Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Main differences
The fiercest rivals are back in the ring
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Intro
Google's Pixel 10 Pro is out, Apple's iPhone 17 Pro has just been announced and heading for a pre-orders weekend. The holiday season is mere months away and the rivalry is heating up.
Both Google and Apple have notable upgrades to talk about this year. iPhones put more eggs in the camera and video recording basket, while the Pixels now have a custom-made Tensor G5 chip, that's supposed to finally bring them closer in performance to the leaders in the market. Plus, Google hasn't stopped churning out AI features, while Apple put a pause on the whole thing.
Two flagships that go about enriching your digital life in a slightly different way. But both of them are hard to ignore. Which one will be the right choice?
iPhone 17 Pro vs Pixel 10 Pro differences:
| iPhone 17 Pro | Pixel 10 Pro |
|---|---|
| New "Camera plateau" design, flat sides | Flat sides, pill-shaped camera bar |
| Matte aluminum frame | Polished aluminum frame |
| 8.75 mm thin, 206 gr | 8.6 mm thin, 207 gr |
| 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display | 6.3-inch Super Actua OLED display |
| 3,000 nits peak | 3,300 nits peak |
| Apple A19 Pro chipset (3rd-gen 3nm) | Google Tensor G5 (3nm) |
| Possibly 12GB of RAM | 16GB of RAM |
| 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB storage versions | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB storage versions |
| 48MP+48MP+48MP camera system | 50MP+48MP+48MP rear camera, 100X Pro Res Zoom |
| 18MP Center Stage selfie camera | 42MP selfie camera |
| ~3,600+ mAh battery | 4,870 mAh battery |
| 40W wired charging, 25W MagSafe 2.0 | 30W wired, 15W Qi2 wireless charging, Pixelsnap accessories |
| iOS 26 | Android 16 |
| $1,099 starting | Same price as before ($999) |
| iPhone 17 Pro | Pixel 10 Pro |
|---|---|
| Design | |
| Weighs 206 gr | Similar 207-gram weight |
| 8.75 mm thickness | Mostly similar 8.6 mm thickness |
| Two-tone aluminum frame | Aluminum and Glass design |
| Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back |
| Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue colors | Jade, Moonstone, Obsidian, Porcelain |
| Action Button and Camera Control button | No extra buttons |
| Display | |
| 6.3" OLED with 1-120Hz ProMotion | 6.3" OLED with 1-120Hz refresh rate |
| Larger Dynamic Island cutout | Smaller punch-hole |
| 3,000 nits of peak brightnes | 3,300 nits of peak brightness |
| Anti-reflective properties | No anti-reflective properties |
| Face ID | Ultrasonic fingerprint biometrics |
| Performance | |
| Hexa-core Apple A19 Pro chipset, 3nm | Octa-core Google Tensor G5, 3nm |
| Vapor chamber cooling | No vapor chamber cooling |
| 12GB of RAM | 16GB of RAM |
| 2TB storage option | Maxes out at 1TB |
| iOS 26 | Android 16 |
| Cameras | |
| 48MP F1.8 main camera | 50MP F1.7 main camera |
| 48MP F2.2 ultrawide camera | 48MP F1.7 ultrawide |
| 48MP 4X telephoto with larger sensor | 48MP 5X telephoto |
| 18MP Center Stage FaceTime camera with square sensor | 42MP front camera |
| Battery | |
| A significantly smaller 4,252 mAh battery | Larger 4,870 mAh battery |
| 40W wired charging: 50% in 20 minutes | 30W wired charging, up to 55% in 30 minutes |
| 25W wireless charging | 15W Qi2 wireless charging |
| MagSafe system | PixelSnap system, compatible with MagSafe |
| Models | |
| No 128GB version | 128GB base ($999) |
| 256GB base ($1,099) | 256GB ($1,099) |
| 512GB ($1,299) | 512GB ($1,219) |
| 1TB ($1,499) | No 1TB version |
Table of Contents:
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Design and Size
Iconic as iconic gets
The Pixel 10 Pro is pretty similar to its predecessor in terms of design language and overall size. Actually, it could be extremely daunting to discern the Pixel 10 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro if both stand one next to the other. No issues with that: we loved the Pixel 9 Pro design, and the Pixel 10 Pro is as stunning, to say the least.
We get the same flat aluminum design, with Gorilla Glass 2 at the front and in the back. The large camera strip is here to stay with the Pixel 10 Pro.
The iPhone 17 Pro took a leap into the unknown. The body has been redesigned, and we are back to aluminum unibody. The back now has a huge "camera plateau", as Apple calls it. The glass panel back there is smaller, and the Apple logo has been moved slightly below the center of the phone itself. Apple uses Ceramic Shield for that back panel, and Ceramic Shield 2 for the front — now 3x more scratch resistant than the OG Ceramic Shield.
