Pixel 10 vs Pixel 8: glow-up time!

Triple cameras and finally a 3 nm chip. Is the Pixel 10 the time to upgrade?

By Preslav Kateliev

Updated: Aug 20, 2025, 1:32 PM

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Intro

Google's Pixel line has reached its 10th generation, can you believe that? What started as a rather unique and a bit unexpected underground hit has continued to evolve into the quirky yet elegant design that we have today. The Pixel 10 has just been announced, coming with a slew of incremental updates that keep it in the game, staring down the competition.

And when we say incremental upgrades, it's not like we are bashing the Pixels. The phone world is much more stable nowadays, gone are the yearly updates that overhaul models entirely.

So, what's new, what is improved, and is it worth getting a Pixel 10 if you are coming from the now two-year-old Pixel 8?

The Pixel 8 was a safe bet — a solid performer with Google’s vision of AI and clean Android baked in. But it also played things very safe. Tensor G3 wasn’t exactly a powerhouse, the display was 60Hz short of perfect, and the dual-camera setup was showing its age.

The Pixel 10 is finally here! The latest model features the new Tensor G5 chip, paired with 12GB RAM, providing incredible AI features and a smooth performance. Pre-order yours with a $100 gift card at Amazon.

Pre-order at Amazon

$184 off (26%)

The Google Pixel 8 is available at Amazon right now. Currently, you can buy the 128GB variant in Rose for 26% off its original price, which saves you $184.

Buy at Amazon

The Pixel 10 now comes with an all-new Tensor G5 and triple cameras, plus even more AI! (Yeeeeah, the audience cheers)

Pixel 10 vs Pixel 9 expected differences:

Google Pixel 10	Google Pixel 8
New 3 nm Tensor G5 chip	Google Tensor G3 4 nm
Larger 6.3” display	6.2” display
Higher brightness levels, 3,000 nits peak	2,000 nits peak brightness
Triple camera setup (first time on base Pixel)	Dual camera setup — main and ultra-wide
Android 16 + a smarter AI assistant	Android 15, eligible for 16
30W wired charging Qi2 15W wireless Pixelsnap accessories	27W wired charging 18 W wireless No magnets
7 years of updates (until 2032)	7 years of updates (until 2030)
$799	$699

Table of Contents:

Design
Display
Performance
Camera
Battery
Specs
Summary

Unmistakably Pixel

Honestly, if you catch a Pixel 10 in the wild, it'll be a bit hard to discern if it's the new model or not, but that's compared to the Pixel 9. The old Pixel 8 does have the camera bar that goes all the way through, like a vizor. The new models have the pill-shaped camera island on the back instead. I did like the old vizor look, but the new bar still retains that quirky and fresh aesthetic of the Pixels.

The dimensions of the new Pixel 10 are not vastly different to the Pixel 8 — 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.6 mm vs 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm. It's slightly taller and wider, to accommodate that slightly bigger screen. It's also a bit heavier at 207 g, compared to 187 g — probably that new camera, plus the magnets inside adding a bit more weigh. Oops, let's not spoil everything just yet!

It’s a subtle evolution in materials, too. Both phones are to use aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus, though the Pixel 10 will likely get Victus 2.

Pixel 10 in Lemongrass

Pixel 10 in Obsidian

Pixel 10 in Frost

Pixel 10 in Indigo

The base Pixels typically come with a couple of fun and vibrant color picks. The Pixel 10 is available in Indigo, Frost, Lemongrass, and Obsidian, where the Pixel 8 had playful picks like Mint, Obsidian, Rose, and Hazel.

Display Differences

The Pixel 8’s 6.2-inch OLED display was good. 120Hz refresh? Nice. But brightness? Eh. It has been outdone in that department since it was released. Not that 2,000 nits peak is something to snark at, it's just that flagship phones can hit higher nowadays.

The Pixel 10 is back in the game. It comes with a 6.3-inch OLED panel, pushing 3,000 nits peak brightness. HDR videos from YouTube, Instagram content, and your own library will look popping and vibrant even under direct sunlight.

It is also to maintain the cleaner, more symmetrical bezels introduced last year with the Pixel 9. It’s subtle stuff, but it adds polish. The extra-secure Face unlock that's powered by AI returns, but so does the in-screen fingerprint scanner, if you prefer that. No difference between the Pixel 10 and Pixel 8 in biometrics, basically.

Performance and Software

Tensor finally finds the way to the 3 nm line

If you’re on a Pixel 8, you’ve been living with the Tensor G3 — a chip that tried to be smart, not fast. And it showed. Performance was fine for day-to-day stuff, but gaming or heavy lifting? Not its strong suit.

The Pixel 10, though, will come with some gains. The new Tensor G5 is now built by TSMC on a 3nm process — finally meeting the competition's standards. Google says about 34% improvement in CPU power, which means it will still not out-muscle the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite nor the Apple A18 Pro, but it will get closer to them. And it will definitely be much faster than the Tensor G3 inside the Pixel 8.

