In case you missed it last week among other big news items, Google shipped a phone camera with a zoom feature that uses generative AI. That's right: the Pixel 10 Pro comes with AI right inside the camera app that cleans up otherwise crappy digital zoom images all the way up to 100x. It's a what-is-a-photo nightmare, but it's also pretty good - at least it seems to be.
Google's new Pixel lineup includes the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold . These are among the most advanced phones right now, and Google is leaving no stone unturned to convert iPhone users. Apart from the new MagSafe-like PixelSnap feature, the company is targeting Apple Intelligence's missed opportunity with a free Google AI Pro plan to sway Apple fans.
This seems to be the year that Google's AI features are actually starting to add up to something useful. After a week testing the Pixel 10 Pro, my colleagues Allison Johnson and Vee Song say some of the new features are legitimately useful - at least when they work, which isn't always as expected. Case in point: the live translate feature could shift their voices from one language into another... until they broke down and just started screeching.
It's evident that Google's main aim is to lure iPhone users away. This is both something Google itself is asserting and in all ways evident from the company's priorities. Rather than relying on a reputation of Pixels being the "smartest smartphone", as some have described it in years past, its main claim to fame is the soft, rounded, friendly face its hardware-software combo provides.
Google's latest flagship, the , is finally here, bringing its Pixelized blend of AI smarts and photographic intelligence to the premium Android space. I'm always excited for the release of a new Pixel, but now more than ever, it faces some tough competition at $999. If you're on the fence about whether to pick up Google's newest Pixel, you should consider that several other phones offer equal or greater value for your money, each with its own unique spin on speed, battery life, cameras,
The Pixel line has often been on the cutting edge of mobile photography. This year, that means baking AI straight into the camera app and making us grapple with all of the very messy things that means. I've been scouring the internet for sample images of the Pixel 10 Pro's AI-enhanced 100x zoom feature - Pro Res Zoom - and the early results have been all over the place.
