t ready to pay full price for a new Pixel - especially without Apple-level support - so I started browsing the local marketplace for a used Google Pixel 8 or Pixel 9, just as a “gym phone.”

But then I got lucky - found a brand new Google Pixel 10 someone got from a carrier contract and didn’t need. Paid $500 CAD. Feels like I got an amazing deal, especially considering YouTube Premium would cost me ~$180/year after the price increase.

Got a case similar to my iPhone and started setting it up.

Here are my impressions (don’t judge me too hard for comparing a regular Pixel 10 to an iPhone 16 Pro - I know the fair comparison would be the 10 Pro. This isn’t really a comparison, just some observations and personal thoughts):

• Screen resolution is lower (but only noticeable on day one)
• Slightly narrower display (probably because of thicker bezels)
• Not a fan of the default Android font
• Colors feel a bit colder out of the box
• Pulling down notifications from anywhere on the screen -  super convenient
• Fingerprint unlock is actually just as convenient as Face ID (On iPhone it’s two steps - Face ID recognizes you, but you still have to swipe anyway. On the Pixel it’s just one action - a single touch)
• Notifications are way better organized
• Animations feel faster (on iPhone my brain is ready before the animation finishes; on Pixel the phone is ready before my brain 😂)
• Keyboard is AMAZING - zero typos (even Gboard on iPhone never felt this good)
• Audio quality in headphones feels the same
• Photo colors look more natural (no yellow tint, sky actually looks blue)
• Slightly less detail vs iPhone (probably due to main sensor resolution)

So far, these are my impressions after a week of using it.

Overall

I’m honestly surprised how good the Pixel 10 is - especially considering it cost me 4x less than my iPhone.

I’m currently using an Apple Watch for workouts, but I’m pretty sure I can find a replacement easily. I only care about workouts, heart rate, and sleep tracking anyway.

If it wasn’t for the lack of Apple-level support, I’d probably take the risk and go with a Pixel 11 Pro (or XL) as my main phone this fall instead of upgrading my iPhone 16 Pro to an 18 Pro (or Pro Max). Never thought I’d say that after all these years using iPhones. 

Thanks for reading, curious to hear your thoughts

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It's been brought up several times but hopefully it can keep getting noted in the small miracle chance they actually listen. I loathe the navigation bar order. First pixel phone I have been using Samsung all my life. Right handed and when using the phone one handed it is extremely frustrating to hit the back button. Why not allow changing the order of the buttons. I use the back button a shit ton more than I do the task changer. So why is the task changer closer to the thumb.

I don't like gestures in case anyone brings up that argument. I used a 3rd party app to switch and it works. But it's buggy. And I often have weird interactions as it is an overlay and sometimes have to wait for it to appear or if I want to change to landscape when watching videos I have to wait for that overlay to go down and by the time it does the pop up to switch to landscape disappears.

Samsung has good lock app with multiple plug ins for customizations. One of those was to change the order of the buttons and you can even add lock screen button on there.

Just got the 10 Pro and I'm on day 2 of full usage. The battery lasted me all day, no exaggeration. One of the most overlooked things about this phone imo is the simplicity of it. Yeah, it doesn't have the super fast speed of its top competitors but that's mostly for gaming and multi-tasking. I don't play games on my phone so that doesn't bother me. Its fluidity is excellent and the size is perfect for one hand which is my preference. The camera is top notch and the zoom is impressive, although I haven't fully tested the camera out. I'm coming from a Pixel 6a and it's like an upgrade from a 2013 car to the 2026 luxury edition. Same features I know and love with new bells and whistles. The activation was as simple as scanning a QR code with the E-Sim and the transfer of information from old to new phone was simple and efficient.... There's plenty more left for me to explore. Kinda feel like a kid again who got a new game system lol

My only gripe so far is that it is top-heavy. The camera bar is so massive which makes it heavy. The frame is so light that the camera bar and gravity takes over and feels as is the phone is leaning back from the top. I got a case for it coming in soon, hoping that will help with the ergonomics

Hi all,

I've been noticing the following on my P10P recently. I always keep my battery between 20 and 80 percent and use the 'restrict to 80 percent' options when fast charging with a 30W Google charger.

however, when I plug my phone in it says: charging done in 35 minutes (for example) and when the charging should be nearly done, it suddenly says 'done in 45 minutes', so 45 minutes extra.

Are more people experiencing this?

So let me say I have a steam deck Killswitch case and it's great after all these years.

upon getting my pixel 10 case, the Guard sticker for the camera pop out would move all over the place and require repositioning every day. This has gotten worse as time went on, a slight touch will slip it around as there is no structure to the panel cover..

Within 4 months of use, the sticker back has started to nick and peel off. The phone does not travel much outside the house, and when it does I make sure it does not mix with anything else there like keys. So while I understand if it gets nicked its on me, in 15 years of cell phone cases never had random scratches appearing before.

Now after the 5th month I am finding the side of the back where the sticker adheres to be coming up. the case itself seems amazing but this sticker modular design does not seem to lead to longevity. Sadly this will be the last dbrand I get. I got it after my great experience with the Killswitch for years, but the case/sticker design does not work well for phone cases to last IMO.

Inicialmente trate de subir la guia aquí, pero por el exceso de contenido no pude hacerlo, les recomiendo que echen un vistazo a ella, fue diseñada en un Pixel 8, pero espero pueda funcionar en el resto de tensors, todo está explicado muy detalladamente en el hilo

Les pediría que me informaran si funciona en tensor G4 y G5, lo más probable es que sea compatible con Tensor G1 y G2, un saludo a todos.

-teoweed

good leather cases for pixel 10? the bellroy looks nice, but I've seen so many bad reviews about it. I'm having trouble finding something good and am thinking about just getting a dbrand case with the leather back as I've used that in the past for a different phone.

I change my screen timeout to 10 minutes, every time I plug my phone in it defaults back to the factory setting of 10 seconds or whatever. Absolutely enraging. Any work around??