Google Pixel 10 Series: AI-first phones finally backed by hardware

For years, the Google Pixel line was the clever kid in the corner: brilliant at AI, but you had to tolerate the odd quirks. You bought a Pixel if you wanted an uncluttered OS, smart software, and were willing to live with sluggish charging, modest battery life, and cameras that leaned on software magic more than raw hardware.

Fast forward to 2025, and the game has changed. AI is no longer a quirky party trick — it's the centrepiece of every pitch. Apple is rolling out AI cautiously under the banner of privacy. Samsung has Galaxy AI in every corner, sometimes overlapping with Google's own services. 

Honor and vivo are dressing up monster hardware with AI layers. And in the middle of this pivot, the Google Pixel 10 series looks less like the oddball and more like the blueprint.

Google Pixel 10 hardware finally stops holding it back

The difference this year is that the hardware might have reached the point where it finally stops dragging the story down. The Pixel 10 Pro gets bright enough to hold its own in Singapore sun, hitting 3,300 nits on its Super Actua display. 

Battery life across the line stretches past the 30-hour mark, and even charging — long the Pixel's Achilles heel — is finally competitive, with the Pro XL hitting 70 per cent in half an hour on a 45W plug.

Pixelsnap, Google's Qi2 implementation, works like wireless MagSafe: the phone snaps onto charging pads and accessories magnetically, making alignment foolproof and expanding accessory options, including compatibility with Apple's MagSafe ecosystem.

Google's Tensor G5 still won't top benchmark charts, but with a TPU that's 60 per cent stronger, it feels tuned for the kind of AI tasks the Pixel 10 series is now built around. The hardware doesn't need to be the best on paper; it just needs to be good enough for AI features to feel seamless in everyday use.

Pixel AI features that feel ready for real life

There's a reason for that fairly substantial upgrade: new agent-like features. Magic Cue pre-empts your next move, surfacing things like your boarding pass before you even think to open Gmail. 

Gemini Live is a visual overlay assistant that doesn't just respond to commands but can see what's on your screen, pick up on your tone, and adapt accordingly. Voice Translate goes beyond robotic dubbing and plays translations back in your own voice, making conversations far less stilted.

On the camera side, Camera Coach offers framing suggestions, Auto Best Take blends multiple shots into one where everyone looks their best, and Pro Res Zoom enhances fine details in landscapes that normal digital zoom would lose. Guided Frame also sees improvements, giving accessibility users more cues, while Inspiration mode can generate reference photos for you to emulate.

For those who rely heavily on transcriptions, Recorder now ties into Notebook LM for seamless transcriptions, note-taking and follow-up summaries.

Privacy and safeguards

Google has added new safeguards to Gemini: prompts and responses that involve sensitive information are handled with stricter controls. That means more of the processing stays on-device, sensitive prompts aren't stored long-term, and responses that touch on private data are ring-fenced from being used to train broader models. 

It gives users more confidence that their data isn't being siphoned off into training sets or leaking into the cloud. That said, Google hasn't fully clarified whether these safeguards are automatic defaults or configurable settings, so it remains to be seen how much control users will actually have.

Also, C2PA Content Credentials are built into Google Photos, flagging whether images were modified or AI-generated.

Pixel 10 Pro Fold: safer, sturdier foldable

Given the recent wave of new foldable releases, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold seems comparatively modest. Rather than chasing thinner silhouettes, it tackles the category's biggest weakness: fragility. It's the first foldable with full IP68 water and dust resistance, and its gearless hinge is rated for a decade of daily use.

Multitasking feels finished rather than experimental — Instant View shows your latest shots without opening Photos, drag-and-drop split screen works smoothly, and the dual-screen game controller trick for Asphalt turns one half of the Fold into controls and the other into your display.

Samsung, Honor and vivo might still own the spectacle, but Google's pitch is simpler: this is a foldable you don't have to baby.

Rivals on every side

Put alongside its rivals, the Pixel looks more and more compelling. Apple is taking the slow road with AI, Samsung's approach is broad but sometimes overwhelming for users, and Chinese brands are still leading the arms race on specs with AI as a supporting act. Google's strength is that everything — hardware, software, and silicon — is tuned to the same AI-first story.

The Pixel 10 series also brings a stronger speaker system with more powerful bass on the Pro, and storage options that now climb to 1TB on the Fold — practical touches that help round out the lineup. It hasn't suddenly become the best at everything. It doesn't charge faster than a vivo, it doesn't out-sensor Xiaomi, and it won't outmuscle an iPhone in benchmarks. What it does do is remove the reasons you used to say no.

Pricing & availability (Singapore)

• Pixel 10 - from $1,119. Pre‑orders from Aug 21; on‑shelf Aug 28. Online: Google Store, Amazon SG, Best Denki, Courts, Harvey Norman, Singtel, Shopee, Lazada, Metapod. In‑store: Best Denki, Courts, Harvey Norman, Singtel, Metapod.
• Pixel 10 Pro - from $1,459. (Series ships from Aug 28)
• Pixel 10 Pro XL - from $1,739. (Series ships from Aug 28)
• Pixel 10 Pro Fold - from $2,399. Pre‑orders from Aug 21 (Google Store & Singtel only); on‑shelf Oct 9; channels: Google Store + Singtel (online/physical) & Metapod.

Official pre‑order promotions (SG)

Promo windows

• Partner‑exclusive: Aug 21 - 28, 8.59am SGT.
• Market‑wide: Aug 21 - Oct 9, 8.59am SGT.

Google Store

• Store credits: $300 (Pixel 10), $549 (Pixel 10 Pro), $639 (Pixel 10 Pro XL).
• Case bundle: Save $15 on an official case when purchased with Pixel 10/10 Pro/10 Pro XL.
• Fold credit: $700 store credit on Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

Singtel

• Memory upgrades:

  - 1TB for price of 512GB (Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL)

  - 512GB for price of 256GB (Pixel 10 Pro & Pro XL)

  - 256GB for price of 128GB (Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL)

• Upgrade values: Pixel 10 $140; Pixel 10 Pro up to $320; Pixel 10 Pro XL up to $320.
• Accessory with 1TB models: Pixelsnap Wireless Charger & Stand (worth $99) for 1TB Pixel 10 Pro / Pro XL.
• Extra discounts available on postpaid & SIM‑only plans.

Retail partners (Metapod/Courts/Best Denki/Harvey Norman)

• Gift with purchase bundles (varies by partner).
• Fold bundle: Pixelsnap Fold case (worth $99) + Pixel Buds Pro 2 (worth $349).

Online marketplaces

• Shopee: Pixel 10 comes with Pixelsnap Case (worth $79); Pixel 10 Pro/XL comes with Pixel Flex 67W Dual Port Fast Charger (worth $89).
• Lazada: Pixelsnap Case (worth $79).
• Amazon: Pixelsnap Case (worth $79).

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This article was first published in Potions.sg.