The Google Pixel 10 Pro is ruining all other Android phones for me

It’s difficult to believe the Pixel 10 Pro is nine months old. I haven’t been quiet in my appreciation for it; I called it the phone I’d always wanted Google to make, and I still feel the same way all these months later.

I’ve used other Android phones that are better than my Pixel in many ways, but each time I do, the same thing happens: I count down the time until I can put my SIM card back into Google’s phone. Simply put, the Pixel 10 Pro has ruined all other Android phones for me.

I’ve used more exciting phones

Over the last few months, I’ve used some incredible phones. I loved using the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but that honeymoon period quickly wore off, and I missed my Pixel. Then there’s the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a phone that, on paper, is far better than my Pixel. There’s also the 2026 Razr lineup, which is so good I think it should kick Samsung back into gear.

All of those phones are better than my Pixel 10 Pro in some way. The S26 Ultra has a larger battery, faster charging, and a more flexible camera system. The Razr Ultra, like the S26 Ultra, has a bigger battery and a superior chip to the Tensor G5, with the added excitement of being a flip phone.

Samsung phones have a software advantage, too. While Android 17 has added some of the features I was missing, there are still plenty of things I miss from Samsung’s software. Modes and Routines automate mundane tasks, widget stacks should be included on all phones, and Samsung’s Now Bar is the best implementation of Live Updates on Android.

With all of that in mind, my Pixel should be sitting in my desk drawer while I use one of these phones instead — but that’s not the case.

Greater than the sum of its parts

The Pixel 10 Pro doesn’t need a Snapdragon chip. I’ve never been a mobile gamer; I don’t need to max out the graphics settings in Genshin Impact or run a benchmarking app for multiple runs to earn clout on Twitter. If the chip in my phone can make the everyday experience smooth and power the tasks I use my phone for, I’m happy.

The Pixel 10 Pro does those things. What do I do with my phone? Email, messaging, music streaming, taking a worrying amount of photos of my cat (cat tax below), and playing KOTOR — a game so old my watch could run it. The Pixel 10 Pro can do all of these things without breaking a sweat.

The camera is still a big reason I come back to the Pixel. The S26 Ultra can keep its four lenses and 200MP main sensor if the processing and shutter lag make the photos it produces so much worse than what my Pixel can do.

Wrapping that camera hardware up in a phone that’s comfortable to use is another reason I love my 10 Pro. I used big phones for a long time (I used a Nexus 6 as my daily driver), but last year I realized I wanted something that wouldn’t make my hands cramp. A phone that wouldn’t repeatedly fall out of my hand during the night and land on me. Or the cat. Or my wife. My old S24 Ultra caused some bruises.

My Pixel 10 Pro isn’t as small or light as the base Galaxy S25 I used for a while last year, but the S25’s cameras are appalling. The Pixel 10 Pro strikes a perfect balance between powerful hardware and ease of use, and it’s the sweet spot, at least for me.

There might be One UI features that I miss, but they don’t compare to the goodies Google includes with its phones. Now Playing has been around for a long time, but it’s still something I notice is missing whenever I use a phone that doesn’t have it. It’s the same story with the call screening features. Samsung and others have started catching up with what the Pixel offers, but it still doesn’t compare. I spend a lot of time on hold scheduling all of my medical appointments, and the Pixel makes it less of a chore. It doesn’t just screen calls; it helps navigate phone trees and stays on hold for me, sparing me the awful NHS hold music.

Software support matters to me, and that’s another reason I love the Pixel. Motorola’s Razr Ultra, a $1,400 phone, is only getting three years of support. Samsung may offer the same seven years as Google, but updates are always late. I find Samsung particularly frustrating here. When I owned the Galaxy S10 through to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, updates were quite fast, at least compared to the old TouchWiz days. That changed when One UI 7 came around, which was one of the messiest software launches I’ve ever seen. One UI 8 and 8.5 haven’t been much better, either.

Not quite Pixel-perfect

The Pixel isn’t perfect. It constantly interferes with my music in the car. I wish media playback could be controlled via Live Updates. While Tensor does everything I want it to, I hope it gets better — even if it looks like that hope is unfounded.

But those complaints are tiny compared to the things I love about the phone, and the overall experience makes the Pixel 10 Pro feel like “mine” in a way few other phones have. It’s difficult to put into words, but every time I pick up my Pixel 10 Pro, it just feels right, from the size to the cameras and from the display to the software.

The Pixel 10 Pro isn’t the absolute best Android phone you can buy, but for what I want and value from one, it’s about as good as it gets.