But, as before, it’s not about raw power. It’s about on-device AI. And here, Google is pushing the envelope.

The Pixel 10 will come with Magic Cue — on-device AI will analyze on-screen content, cross-reference between your apps such as Calendar, Contacts, Maps, et cetera, and give you one-tap actions or replies. For example, if someone asks you about you evening plans, or arrival time — Magic Cue will generate an actually accurate auto-reply. All on-device, with the Tensor G5 power backing it. If that's too much for you — you will be able to disable Magic Cue or choose which apps it has access to.

The Pixel 10 also comes with Live Voice Translate for calls, so you can have an actual digital translator busting down that language barrier between you and a foreign person on the other end. The Pixel 8 will not support that.

Call Screening has been pretty cool — where the Assistant picks up for you when it's an unknown number and will give you a live transcript on screen, so you can choose whether to pick up or not. It's being upgraded to now take messages when you miss or decline a call, too. No reason to believe that will be a Pixel 10 exclusive, but who knows.

Pixel Screenshots can now take and transcribe voice notes as well. And a new Pixel Journal app will help you... well, journal, much like Apple's Journal. But with the added power of AI to also include and sort through transcribed voice notes, pictures, and screenshots. Again, not sure if that won't trickle down to the Pixel 8.

Plus, the Pixel 10 will ship with Android 16 and a full seven years of updates. The Pixel 8 will also be eligible for Android 16 and still has 5 more updates to go before end-of-support.

Camera

Two years = one extra lens. And it changes everything.

Let’s be real: the Pixel 8’s dual camera setup — 50MP main and 12MP ultra-wide — was fine. Solid processing, great skin tones, smart HDR. But versatility? Limited.

Pixel 10 might table the turns here and change what we expect from a "budget flagship". It’s finally getting a triple-lens setup, with a 48MP main, 13MP ultra-wide, and — surprise — a dedicated telephoto camera with a 10.8MP sensor and 5x zoom. It'll support SuperRes zoom to 20x, unlike its Pro siblings that'll now hit 100x. But hey, it's an upgrade for the base model and we'll take it!

If you are bad at taking photos, the Pixel 10 has a new Camera Coach. AI will analyze the scene you are trying to capture and give you suggestions to improve it. Plus, small blurbs of text to let you know exactly why something would look better. Pretty useful!

Here’s a quick breakdown of the camera specs:

Camera	Pixel 10	Pixel 8
Main	48 MP, F1.7	50 MP, F1.7
Ultra-wide	13 MP, F2.2	12 MP, F2.2
Telephoto	10.8 MP, 5x, F3.1	---
Selfie	10.5 MP	10.5 MP

Battery Life and Charging

Bigger cell, better efficiency

The Pixel 8 shipped with a modest 4,575 mAh battery. The Pixel 10 is to bump that up by quite a lot to 4,970 mAh!

Our battery test showed that the Pixel 8 can give us 15 hours of browsing time. With a 10% improvement in battery, the Pixel 9 should be able to increase that to 16.5 - 17 hours, right? We'll see when we get to put the device through its paces!

Charging has been upgraded — now 30W wired and 15W wireless, from 27W wired and 18W wireless. Wait, those wireless numbers are a bit off? The new Pixel 10 series are Qi2 compatible, meaning they actually have magnets inside to stick to Qi2 chargers — like Apple's MagSafe. Sadly, the Pixel 10 doesn't get an increase in charging speed here, only the Pixel 10 Pro XL goes up to 25W. But fine, at least you will have access to the new Pixelsnap chargers and vertical stands to enjoy!

Specs Comparison

Here's a quick overview of the Pixel 10 vs Pixel 8 specs:

Pixel 10	Pixel 8
Size, weight 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.6 mm 204 g	Size, weight 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm 187 g
Screen 6.3" OLED 120Hz	Screen 6.2" OLED 120Hz
Processor Google Tensor G5 3nm	Processor Google Tensor G3 4nm
Versions: 12/128GB 12/256GB LPDDR5X	Versions: 8/128GB 8/256GB LPDDR5X
Cameras: 48 MP main 13 MP ultra 10.8 MP telephoto 10.5 MP front	Cameras: 50 MP main 12 MP ultra - 10.5 MP front
Battery: 4,970 mAh	Battery: 4,575 mAh
Charging: USB-C 30W wired 15W wireless Qi2	Charging: USB-C 27W wired 18W wireless

Summary

Let’s not dance around it:

If you’re on a Pixel 8 and feeling the itch for better battery, a real zoom camera, brighter display, and actual AI magic — this is the upgrade you’ve been waiting for.

If you’ve been content with the Pixel 8’s stable performance and mostly just shoot ultra-wide or main camera? You can probably hold off another year, unless Magic Cue or the new chip calls your name.

But make no mistake: Pixel 10 is the most complete base Pixel Google’s ever made.

View Full Bio

Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.

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