Last year, Google proved it could make a phone that looks and feels like a true flagship, despite the software feeling l...

Last year, Google proved it could make a phone that looks and feels like a true flagship, despite the software feeling like an AI jumble. This year, the Pixel 10 Pro starts to put AI features together in a way that actually makes sense — and it manages to upgrade the hardware a bit, too.
Google has finally locked in a high-end finish and feature set for this phone, and it feels more polished than ever. There’s Android’s version of MagSafe, a flagship-worthy processor, and an excellent camera. All the stuff you’d want from a phone that starts at $999.
The 10 Pro also represents a baby step from AI’s party trick era to becoming genuinely useful on a mobile device. Magic Cue, which aims to surface information from your email and calendar contextually, lives up to its name for the most part — like the time it offered to put a coffee meetup with a friend on my calendar as we were hashing out the details over text. But alongside great features like Magic Cue, you’ll still find some that feel more like they’re there to satisfy an internal mandate to put AI into every available nook and cranny.
Between the hardware upgrades and a slightly more cohesive software experience, there’s something pretty special here. The Pixel 10 Pro is a phone with solid upgrades, though it doesn’t quite feel like a must-upgrade as long as your current device is working fine. It’s a glimpse of the future, with all the messiness of now mixed in there, too.
Photo: Allison Johnson