Google Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 9 Pro: Worth waiting for?

Google finally gave us two sizes of its Pro series phones with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. This is something Pixel fans have been asking for for years, and it's nice to see Google delivering on that front. The Pixel 9 Pro was a mature leap forward in design, and it had some of the best AI features to come in an Android phone.

However, it wasn't without its flaws. The display still had a draconian PWM dimming rate; the processor simply wasn't suited for competitive gaming, and the measly 128GB base storage was a low blow for a phone that was more expensive than its predecessor.

All those who skipped the 2024 model in the hopes of getting the Pixel 10 Pro this year are probably not going to be too happy. The Pixel 10 series is expected sometime in August, and going by the leaks so far, it doesn't appear to be drastically different from the 9 Pro. This begs the question when comparing the Google Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 9 Pro — is it really worth waiting for?

Google Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 9 Pro: Design and display

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Our best look at the Pixel 10 Pro comes from this alleged hands-on photo posted by Mystic Leaks. The phone looks virtually identical to the 9 Pro except for the rear camera bar, which looks visibly larger. This increase in size has seemingly been further confirmed thanks to Thinborne's new cases for the Pixel 10 series, which are apparently already sold out.

It's unsurprising that Google hasn't made any drastic changes to the design, as it underwent a major overhaul just last year. I'm sure we'll see a few nips and tucks in the construction and layout of things, but the Pixel 10 Pro should largely look and feel the same. We would love a lower weight, though, as the 9 Pro is not exactly light at nearly 200g.

The Pixel 9 Pro is already built extremely well, so there wasn't much to change in the first place. The front and back have Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for scratch resistance, and there's an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The protruding rear camera island didn't win over everyone, and it remains on the 10 Pro as well. The Pixel 10 Pro should have the exact same weather resistance and rugged construction.

The Pixel 9 Pro features a 6.3-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness, and a high pixel count of about 495 ppi. The one thing that we didn't like about it was the awful 240Hz PWM dimming rate, which can cause severe headaches if you're eyes are sensitive to flicker. Pretty much everyone in the industry has moved to a higher PWM rate or has switched to DC dimming entirely, but not Google.

There's no evidence to suggest that the Pixel 10 Pro's display is going to be much different. This means we're looking at the same size, resolution, and brightness specs in all likelihood. There's a ray of hope, though, that Google might have fixed the PWM dimming issue in the 10 Pro. Google exclusively told Android Central this April that its teams "are aware and investigating this" and that "you can expect updates later this year." This last piece of the puzzle could put the Pixel 10 Pro's display among the best, alongside the likes of the OnePlus 13.

Google Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 9 Pro: Hardware and specs

There's no word on the pricing for the Pixel 10 Pro, but we expect the price of the smaller Pro to remain the same, considering Google raised it just last year. This means it should be $999 for the 10 Pro's 128GB, and there'll be two more storage tiers after this. The 10 Pro XL should be $100 more across variants, according to rumors. A recent leak suggests that Google might rejig the storage tiers of the XL model and start with 256GB. Honestly, I hope it does that for the standard Pro too, as 128GB is way too low these days, especially for a "Pro" phone.

The Pixel 9 Pro is still sold at the above prices at most places, unless you purchase it during a sale or through your carrier. Once the Pixel 10 Pro hits shelves, though, the 9 Pro's price will come down. Whether it makes a good deal or not totally depends on the discount, but if it's not more than $100, you might as well spring for the 10 Pro.

The Pixel 10 Pro is expected to feature the Tensor G5 SoC, which is rumored to be a significant development as it may be the first SoC designed in-house by Google. Past Tensor chips have used Samsung's Exynos designs, which is why they have never been able to really compete with Qualcomm's offerings. All that should change with the Pixel 10 Pro.

We should also expect a slight boost in battery capacity to 4,870mAh and a quicker wired charging speed of 29W. It's not much compared to what the competition offers, but it's a step in the right direction for Pixels. The cameras, on the other hand, are expected to remain largely unchanged. We'll likely have new features, but don't expect any significant changes to the sensors.

The Pixel 9 Pro doesn't perform well in heavy gaming, as the Tensor G4 chip throttles quite noticeably. It's more efficient than the G3, but not a lot more powerful as far as raw performance goes. The cameras on the Pixel 9 Pro are fantastic and can deliver superb details and colors in pretty much all lighting conditions.

The haptics were something that really stood out, too, when we reviewed it. Battery life is also greatly improved over the Pixel 8 Pro thanks to the more power-efficient SoC and optimized software.

Google Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 9 Pro: Software

The Pixel 10 Pro will most definitely ship with Android 16 as Google has already rolled out the stable release for the Pixel 9 series. Along with this, you can expect seven years of software updates, which would include OS upgrades and security patches. The Pixel 10 Pro could potentially get two more Android versions than the Pixel 9 Pro since the latter launched with Android 14 instead of Android 15 or 16.

With the Pixel 9 Pro, we saw it get exclusive AI features like Add Me and Video Boost, and we're sure there are some exclusive features in the works for the Pixel 10 Pro that won't make it to the 9 Pro. These exclusive features are usually bound by the hardware in the phone, which is why they don't make it to previous generation models. As to what those exclusive features actually are, we'll have to wait till August to find out.

Google Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 9 Pro: Which one should you buy?

If you've skipped the Pixel 9 Pro in anticipation of something better in 2025, my vote would go to the Pixel 10 Pro. Considering it's rumored to come in at the same price as the Pixel 9 Pro and with pre-order bonuses, the Pixel 10 Pro would be worth getting over the 9 Pro at the same price. Even if only a few of the rumors pan out like the improved performance of the Tensor G5 or the slightly larger battery, it's still a win-win if you're coming from a Pixel 8 Pro or older phone.

Gaming performance and the low PWM dimming display were our biggest gripes with the Pixel 9 Pro, but if these things don't bother you, you should wait for a price drop on the 9 Pro if you don't want to pay sticker price. The Pixel 9 Pro is still one of the best Android phones that has a lot going for it and is easier to recommend in 2025 if you can find a good deal. You likely won't be sacrificing too much over the 10 Pro, apart from maybe some AI features, slightly better battery life, and better gaming performance.