2025 Winners and losers: Google | Infinium-tech
Google’s hardware division didn’t have a particularly strong year in 2025, releasing new phones that weren’t really particularly innovative. This is not the best strategy in any market, but outside the US where more manufacturers exist, it is especially harmful.
And, sure, Google isn’t primarily a hardware company, but it makes phones, earbuds, and smartwatches every year and fails to make a meaningful market impact against its main rivals Samsung and Apple.
Still, Google’s phones keep getting better and better, if not always at an impressive pace. There are some winners, so let’s take a look at them.
Winner: Google Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL
Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL is the flagship of the series, and the Pixel that most people will get this year. The smaller Pro won’t be as successful as its larger counterpart, but it’s still a great phone from Google.
On paper, this year’s Pros got battery and chipset upgrades, but retained what was already working – the triple camera system, screen and design are largely unchanged.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 5G
Google Pixel 10 Pro 5G
Winner: Google Pixel 10
Possibly the gem in the family is the vanilla Pixel, the Pixel 10. This year, the base flagship switched to a traditional triple camera system, matching the Galaxy S25 and surpassing the iPhone 17.
Technically, Google downgraded the main and ultrawide cameras from the Pixel 9 to add an ineffective 10.8MP 112mm (5x) telephoto, but that still makes it a more versatile setup – three cameras are one more than two.
The Pixel 10 also has Pixel Snap (aka MagSafe) and a bigger battery, making it better than the Pixel 9 on paper. There’s that phrase again. So why only on paper?
Google Pixel 10 5G
Winner: Pixel Snap
There’s not much to say here – a feature like MagSafe is nice, and when it’s available on more devices everyone wins.
Loser: Tensor G5
Google’s latest in-house-developed chipset, the Tensor G5, was nowhere near the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Apple A18. Not only is it technically behind with a maximum clock speed of less than 4GHz, but we found that Pixel 10 phones were unable to keep their CPUs cool enough for performance, which led to severe throttling.
And while all four Pixel 10 devices have increased battery life, we found that the three we reviewed had worse overall battery life than last year’s models, which used the Tensor G4. Although this has been partially resolved with a software patch released, it is not a good look at all.
Loser: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Google made a foldable this year, and it’s not bad at all! It has a new, thinner, gearless hinge that reduces creases and makes the phone feel sturdier. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is also the first completely dust-tight foldable with an IP68 rating!
However, Google’s foldable kept the same nostalgic triple-camera system as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. What’s the “pixel” in this? And, in a world where the Galaxy Z Fold7 is only 8.9mm thick when folded, and weighs 215g, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold feels like 2018’s foldable at 10.8mm and 258g!
It seems like Google is a little lost with its foldables, it seems like it’s just looking for a foldable, not something unique or competitive. It has no identity.
google pixel 10 pro fold
Loser: What’s a pixel these days, anyway?
This actually applies to Google’s entire phone lineup to varying degrees. After all, they’re called Pixels, and they used to be very camera-centric devices. But these days, Pixel phones are nowhere near the best cameraphones.
The pixel has gone astray a bit. And with aging camera hardware, lackluster battery charging speeds, and an underwhelming new chipset that hampers battery life (despite the increased battery size), we’d say the Pixel lineup is in a bit of trouble.
Winner: Google Pixel 9a
The Pixel 9a is the latest member of a series that has proven to be a perennial winner for Google. The midrange Pixel got some significant upgrades this year, namely a slight bump in screen size and a big change in battery capacity and endurance.
The Pixel 9a is a typical midranger that comes in fun colors and is priced well. This is a worry-free kind of smartphone, and it’s a winner in every way.
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