Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL is here! Here’s how its improvements stack up against the iPhone 16 Pro Max
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is now real and in our hands. We’ve run the tests, we’ve doomscrolled through Instagram, we’ve checked out the AI shenanigans and Material Design 3. And, as we wait for the iPhone 17 Pro Max to begin shipping — we can still compare Google’s best to the best iPhone that we have right now. That being the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is about to be officially dethroned.
Pixel 10 Pro XL vs iPhone 16 Pro Max differences:
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If you’ve seen the Pixel 9 Pro XL, chances are you have a good idea of what the Pixel 10 Pro XL looks like. Google is sticking to its guns with that iconic camera bar and flat design language. It’s instantly recognizable and feels pretty good in the hand.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL does grow slightly (emphasis on slightly) heavier because of its bigger battery and Qi2 magnets added to the phone. You could say it’s a tiny bit heavier than the iPhone 16 Pro Max (232 g vs 227 g), but a difference of 5 grams is not really noticeable. It’s apparently still made of aluminum, though it has the shiny finishes yet again.
Meanwhile, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max is pulling some subtle but meaningful tricks of its own. It came with slightly slimmer bezels, and is a touch lighter thanks to that titanium frame that Apple introduced in 2023. The general footprint stays familiar, but makes things a bit more comples with two extra buttons — the Action Button and Camera Control buttons, if you recall.
Both phones bring that flagship heft and premium feel, both with IP68 water- and dust-resistance (because of course they would have it), and both should be built like tanks.
Like every self-respecting «Pro» product, the Pixel 10 Pro XL comes in more muted and grounded colors — not vibrant and saturated. These are Moonstone (gray-ish), Jade (green-ish), Porcelain (white-ish), and Obsidian (dark gray to black). The iPhone 16 Pro Max is similar with its serious-looking Desert Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium.
Display Differences
The Pixel 10 Pro XL sports a 6.8-inch Super Actua OLED display, pushing 3,300 nits of peak brightness. Super Actua is Google’s tech that makes sure that the colors don’t get skewed when you boost brightness — that’s a good thing. It also has a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate, beautifully thin bezels, and that vibrant Pixel color tuning.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max? We know it — a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (say that 10 times fast) with all the usual Apple punch: ultra-smooth 120Hz ProMotion, industry staple calibration, and a brightness that combats the reflections of the summer sun. But it hits 2,000 nits peak, so much less bragging rights.
You should be happy with both displays, though it’s worth noting that the Pixels — being Android and all — do give you some fine controls over color calibration, so you can boost the saturation if that’s what you prefer.
The Pixel has higher peak brightness and also measures higher at 20% APL and fullscreen brightness. So, hands down it’s the brighter display. The iPhone does have its sub-nit minimum brightness going for it — it’s a much better bedside buddy. The Pixels’ colors also measure closer to target, while the iPhone is skewed more towards warm yellows.
With blue light filters and live calibrations based on ambience, both of these screens look good and, more importantly, are softer on the eyes.
For the first time ever, Google’s Tensor chip doesn’t piggyback off Samsung’s Exynos legacy. The new Tensor G5 is a fully custom SoC, manufactured by TSMC on a 3nm process — the same cutting-edge tech Apple’s already using in its A-series chips.
This could be huge for Pixel. Google states a 34% improvement in CPU speed, which was much needed.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, holds the A18 Pro — a chip we are well acquainted with. Performance is world-class, with the minor caveat that the huge scores drop fast when it heats up and is forced to throttle (they still drop to fairly high numbers, mind you).
