Google Pixel phones need power and parity to fix a confusing product strategy in 2026

At the end of 2025, Google occupies a unique position in the smartphone industry – while Apple and Samsung duke it out over who can cram the fastest silicon or very best cameras into their latest flagship handsets, Google focuses on the user experience, meaningful upgrades, and versatility.

More than anything else, the Google Pixel 10 is the software lover’s flagship phone. The tech giant’s latest flagship phone lineup comprises one standard model, the Pixel 10, a more powerful Pixel 10 Pro and enlarged Pixel 10 Pro XL, and foldable Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

All four phones run a lightweight, near-stock version of Android that comes with a heaped helping of AI features. Google Pixel phones use Google Tensor chipsets, which aren’t as powerful as Apple’s A-series mobile chipsets or the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets found in Galaxy phones, so Google really leans on its software experience to give its phones value.

For the most part, this has paid off pretty well. The Google Pixel 10 is our current pick for the best Android phone for everybody, meaning its user experience is friendly and useful to new and expert users alike.

And on the high-end of the lineup, our four-and-a-half star Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review praises the phone’s software and AI experience as unintrusive and powerful, true to the nature of the Pixel lineup.

But that software experience isn’t quite the same on the standard Google Pixel 10 – indeed, there are a handful of cool and interesting features that only the Pro models get (as our Google Pixel 10 review highlights), which I’ve always found to be an odd choice for a flagship lineup that leans so heavily on software.

Specifically, the Google Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold get new call screening and call log features that can check for spammers and take notes while you’re on the phone.

And Google locks away certain camera controls on the standard Pixel 10 for seemingly arbitrary reasons – despite having a 50MP main sensor, you can’t enable 50MP portrait shots or access advanced camera options to change things like your ISO sensitivity. You can do these things on a Pixel 10 Pro.

This is despite the Google Pixel 10 lineup all sharing the same Google Tensor G5 chipset. Sure, the Pro models have 16GB of RAM compared to the standard model’s 12GB, but you can’t seriously tell me that this is why Google has locked away advanced camera controls on the standard model. And Apple Intelligence manages call screening and summaries on phones with as little as 8GB of RAM, so I don’t quite buy that Google couldn’t make it work with the Pixel 10’s 12GB allowance.

So, what can Google do to clear up this confusing product strategy in 2026?

In my opinion there’s a pretty simple answer here – bring the Google Pixel Pro’s exclusive software features to the regular Google Pixel.

I understand completely that phone makers need to distinguish the different models in their lineups somehow. A Pro or Ultra-grade phone needs to earn its title with a handful of exclusive features, and a base model handset can’t stick to a reasonable price if it has all the latest and greatest tech.

But when we look at the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, or the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, what sets the two tiers apart isn’t a matter of software, but hardware.

That’s a convention for a reason. When I pick up an iPhone 17, it’s nice to know that I have access to everything the iPhone 17 Pro can do on the software side of things, and equally the tangibility of hardware upgrades like the iPhone 17 Pro’s telephoto camera makes paying more for the Pro phone, makes more sense than, say, a few extra settings to fiddle with.

And, to be frank, there’s already enough of a hardware difference between the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro to warrant the higher price point. The Pixel 10 Pro has a much more capable camera system than its smaller sibling, as well as a more advanced LTPO display, and a snazzier design with shiny aluminum rails.

If it really is a case of bumping up the base-model's 12GB of RAM to 16GB, then I think Google should just do it – this would have the secondary effect of reassuring users about the hardware power of the standard model, given the lesser performance of the Tensor G5 chipset compared to rival flagships.

Stratifying the software experience feels unnecessary in this context, and especially confusing for the phone brand that leans most heavily on its software experience. Here’s hoping the rumored Pixel 11 series can set things straight in the coming year.

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