Google is readying its next set of hardware announcements, and has already confirmed that the Pixel 10 series is launching next month. We even know what one of the phones looks like, thanks to the official image up above.
But beyond the few tidbits Google has shared officially, there’s an awful lot more we think we know about the Pixel 10 line thanks to leaks, from which phones are arriving — likely the 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold — to camera changes, chipset upgrades, and maybe even some long overdue Qi2 support.
Let’s start with some stone-cold facts. We know that the Pixel 10 line will be announced at a Made by Google event in New York on August 20th, where the company will show off “the latest on our Pixel phones, watches, buds, and more.”
We also know that one of the phones in the lineup will look like the image above, including that blue-gray finish. Color aside, that phone looks almost identical to the Pixel 9 Pro, right down to the flash and temperature sensor inside the camera bar, confirming that Google isn’t changing its design language.
That’s all Google has said for certain, but here’s everything else we’re expecting to see at the launch next month.
The biggest surprise this year appears to be a move to upgrade the base Pixel 10 to a triple rear camera, including a telephoto lens for the first time, bringing it in line with the three Pro models.
But before you get too excited, know that there are some downsides. To offset the added cost — and perhaps to give you a reason to consider the upgrade to the Pro — Google will reportedly downgrade the Pixel 10’s other cameras.
Android Authority reports that Google is using smaller sensors for the Pixel 10’s main camera and ultrawide than the Pixel 9 had, meaning the cameras will capture less light. In fact, it will apparently use the same sensors it did on the Pixel 9A. That means that unless Google has made improvements elsewhere, the Pixel 10’s main and ultrawide cameras will be worse than on the 9, but offset by the addition of the telephoto lens. At least the selfie camera should remain unchanged.
It also means the triple cameras on the 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL — which will apparently be unchanged from the 9 Pro models — will be superior to the 10 across the board. The 10 Pro Fold camera will be comparable to the 10’s, using the same sensors for its main and telephoto shooters, and similarly specced ones for the selfie and ultrawide. That represents a very slight upgrade to the main camera in the Fold, but the base 10 is the only model getting a real camera overhaul.
Google may also be making unexpected decisions about the phones’ colors, going by allegedly official renders leaked by Android Headlines.
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On the base Pixel 10 that means brighter colors than ever (and confirmation of that triple camera). The site reports that the phone will come in “Obsidian,” Google’s standard black finish, along with a vibrant blue called “Indigo,” a paler shade called “Frost,” and an almost fluorescent green dubbed “Limoncello.”
By contrast, the Pro models look muted. The 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL come in the same “Obsidian” black, plus the returning “Porcelain” white, a soft green called “Jade,” and a gray-blue called “Moonstone.” You might recognize that shade from Google’s official image up at the top.
Stranger are the colors for the 10 Pro Fold. Android Headlines reports that it only comes in two variants, but unlike last year those aren’t black and white. Instead, the Fold will apparently only be available in “Moonstone” and “Jade,” making it the rare phone to not launch in black at all.
For more confirmation of those colors, another leaked image from the Play Store shows the full Pixel 10 lineup together, with the three Pro models all in “Moonstone” and the regular 10 in “Indigo.”
This week the Wireless Power Consortium announced Qi2 25W, a faster version of the magnetic wireless charging standard, and promised support from “major Android smartphones.” We think that means the Pixel 10 line.
Google hasn’t supported Qi2 on its previous Pixels, but there are two good reasons to think that might be about to change. The first is the size of the new handsets. Android Headlines claims to have the official dimensions and weights of all four phones, and each is heavier than the previous generation, and all but the XL are thicker too.
There are a few possible explanations. One is that the phones will simply have bigger batteries, which several reports have suggested. But Google could also be making space for the magnets required to enable Qi2 support.
The second reason to expect Qi2 is that Android Authority reported in June that Google is preparing an ecosystem of magnetic Qi2 accessories under the “Pixelsnap” brand, including two chargers and a stand.
The risk is that instead of full Qi2 support, the Pixel 10 phones are only Qi2 Ready. That’s the certification recent Samsung flagships have, for phones that support Qi2 charging but don’t contain the magnets, requiring a magnetic case for full functionality.
With another Android Headlines report claiming that Google’s Pixel 10 cases will include magnets, some have taken that to mean Google’s phones won’t be magnetic themselves, but don’t be so sure — Apple’s MagSafe iPhone cases include their own magnets to supplement the ones in the phones, and Google could be doing the same here.
Boring, I know — every phone, every year, has a chipset upgrade. But we are expecting more from Google this time around.
Android Authority has repeatedly reported that for the new Tensor G5 chip Google is moving manufacturing from Samsung to TSMC, using the same 3nm N3E process Apple uses for the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro chip. Together with some tweaks to the core layout, that’s expected to produce a significant boost in processing power, closing the gap between Pixels and the competition.
Android Authority reports that Google is developing several new AI imaging features, though some may be for next year’s Pixel 11. “Speak-to-Tweak” should be a voice-based photo editing tool, while “Sketch-to-Image” will be the Pixel version of a feature already seen on Samsung phones.
The same site has separately reported that the Pixel 10 will have a new virtual assistant called “Pixel Sense,” once rumored to be called “Pixie.” Pixel Sense will use information from other Google apps to complete tasks across your phone, make predictive suggestions to help you before you ask, and better learn your tastes from all that data. Impressively, that will all be processed on-device.
It sounds like a more powerful version of the multimodal actions Google added to Gemini in January, but going by the name it will remain a Pixel exclusive.
These AI features will arrive alongside Android updates we’ve known about since Google I/O, like the big Material 3 Expressive redesign and a desktop mode based on Samsung’s DeX.
