Google’s love affair with old camera tech is holding the Pixel 10 Pro back

It’s still months away, but we already know a lot about the Pixel 10 series. After extensive Tensor G5 leaks, we now also know what to expect with the Pixel 10 cameras, thanks to our latest exclusive. It turns out we’re already very familiar with the Pixel 10 Pro and XL’s camera setup because they’re destined to be the same as the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL. That’s pretty disappointing news for photography buffs, of which I most certainly am one.

It’s not that the current generation of Pixel cameras aren’t up to scratch; the Pixel 9 series takes brilliant photos, after all. Likewise, we Pixel fans should be accustomed to Google’s stop-start approach to photography innovation. It took years for the Pixel 6 to revamp Google’s primary camera hardware and for the Pixel 9 Pros to upgrade their aging selfie game. Google takes the time to eek every last drop of quality from the hardware it learns inside and out, and it’s hardly alone in sticking with the same camera hardware for generations; Apple and Samsung aren’t exactly speedy innovators either. Maybe we’re in store for bigger changes next year?

Yet, the news feels rather unwelcome because I’ve found the Pixel 9 Pro’s photography luster already waning. Having had the pleasure of the OPPO Find X8 Pro and the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, there’s growing daylight between China’s finest and the latest Pixels. And not just because of their sheer lens count and shooting flexibility but also because of the quality of those lenses and sensors. Their big pixels across multiple cameras really help capture great-looking snaps in all lighting conditions, and the option of having 3x/70mm portrait-oriented telephoto lenses and periscope zooms for long-range only adds to their versatility. Flagship Pixels currently have neither of those perks, landing awkwardly in between with a 5x (125mm) periscope that’s too long for natural portraiture and relying on occasionally overaggressive algorithms to pad out their weaker ultrawide and zoom exposures.

Another year of hardware stagnation risks pushing the Pixel series further down the pecking order and making the Pixel 10 Pros a harder sell than previous generations. Where once Google stood out for providing arguably the best photography capabilities at a price that was slightly cheaper than the competition, the Pixel 9 Pro and presumably the Pixel 10 Pro will cost just as much as everyone else and are no longer necessarily the best picks for photography enthusiasts either.

Now granted, ultra-premium Chinese phones are hard to lay hands on in the US. When it comes to the big three, Google is at least as good as, if not better than, Apple and Samsung. The Pixel 10 Pro and XL will undoubtedly remain superb picks when stacked up to the Galaxy S25 Ultra and upcoming iPhone 17 Pro Max, if only because none of them are moving at a particularly brisk pace.

However, we also have the OnePlus 13 this year, which has turned a corner with a superb camera setup. Best of all, it costs just $899. That’s $100 less than the Pixel 9 Pro cost at launch and will no doubt be cheaper than the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL as well. As someone who is forever torn between wanting the best photos without spending an absolute fortune, the OnePlus 13 sits right in the sweet spot, and my hopes have now been dashed that the Pixel 10 Pro will unseat it. If there’s a saving grace, the Pixel 10 series looks set to support 4K 60fps HDR video, but that’s hardly an exclusive feature; it is more like playing catch up.

Even if cameras aren’t the primary reason to love Pixels, I’m still pretty downbeat about the upcoming models when looking at the rest of what the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL are set to offer. Their Tensor G5 processor, for example, doesn’t seem to provide any meaningful raw performance upgrades over the G4, leaving the phone second best for gaming performance and lacking futureproofing for next-gen use cases. Charging is another area of constant disappointment with the Pixel series, and Google is unlikely to make meaningful improvements, having recently nudged the 9 Pro XL’s power up marginally, providing you can meet some rather specific charger requirements.

Yes, Google will double down on AI, including new AI camera features, but I don’t view those as a replacement for taking a great picture in the first place. Post-capture generative AI for video, Sketch-to-Image, or Speak-to-Tweak will quickly be forgotten about, I’m sure. Perhaps Pixel Sense will give the series something to shout about, but there’s a good chance it’ll come to older Pixels as well — in which case the Pixel 9 Pro and even the 8 Pro will inherit all the best bits of the Pixel 10 series anyway.

In that sense, the Pixel has become like the iPhone and Galaxy; iterative rather than innovative. After the breath of fresh air that was the Pixel 6 and a refined sequel in the Pixel 7, we’ve been recently languishing in the complacent extended universe (OK, the 9’s build is pretty great), and the Pixel 10 will become just another entry in an increasingly copy-paste series.

I’m certainly not bemoaning the benefits of software taking center stage; it’s great for consumers that recent purchases will see seven years of feature support to keep them feeling fresh. At the same time, however, I’m lamenting the dirth of hardware innovation that has claimed the Pixel series as its latest victim.

For me, photography remains the major unsolved problem for smartphones. There’s still a gap between the mobile and mirrorless worlds, even after all these years, and Google has previously been such a major player in helping to bridge this divide. It’s one of the factors that made the Pixel series so appealing, at least for me. It’s a shame that Google and the Pixel 10 series are ceding that leadership to brands like OPPO and Xiaomi. Hopefully, the Pixel 11 series will have something more significant to offer us shutterbugs.