Why Pixel 10 Pro XL BEATS S25 Ultra | Review
I really want to like the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and it is indeed better than the S25 UItra in some areas. For example it is one of the first to support 15W Qi2 wireless charging with magnets to perfectly align the coils, like Magsafe. On the hardware side, the Pixel does have 16GB of RAM, even for the 256GB model, while the S25 Ultra only has 12GB, and if you want 16 because you need smoother multitasking, you’ll need to get the 1TB model which is way more expensive.
But, the S25 Ultra does have a more capable processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, compared to the Tensor G5, which is capable in its own right and very efficient, except that Tensor’s not known to be as awesome at graphics processing. Nonetheless, even if there are things the Pixel does better, as a whole, I prefer the S25 Ultra and I’m going to tell you why, as well as how they compare in terms of camera, and sound quality.
Yes, sound. Because no one talks about that, and the Pixel’s sound is.. meh.
Camera
First let’s talk about cameras. This is where the Pixel 10 XL shines the most. Its rear camera setup is almost comparable to the S25 Ultra. It doesn’t have the 10MP 3x Telephoto, and the 200MP wide camera sensor, instead you have a 50MP wide, and both Ultrawide and 5x Telephoto lenses are 48MP. Its front camera is also 42MP compared to the Samsung’s 12, but it’s not just about Megapixels, it’s also about color science and stabilization.
In both areas, the Pixel wins because I find that when shooting photos, colours are deeper, more true to life, and it really captured that Golden hour beauty, whereas the Samsung’s colours look a little more muted. The Pixel also has, for the first time, 100x digital zoom. It relies on AI to clean the image up, and it does look nicer, more even than what the Samsung can achieve at 100x. But sometimes the AI does get it wrong. For example, what should look like the Singapore flag now looks like the Indonesian flag with a stain on it.
What the Pixel can do just as well as the Samsung is Magic Eraser. When I want to erase my arm from my face, both can do almost as well as removing the arm, then filling in my face, although the Pixel had my eye looking a little weird.
When shooting videos, the Samsung’s stabilization is great but with zoomed in videos, although it does capture more detail, video looks more jittery than the Pixel. Where the Samsung is better is in terms of low light video performance, because it relies on on-device processing to clean the image up, compared to the Pixel which doesn’t clean up the image unless you use the Video Boost feature.
Video boost can clean up videos better than the S25 Ultra, but it’s much slower, because the actual cleaning up and processing is done in the Cloud, which means it’s slower, and for it to work, you need to be connected to the internet. Nonetheless, I prefer the Pixel’s camera for its balance of color, better stabilized videos, and features.
Plus, the Add Me feature is super fun.
👉 Have a look at video samples
Sound Quality
Sound quality is where the Pixel is a mixed bag. I think its speakers are tuned very well. It sounds just as loud as the Samsungs, but has more lows, less shrillness in the mids, less annoying at max volume. But over Bluetooth and USB-C wired audio, the Samsung takes the cake. On Bluetooth, the S25 Ultra has more vibrance, so you do get more of that air in the soundstage, and listening over USB-C, there’s better stereo imaging, a cleaner sound, but still retaining the same deep, heavy bass.
In contrast, the Pixel sounds very different over USB-C, much thinner and flatter compared to Bluetooth, which is weird. It’s like someone forgot to check for consistency of sound across the different ways people might listen. I also like the fact that the Samsung has way more options to customize its sound, so if you do happen to prefer less bass, heavier mids, you can tweak it with the graphic equalizer, or choose a ready-made preset. I’ve recorded some sound samples showing the difference. 👉 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
The Samsung also has Dolby Atmos so whether you’re listening or watching, it can apply the correct spatial audio to both the speakers or over wireless headphones, while the Pixel’s spatial audio only works over Bluetooth. Now, what audio codecs does the Pixel Support? Depending on what’s connected to it, it does show that it supports LDAC, regular aptX and aptX HD. Samsung doesn’t support aptX HD, only regular aptX and LDAC.
What I Like And I Don’t Like
So what do I love about the Pixel 10 Pro XL? There’s the superb build quality, it feels way more substantial than the S25 Ultra, like a solid slab of marble. Battery life is good. With screen settings set to max resolution and frame rate, I got a full day’s use with 16% left to spare using the cameras and watching videos. It’s also a much cleaner experience, no bloatware, just Android and the apps you want on there. But I guess to really get the benefits of a Pixel device, it needs to be used super long term because the AI needs some time to get to know you from the apps you use and your queries.
And the more you use it, the more useful it gets. Like Magic Cue, that feature seems pretty useful, because it’s like building your own AI agent that lets you do more with less effort.
Camera Coach is great because my wife keeps criticising my camera angles, now if it’s a bad shot of her, I can just blame Camera Coach.
As for Gemini Live, they’re hyping it up a lot and it IS useful, but it’s already available on other Android phones. And that’s where the main problem with the Pixel lies. Since the top Android phones all use Gemini, there isn’t much that the Pixel can do that other phones like the S25 Ultra can’t. There’s also the S-Pen. I don’t use it all but some people do use it for scribbles and notes on the S25 Ultra.
Furthermore, the S25 Ultra has had an 8 months headstart, so its software and UX is smoother now, whereas sometimes I do get unresponsive screen areas on the Pixel.
Conclusion
But I’m sure that, with further updates these little issues mentioned above will get fixed. I just hope that they’ll also improve the sound quality aspect, because as of now, that is the main reason I prefer the S25 Ultra more than the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Whether over Bluetooth or wired, I want consistently great sound quality.
But if it’s camera quality and features that rock your boat, the Pixel is the better choice. How about you? Would you pick the Pixel 10 Pro XL, or the Samsung S25 Ultra?
Check Latest Prices:
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL - https://amzn.to/3Vlme1v
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra - https://amzn.to/45MZKvm
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