Joseph Maldonado/ZDNET
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Google’s new Pixel 10 isn’t worth the upgrade for me.
- It comes down to cost, color, and lack of new killer features.
- Too much AI is also a deterrent.
The new Pixel 10 is upon us, and, as usual, Google wants us all to upgrade. For many of us, trading in our current model for a discount on the newer version has become a yearly tradition. I’ve done it ever since Google adopted the trade-in policy, and it has served me well.
However, this year is different. I will not be upgrading to the Pixel 10. Why, you ask? Allow me to break it down.
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It starts with the cost
Joseph Maldonado/ZDNET
For the past few years, I’ve dropped between $600 and $1,000 (depending on trade-in value and availability) every time Google has released a new phone. If you add in the latest Pixel Watch, you can add roughly $400 to that total.
It adds up.
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This year, with the price of everything increasing, spending upwards of $1,000 on a new phone/watch is hard to justify. At this point in time, the cost of living has precluded my ability to spend on — what many would consider — an unnecessary expense. Additionally, the rising inflation has forced me to rethink such purchases.
The cost of the combined phone and watch roughly equals a mortgage payment or month of rent, and I would rather have a roof over my head than a new phone in my bag. It could end there, but it doesn’t.
A worthy upgrade?
Here’s the thing: My Pixel 9 Pro is the best phone I’ve ever used. No, it’s not perfect, but no phone is. But it’s as close to perfection as Google has ever produced. Is it worth spending close to a grand for what seems to be a minor upgrade?
Sure, Google is embedding even more AI into the phone, but that doesn’t excite me. What excites me is more powerful and sleek hardware, and in those two categories, the upgrade from the Pixel 9 Pro to the Pixel 10 Pro is just too incremental to have me jonesing to buy.
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It would take something pretty special to get me to upgrade from the Pixel 9 Pro, and the 10 doesn’t achieve that feat.
Another reason (and some might think this silly) is that my Pixel 9 Pro colorway has been my favorite to date, and the offered colors for the 10 do not include it. In fact, the Pixel 10 Pro colorways are rather boring. I’m a fan of aesthetics (and good design, and powerful hardware), so in that respect, upgrading to the Pixel 10 Pro would be a downgrade for me.
My Pixel 9 Pro still performs like it’s brand new, and that performance blows away all phones I’ve used in the past. In my view, Google created a problem for itself with the Pixel 9 Pro because it’s a phone that I simply don’t want to let go of. I look at it the same way as I do Ubuntu Linux releases: every other year, they unleash a new LTS (Long Term Support) version of the OS, and most users skip the non-LTS releases. That’s how I’m starting to see the Pixel phone releases.
Too much AI
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate AI. For example, one of the new AI features allows Gemini to connect to Maps and find restaurants, then text the list to the family group chat for you. It’s possible that, via Gemini, Google can then build an even more accurate profile of you and your preferences. Gemini will also make it possible to share your camera in Gemini Live.
No thanks.
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You’ll also get a 1-year subscription to the Gemini AI Pro plan, which is $20/month. What if Google doesn’t make it obvious or easy to cancel that plan, or you forget to cancel it? I’ve had that happen to me on several occasions, and getting the money back is no easy feat.
Again, no thanks.
There’s also the new Magic Cue feature that further personalizes AI to help “connect the dots across your digital life.” I personally don’t want AI anticipating my needs, as I do that well enough on my own.
The one thing I might miss out on
Joseph Maldonado/ZDNET
I will say this: the new Pixelsnap feature sounds pretty cool. Essentially, this feature adds magnetic tech to the Pixel phone so you can “snap” your phone to accessories (such as chargers). In my case, I purchased a case for my Pixel 9 Pro, which has a magnetic feature built in as well, so I don’t actually need this. However, if I decided to go without a case, I’d lose the feature. Not so with the Pixel 10.
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Sorry, Google, I love your phones, but I love my Pixel 9 Pro more than I love the idea of dropping a grand on an incremental (at best) upgrade. I’ll keep my pink Pixel 9 Pro until a new Pixel makes my current one look and feel obsolete.
