I bought the Pixel 10 Pro, and I regret not getting the XL

I bought the Pixel 10 Pro, and I regret not getting the XL Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police | Google By  Mark Jansen Published 40 minutes ago Mark has almost a decade of experience reporting on mobile technology, working previously with Digital Trends. Taking a less-than-direct route to technology writing, Mark began his Android journey while studying for a BA in Ancient & Medieval History at university. But since then, he's cast his eyes firmly on the future, with a deep love for anything that bleeps or bloops. Outside of Android tech of all types, Mark loves to hike, play video games, build small plastic men that cost far too much, and spend time with his two daughters. Sign in to your Android Police account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

I miss when choosing a phone was simply a case of picking the expense level you were willing to shoulder. Did I want the most advanced phone I could get? Get the latest flagship phone.

Today, that decision is then followed by a number of new choices. Do I want a standard flagship, or the super-duper ultra flagship phone? Big or small screen? Heck, you even have to take the number of camera lenses into account.

Of all the recent offenders here, the Google Pixel 10 has been amongst the least egregious. The Pixel 10 Pro I bought is largely the same as the Pixel 10 Pro XL, just with a smaller, more pocketable screen.

So I was surprised when I came to a horrifying conclusion recently: I wish I'd bought the Pixel 10 Pro XL instead.

Read our review Google Pixel 10 Pro XL: I love it, but here's why I can't justify it

It's all Google's fault for making 3 great phones

Posts 9 By  Andy Boxall Sep 7, 2025

A bigger screen for older eyes

Remember when a phone with a 6.3-inch screen would be classed as a phablet? The Galaxy S8+ had a 6.2-inch display, and felt enormous then. A pocket hazard, simply too big to be used properly.

These days, it would be on the smaller side of devices. The Pixel 10 Pro tops it by 0.1 of an inch, and yet, it feels too small. So what changed?

For a start, I have. I've gotten older, and my eyes aren't quite as pin-sharp as they used to be when looking at close-up images.

To my horror, reading glasses have found their way into my life, and are especially useful when assembling Warhammer miniatures.

That's really only for comfort, though, and most of the time, I'm able to see my phone just fine. But sometimes, I would benefit from something a little bigger.

Take reading manga, for instance. Manga is generally meant to be larger than the Pixel 10 Pro's screen allows, so the smaller details are hard to see, and small text is impossible to read without zooming in.

And since manga is basically just an image, those problems carry over to social media.

I love how easily my Pixel 10 Pro fits into my pocket. I love how easy it is to hold and how easy it is to reach everything on the screen.

I'm happy with it. But sometimes, I do wish it had a bigger screen.

Qi2 charging is great, and the XL has more of it

My biggest surprise using the Pixel 10 Pro has been how much I love Qi2 and Pixel Snap.

I've never been a fan of wireless charging, and I was expecting that to continue with the Pixel 10 Pro. It's just a couple of magnets. How much difference could that possibly make?

Turns out, quite a lot.

I purchased a desk stand out of curiosity, and it changed everything. Since then, I've bought a magnetic car cradle/charger, a magnetic power bank, a ring stand, and I covet pretty much anything that snaps onto the back of my phone.

Well, the Pixel 10 Pro XL has the same Pixel Snap compatibility, so how is this an entry here? I guess you can point out it has a larger back, so I can snap larger things to it, but honestly, it's the difference in wireless charging speed that's caught my attention.

The Pro XL boosts its charging speed from 15W to a much faster 25W, giving me more charge for the amount of time it's on the charger.

My phone only spends short periods on the car charger, but it would be nice for it to slurp up a little more charge whenever it's on there.

I also wouldn't complain about the increased wired charging speed, though I have less interest in those sorts of increases.

But given my new obsession with Pixel Snap, getting a bit extra out of my wireless chargers would be delightful.

More battery is always welcome

This is pretty self-explanatory: Who doesn't love a bigger battery? This isn't as big a factor as the previous two points, but it is still notable enough.

To be clear, I'm not disappointed by the Pixel 10 Pro's battery. It's fine. It works well enough that my battery anxiety doesn't come into play, and I don't keep it on battery saver mode like I did for my Galaxy Z Fold 5.

But the Pixel 10 Pro XL has a larger battery, and tests have shown a slight increase in battery life as a result.

Thankfully, I'm not a mobile gamer, so my battery isn't as run ragged as it could be — but I do watch a lot of YouTube videos, especially when doing chores. And that has a big impact on the battery, and if I'm catching up on the laundry or washing up, well, my battery takes a big beating.

Getting a bit more juice out of my phone when I'm busy folding clothes would be lovely. But as mentioned, this is very much a nice-to-have entry.

The Pixel 10 Pro is great, I just wish there was more to love

I really love my Pixel 10 Pro, but it's hard to say I don't wish it were just a little bit bigger.

But the worst part is I don't always feel that way.

Most of the time, I'm happy with my little Pixel, as it slips into my pocket, and nestles snugly in my hand, and just generally gets on with being subtle and unobtrusive.

And I don't really want a massive phone that bellows "WITNESS ME" through its sheer size and weight.

But I can't deny that, sometimes, the XL model would be nice to have. When it's 2 am, and I'm putting a child back to sleep, it would be nice to be able to see manga text through the film of sleep on my eyes.

When I'm steaming through tasks and realize my battery is lower than I'd thought. When I slap my phone onto a magnetic charger and know it'll charge just that bit more on a fifteen-minute drive.

It's actually worse because I'm happy with my Pixel 10 Pro most of the time. If it were a constant niggle, then I'd just trade it in for the larger model.

It's actually annoying that the Pixel 10 Pro is as good as it is. Because if it were a bad phone, I would just swap over to the XL model and be happy. But it's so good that I can't really justify that.

Annoyingly, there is one obvious solution to this problem, and it's to buy the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. And maybe that's what I've learned here, that I'm now just a foldable guy — and that I can never really be satisfied with a standard phone ever again.

• Google Pixel 10 Pro SoC Google Tensor G5 RAM 16GB Storage 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS Battery 4870mAh Operating System Android 16 Front camera 42 MP Dual PD selfie camera

  Google's latest Pro Pixel packs a faster yet efficient Tensor G5 chip, an upgraded ISP, and a brighter display. Plus, an array of new AI features that make it one of the best Android phones to launch in 2025.

  $999 at Amazon $999 at Best Buy Expand Collapse
• Google Pixel 10 Pro XL SoC Google Tensor G5 RAM 16GB Storage 256 GB / 512 GB / 1TB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS Battery 5200mAh Operating System Android 16 Front camera 42 MP Dual PD selfie camera

  The Pixel 10 Pro XL packs all the same features you'll find on its less expensive siblings, along with a few exclusive features like a 6.8-inch display and faster charging.

  $1199 at Amazon $1199 at Google Store $1199 at Best Buy Expand Collapse

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