Pixel 9 Pro XL
Ewan Spence
Google will be holding its next “Made By Google” event on August 20, where the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro smartphones will be launched. Not only will Google bring the latest hardware to the public, but it will also aggressively price the Pixel smartphones to gain market share in both retail sales and the critical AI services space.
Pixel 10 Pro Pricing Stays Steady
The latest information from retailers around the world, including Europe, the US and Canada, is that Google will retain the same pricing structure as the Pixel 9 family.
This means the Pixel 10 will start at $799 for the 128 GB model, the Pixel 10 Pro starts at $999, the Pixel 10 Pro XL at $1,199 for 256 GB and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold at $1,799 for 256 GB.
Pixel 10 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro
The obvious competition will be Apple’s iPhone. Due to launch in the second week of September, the upcoming iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro smartphones are expected to see a $50 increase across the board, pushing up the perceived price point. Apple is balancing this out by bumping up the base storage from 128 GB to 256 GB, but it’s going to need someone carefully looking through the spec sheets to spot that little bonus.
Google is taking a similar approach to Apple, with one model in the range. While the Pixel 9 Pro XL offered a 128 GB option, the Pixel 10 Pro XL will start with a 256 GB model. This matches the 256 GB Pixel 9 Pro XL, but it is another perceived price rise; even if it does give Google a smooth price ladder of $799 to $999 to $1,199 with the candybar phones.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold does break this, but Tech Radar reports on a potential delay to Google’s third foldable, which leaves the three regular phones to represent the portfolio.
Pixel 10 Pro’s Gemini Boost
One clear advantage that Google has over Apple is the robustness of AI on the Android platform. While Apple has struggled to bring the awkwardly backronymed Apple Intelligence to meet user expectations, Android manufacturers have tapped into the base offering from Google and then augmented the offering with their own.
Google will update many of its own Android apps with new AI routines and features, which will push the Pixel family ahead of Apple and likely remain in the lead when iOS 26 and the iPhone 17 family reach consumers.
It will be interesting to see just how much value-add Google will offer with the Pixel family. In previous years, the company bundled trial periods of the highest Google AI subscription plans with each handset.
The Pixel family will keep the price low while offering more from the latest software, as the competition moves in the opposite direction. It’s an aggressive move, but with Apple showing an atypical weakness in the iOS platform, the time is right for Google to press its advanage.
Now read the latest Pixel 10 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S, and smartphone headlines in Forbes’ weekly Android news digest…