One major style change that's coming to the iPhone 17 Pro is one that will surely rustle some feathers. The Pro models are getting a redesigned rear camera bar, which evokes a strong resemblance to the Pixel's signature rear camera strip. However, the iPhone's take on this design style is set to be way more imposing, occupying nearly a third of the phone's rear.
| iPhone 17 Pro | Pixel 10 Pro |
|---|---|
| Thickness 8.75 mm | Thickness 8.6 mm |
| Dimensions 150.0 x 71.9 | Dimensions 152.8 x 72.0 |
| Weight 206 grams | Weight 207 grams |
We are still getting a customizable Action Button on the iPhone 17 Pro, as well as the novel Capture Button, which lets you control the camera and engage Visual Intelligence. No such buttons on the Android champ, which only retains the standard volume/power button combo.
Color-wise, the iPhone 17 Pro shocks us with a limited selection — Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange. It's been a while since we only had three colors to pick from, but at least the orange one looks quirky and interesting.
The Pixel 10 Pro, on the other hand, comes in Indigo, Frost, Lemongrass, and Obsidian, which is a pretty lively and varied selection.
Display Differences
The iPhone 17 Pro is equipped with a 6.3-inch ProMotion-enabled Super Retina XDR 1-120 Hz screen with very thin bezels. It now has a peak brightness of 3,000 nits to keep pace with the flagship competition. What's most interesting, though, is that Apple has applied a new 7-layer anti-reflection coating, which may be the real gamechanger here. Samsung's displays were elevated when the S24 Ultra got its own anti-glate treatment. We are hoping to see similar effect on the iPhones.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro comes with a similar 6.3-inch Super Actua OLED display with LTPO technology that enables a smooth 1-120 Hz refresh rate. The highlight here, no pun intended, is the peak brightness of 3,300 nits, which is some 10% higher than what the Pixel 9 Pro series delivered. That would potentially make the Pixel 10 Pro range one of the brightest phones on the US market.
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro | Google Pixel 10 Pro |
|---|---|
| Size 6.3" | Size 6.3" |
| Brightness 3,000 nits (peak) | Brightness 3,300 nits (peak) |
Apple still has the Dynamic Island cutout on the front, in full size, to house the Face ID and selfie sensors.
In terms of biometrics, the Pixel 10 Pro comes with an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, but the selfie camera is also used for AI-reinforced face unlock. It's deemed secure enough to be enabled for use with banking apps.
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Performance and Software
Two 3nm chips on deck, but the Apple one might still have the upper hand
Apple is coming in with a brand-new A19 Pro chip. Built on a 3 nm process, faster than before, of course all the good stuff. But what we are really interested in is the new vapor chamber inside the iPhone 17 Pro for cooling. Because the A18 Pro and the A17 Pro before it were fast — actually they are insanely fast even by today's standards. But they hold that top speed for only a little while before they are forced to throttle.
Apple made a big deal out of how the new iPhones were designed from the ground up with heat management in mind. And we can't wait to run them through some torture tests!
The Pixel 10 Pro is equipped with Google's first truly custom chipset, the Tensor G5, which is built by TSMC on its own 3 nm manufacturing process. Until now, Google had to rely on Samsung for manufacturing previous Tensor chips, which were using the Exynos blueprints. No longer, as the Tensor G5 is now custom built to Google's specifications. Definitely faster than before, still not as fast as the top dogs in the markets. Though, with the Pixel 10 Pro's snappy performance, it's arguable whether we should care about the benchmark scores.
| iPhone 17 Pro | Google Pixel 10 Pro |
|---|---|
| Chip Apple A19 Pro | Chip Google Tensor G5 |
| Process 3nm | Process 3nm |
| RAM, Storage 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB 12/2TB | RAM, Storage 16/128GB 16/256GB 16/512GB 16/1TB |
We expect the iPhone 17 Pro to boast 12GB of RAM, an increase over the previous 8GB of RAM on previous iPhones, likely to accommodate the upcoming needs for AI. Apple doesn't reveal RAM amounts for iPhones, so we have to wait for 3rd party diagnostics to determine if that's true. The Pixel 10 Pro comes with 16 GB of RAM in every tier.
The iPhone 17 Pro comes in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB options, plus an entirely new 2 TB one. The Pixel 10 Pro is available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB versions.
The Pixel 10 Pro arrives with Android 16 and will be supported for seven years. The most intriguing new feature of Android 16 is Magic Cue, where the AI will be constantly aware of what's on your screen and suggest smart replies via action buttons. On-device AI only, folks, don't worry, nothing creepy here TM. Well, it also offers the Material 3 Expressive redesign, which aims to liven up the interface aesthetics of Google's operating system.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro will ship with iOS 26, a software update that should have been called iOS 19, but for consistency's sake, Apple renamed all of its operating systems. This one also comes with a redesign, dubbed Liquid Glass, and it's a design language spread across all Apple platforms. The iOS 26 update will also introduce many other changes — read more about them here.
