If it wasn’t already evident, this 12 months’s Google I/O proved that AI could be very a lot the way forward for Android. The showcase even gave us the primary take a look at Android XR good glasses, a headset, and even a next-gen video conferencing package in motion. The essential miss between all of the snazzy product bulletins? The upcoming Pixel 10 sequence telephones.
In fact, I/O isn’t about {hardware}, however the deal with function bulletins this 12 months was geared extra in the direction of cellular customers than desktop. The Pixel’s absence was conspicuous, as even Google’s demos had executives displaying off Gemini AI developments on a Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely on a number of events.
It was fairly stunning to witness. In any case, Google sells the Pixel portfolio underneath the unofficial moniker of an AI cellphone. So, why was the main focus not solely on the Pixel 9 Professional or its foldable sibling, arguably top-of-the-line Android smartphones on the market? Why not give a glimpse of the Pixel 10 and hype it a bit?
Effectively, Google received’t say why, however most certainly, the corporate is saving the thrill for a flashy launch occasion within the coming months. Nonetheless, Google I/O gave a transparent view of the software program expertise that you’ll get on the Pixel 10 sequence. Android 16, and the entire AI shebang.
Digital camera enhancements on the middle
There are predominantly two primary causes for investing in a Pixel cellphone: a incredible digital camera and the newest from Android. Google already laid out the foundations for extra inventive management within the digital camera app through the beta testing section of Android 16. A few of these enhancements embody a software-assisted enhancement to low-light seize.
With the Camera2 API improve, a brand new hybrid auto publicity system will let customers simply make changes to ISO and publicity ranges, alongside granular tint and shade adjustment controls. If the photographic kinds on iPhone 16 Professional and its analog on the Galaxy S25 sequence, we’re getting one thing of the same caliber on the Pixel 10 sequence telephones.
Curiously, the digital camera upgrades may also tag alongside some battery effectivity enhancements. Because of the brand new native PCM offloading pipeline, Google notes that the onboard digital sign processor will have the ability to “deal with extra audio playback processing, thus conserving person battery.” In a nutshell, your cellphone will suck up much less batery juice throughout video and audio seize.
Hello-res video seize is sort of demanding on telephones, and I can’t wait to see what enhancements Google has within the pipeline for the Pixel 10. In a separate session focused at builders, Google additionally shed some gentle on the CameraX and Media3 stack.
It appears the vanilla Android expertise on the Pixel 10 sequence telephones will supply extra flexibility with adjusting side ratio and video resolutions. The Media3 impact connector may also open the doorways for including inventive filters. Of specific curiosity is the concurrent digital camera system that allows twin digital camera streams.
Leaks recommend that the Pixel 10 sequence’ {hardware} received’t supply any significant leg-up over the Pixel 9 household, so it’s extremely possible that the main focus shall be on software-based enhancements. And that brings us to…
AI enhancements
One of many buzziest bulletins from I/O 2025 was the discharge Veo 3 AI mannequin, which may generate photorealistic movies and add a becoming audio, as effectively. However the extra notable change was made to the older Veo 2 mannequin, and these sound tailored for smartphones.
Customers can now give it samples of images and movies as a method reference, outline the digital camera motion (rotate, zoom, dolly, and so forth.), broaden the body, and add or take away objects from movies. And it’s attainable on telephones, although I’m undecided if it may be dealt with on-device.
Picture-to-video era has already landed on the Honor 400 sequence, whereas Veo video era is feasible within the Gemini cellular app. In the meantime, the brand new Imagen 4 mannequin has additionally improved at photorealism and typography, whereas growing picture output to 2K decision.
The following apparent spot for all these AI photograph and video upgrades is the native Pixel digital camera, or the Pictures app. Think about importing an image, and having its model picked as much as seize photographs and video. You’ll be able to alter the body from portrait to panorama, and make particular modifications to the objects showing within the movies.
These options are already attainable with AI picture enhancing for photographs, and I received’t be stunned to see Google pushing it as a standout Pixel 10 perk. I’m simply hoping that Google doesn’t lock these options to the Professional fashions, particularly as a result of all of the fashions will possible depend on the identical silicon.
Transferring away from apps
Google has already created a system known as apps, previously often called extensions, that permits Gemini to work together with linked platforms. For instance, it might pull up particulars from Gmail, add an entry to Duties, deal with WhatsApp, amongst others. It’s nonetheless a piece in progress by way of adoption, however on the Pixel 10, we’re going to see agentic capabilities that transcend apps.
The key sauce is Challenge Mariner, and it involves life courtesy of AI mode within the Search app. To start with, it might autonomously deal with chores like ticket bookings, reservations, or buying primarily based on easy textual content enter like “discover me three tickets to the Arsenal sport on Sunday, and like low-cost seats.”
As an alternative of getting customers dig by means of Google search and take care of reserving apps, Challenge Mariner will deal with the tedious half. Whereas that’s spectacular in itself, AI mode queries may also check out tickets and reservations within the Gmail inbox (and Google apps) for tailor-made responses.
In a nutshell, even Google’s personal apps will begin dropping their appeal as the complete person interface shifts more and more in the direction of a unified AI-first Android expertise. Likewise, for duties that don’t require a Google Search, Gemini Dwell will take over. Given Google’s historic deal with AI accelerator chips and on-device processing, I’m assured that the Pixel 10 will push these as a spotlight profit.
Proper now, Gemini Dwell can solely maintain conversations primarily based on what you say or what it sees by means of the digital camera. Quickly, it is possible for you to to execute duties mid-way by means of voice chats throughout apps similar to Calendar, Maps, and Duties, amongst others. This can tie broadly into the Challenge Astra capabilities, which you’ll see in motion above.
Extra of the identical factor
The theme of AI was recurring throughout Google’s builders convention. For those who care concerning the numbers, it was heard 92 instances through the I/O keynote. So far as the Pixel 10 sequence telephones go, leaks recommend they might look virtually equivalent to their respective Pixel 9 sequence counterparts.
That leaves Google ready the place it has to innovate extra with software program than {hardware} potentialities. The query is, simply how far can Google go along with the Android and AI experiences to make the Pixel 10 Professional really feel recent, when it serves primarily the identical {hardware} formular as its predecessor.
Apple is not any stranger to this technique, and neither is Samsung. It’s a significant technique, because it permits engineers to additional refine the {hardware} at hand, and construct significant software program experiences. It stays to be seen whether or not the Pixel 10 sequence could make a leap.