The iPhone 13 had been my main device since 2022, but this year I replaced it with the Google Pixel 10. I've been using Google's latest smartphone for over a month now, and unfortunately, I am regretting my decision to switch.
Performance Isn't As Good As Advertised
Soon after Google unveiled the Pixel 10 series, I wrote a story explaining all the reasons why I planned to purchase the Pixel 10 instead of the iPhone 17. One of the main reasons I highlighted in that story was the new Tensor G5 chip.
I was really excited about the new chipset, especially because it had been made by TSMC. Unfortunately, my excitement came to a halt when I tested some resource-demanding applications, especially games, on the smartphone. I know Pixel has never been known for gaming. Still, since it's 2025, when even a mid-level smartphone offers excellent gaming performance, I was confident that a smartphone priced around $800 would definitely deliver good gaming performance.
I tested some of the most popular games right now, like Genshin Impact, Call of Duty, and BGMI (the Indian version of PUBG). The performance on all these games was very average compared to the price you're paying for the Pixel 10. In all the games, I was getting an average of around 50 FPS, and there was noticeable lag and jitter every now and then. For someone like me who loves playing BGMI in my free time, this was a major setback. I learned the hard way that Pixels are definitely not for gaming, at least for now.
The poor performance of the Pixel 10 can also be seen from its Geekbench 6 tests. I ran a CPU performance test via Geekbench 6, and the device scored 2146 in single-core and 4653 in multi-core performance. These results are significantly lower than those of some of the Pixel 10's competitors, such as the Apple iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S25, OnePlus 13, and Nothing Phone 3.
For comparison, the iPhone 16's Geekbench 6 result shows 3313 in single-core and 8206 in multi-core performance. The Samsung Galaxy S25 scores 2714 in single-core and 9258 in multi-core.
Overall, the Pixel 10 is definitely not the smartphone for someone who is looking to multitask or run resource-demanding applications. However, you can definitely consider this smartphone for regular use.
Fingerprint Scanner Often Fails
The Pixel 10 features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, which is enough to keep the smartphone safe against minor scratches and falls. However, since I really don't want to take any risks, I applied a screen protector on my Pixel 10, and ever since then, the fingerprint scanner has started acting up.
Every now and then, the fingerprint scanner fails to work. Interestingly, the issue, for some reason, happens mainly at night. Furthermore, I'm not the only one facing this problem; many other Pixel 10 users have reported experiencing this issue on their devices as well.
Initially, I thought the issue was with the screen protector I was using, so I bought a new one from a different brand. However, the issue continued. The problem persisted even when using the fingerprint scanner without the screen protector.
That said, I contacted Google Support, and they advised me to reset my smartphone. Although I was fairly confident that doing this wouldn't help, I still tried, and as expected, the issue wasn't fixed. I really hope Google rolls out an update soon to address this problem.
Noticeable Heating Issue
Ever since the release of the Pixel 9 series, there have been multiple reports of users facing heating issues. In fact, Google itself admits that Tensor overheating has been one of the main reasons behind the return of Pixel smartphones. It was highly anticipated that the use of the new Tensor G5 chipset would fix the heating issue in the Pixel 10—it has, but not completely.
As mentioned earlier, I love playing games in my free time, and I can clearly feel the warmth of the phone if I continue playing for a long time. I have not used the Google Pixel 9, so I really can't say how much the Pixel 10 heats up compared to the Pixel 9, but some reports suggest that the heating issue has been reduced to some extent in the Pixel 10.
However, for someone like me who is switching from an iPhone to a Pixel, I can say that the Pixel 10 gets warm after prolonged usage, especially if I am using it in a room without AC. My iPhone 13 also used to get warm, but it wasn’t as noticeable as the Pixel 10. Unlike the Pixel 10, it never gets warm even when watching reels or performing regular tasks. I also noticed that the Pixel 10 feels warmer once its battery percentage drops below 20%.
In addition to the Tensor chipset, the absence of a vapor chamber in the Pixel 10 is also a major reason behind the device's heating issues. As a heads-up, the Pixel 10 Pro model does include a vapor chamber, so you are less likely to encounter any heating problems with it. That said, according to data from Google viewed by Android Authority, the Tensor G6 chip, which will most likely power the Pixel 11 series, is expected to completely fix the heating issues of Pixel smartphones. The G6 chip will reportedly improve CPU performance but will remove ray tracing capabilities from the GPU.
Portrait Photos Could Be Better
I'm not a big fan of portrait photography, but whenever I take one, I want it to be perfect. Unfortunately, I didn’t have such an experience with the Pixel 10's portrait photos. The major issue I found was that the Pixel was unable to properly detect object edges in portrait shots. You can clearly see this by zooming in on the edges of the image below.
I also noticed that the Pixel 10 doesn't allow native 5x portrait shots. You first need to take a normal photo at 5x zoom and then apply the portrait blur through the edit window. Unfortunately, the results in this case are not very reliable.
Interestingly, Pixel's portrait cameras have never been top-notch compared to their close competitors. I really hope Google comes up with a camera update to fix the portrait shots on the Pixel smartphone.
These are all the reasons why I regret buying the Pixel 10. I wouldn't have minded facing such issues in a mid-level smartphone, but encountering these problems in an $800 smartphone is not acceptable at all.
I would only recommend the Pixel 10 to users who love AI features on their smartphone. You will get tools like Magic Cue, Camera Coach, and other AI-powered functions to assist you with different tasks. But if you're like me and prefer a performance-centric smartphone that offers the best camera and good value for money, the Pixel 10 is definitely not the ideal choice.