Camera
An important change for the iPhone
With the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple is upgrading all three of its back cameras to 48 MP sensors. It also dubs all of them "Fusion cameras", meaning it employs sensor crop-in trickery to kind of, sort of give us "optical grade" zooming and thus simulate multiple lenses on the zoom wheel. From 16 mm to 200 mm equivalent (8x zoom). Digitally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max can now magnify to 40x, up from 25x before. Still a long way from the Pixel's 100x.
The Pixel 10 Pro is coming with mostly the same camera setup as the Pixel 9 Pro: a 50MP main camera, a 48MP ultrawide, a 48MP periscope with 5X optical zoom, and a high-res 42MP front-facing camera. The big change with the Pixel 10 Pro is the periscope camera, which has scored 100X Pro Res Zoom, finally bringing the Pixel in the big zooming leagues.
The Pixel 10 Pro is coming with mostly the same camera setup as the Pixel 9 Pro: a 50MP main camera, a 48MP ultrawide, a 48MP periscope with 5X optical zoom, and a high-res 42MP front-facing camera. The big change with the Pixel 10 Pro is the periscope camera, which has scored 100X Pro Res Zoom, finally bringing the Pixel in the big zooming leagues.
| iPhone 17 Pro | Pixel 10 Pro |
|---|---|
| Main 48 MP, f/1.8 24 mm | Main 50 MP, f/1.68 24 mm |
| Ultrawide 48 MP, f/2.2 13 mm | Ultrawide 48 MP, f/1.7 13 mm |
| Telephoto/periscope 48 MP, f/2.8 4X zoom | Telephoto/periscope 48 MP, f/2.8 5X zoom (113 mm), 100X Pro Res Zoom |
Apple also has a new selfie camera with a sprinkle of Apple magic on it. The new 18 MP "Center Stage" camera has a square sensor, so it can frame a selfie as vertical, horizontal, or square if you wish. Leave Center Stage on and it will automatically zoom in or out and adjust the frame when taking group selfies, too.
A new camera feature on the Pixel 10 Pro is called Camera Coach, and it's pretty much what it says on the tin: it will guide and help you to take a photo with a better composition.
Battery Life and Charging
Pixel scoring some important aspects
The Pixel 10 Pro has arrived with a fairly large 4,870 mAh battery, which should play well with the efficient Tensor G5 chip.
As for the iPhone 17 Pro – Apple doesn't talk about mAh, just promises "all-day battery". So, we are still going off on rumors here, waiting for the iPhones to get their first teardowns. And we expect the 17 Pro to have about 3,700 mAh or slightly more.
| iPhone 17 Pro | Pixel 10 Pro |
|---|---|
| Battery size ~3,700 mAh | Battery size 4,870 mAh |
Charging speeds 40W wired 25W wireless charging MagSafe 2.0 USB-C | Charging speeds 30W wired 15W Qi2 wireless charging Pixelsnap USB-C |
Apple gave us a pleasant surprise on the charging front — now, top up your iPhone with 40 W power bricks! It'll go from 0% to 50% in 20 minutes, which is a pretty nice upgrade. MagSafe 2.0 also charges with 25 W.
Google did also introduce its own Pixelsnap magnetic accessory ecosystem. But, sadly, only the Pixel 10 Pro XL gets Qi2.2 with 25 W charging. The regular Pixel 10 Pro gets the old Qi2 with 15 W. Boo! Also, the Pixel 10 Pro charges with 30 W on the wire.
Specs Comparison
Here's how the iPhone 17 Pro vs Pixel 10 Pro specs compare:
| iPhone 17 Pro | Pixel 10 Pro |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm 206 gr | Size, weight 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.6 mm 207 gr |
| Screen 6.3" OLED 120Hz ProMotion 3,000 nits peak brightness | Screen 6.3" OLED 120Hz 3,300 nits |
| Processor A19 Pro 3nm | Processor Tensor G5 3nm |
| Versions: 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 12GB/2TB LPDDR5 | Versions: 16GB/128GB 16GB/256GB 16GB/512GB 16GB/1TB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 48MP main 48MP ultra 48MP 4X zoom 18MP front | Cameras: 50MP main 48MP ultra 48MP 5X zoom, 100X Pro Res Zoom 42MP front |
| Battery: 3,700 mAh | Battery: 4,870 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 40W wired 25W wireless MagSafe 2.0 | Charging: USB-C 30W wired 15W Qi2 wireless Pixelsnap |
Summary
The Pixel 10 Pro is a very decent upgrade over the Pixel 9 Pro, with possibly better performance, battery life, camera, and Pixelsnap support, though the upgrades were more impressive on the larger Pixel 10 Pro XL.
But the iPhone 17 Pro is also scoring some interesting updates. Let's be real, even though the new visual look is a bit alien, it will end up being picked up as the exotic new flagship by many. It has camera improvements that sound interesting — hang on until we get to test them — and thermal management that should finally do justice to the A-class chips (hopefully). So... things are heating up (metaphorically speaking... hopefully!) !
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