Summary
- The Pixel 10 Pro comes with a new 3nm Tensor chipset, a brighter screen, more AI-based editing features, and a bigger battery that provides wireless magnetic charging.
- Samsung’s top-tier flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, takes a different approach to smartphones by including a massive screen, an S-Pen, a four-sensor camera setup on the back, and a massive battery.
- So, if you have a budget of around $1000, which smartphone should you pick?
The Pixel 10 Pro is here, bringing new features to Google’s most affordable Pro handset that costs $999. So, should you spend your money on the handset, or spend another $200 and get Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra instead? Let’s find out.
Price & Availability
The Pixel 10 Pro (128GB) starts from $999. The handset is currently up for pre-orders, and general availability begins on August 28, 2025. The S25 Ultra (256GB), currently available for $1,299.99, has been available at a better price in the past.
Pixel 10 Pro | Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
128GB | $999 | N.A. |
256GB | $1,099 | $1,299.99 |
512GB | $1,219 | $1,419.99 |
1TB | N.A. | $1,659.99 |
Compact vs. Full-Fledged Flagship
While they share physical characteristics, such as a punch-hole screen, a metallic frame (aluminum on the Pixel vs. titanium on the S25 Ultra), and a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back panel (with a matte finish), both phones have a very distinct appearance and in-hand feel.
Google’s latest flagship features the iconic horizontal camera visor on its back panel. It follows the compact form factor of its predecessor, which makes it easier to maneuver with one hand and slide it in and out of pockets (especially the tighter ones). It is a bit heavy for its size (152.8 x 72 x 8.5 mm; 207 grams), though.
The S25 Ultra, on the other hand, features a plain back panel with several camera lens protrusions in the top left corner. However, because of its sheer size (162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm), the S25 Ultra is not the perfect phone for one-handed usage (especially for people with small or average-sized hands).
It’s not the most portable phone as well, with some users facing problems in carrying the device around in their pockets (which is also true for every other 6.9-inch screen phone). Despite the bigger chassis, the S25 Ultra maintains a slimmer profile than the Pixel 10 Pro and weighs only 11 grams more.
When it comes to dust and water resistance, both phones have the same IP68 rating, implying that they can survive immersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for 30 minutes.
When it comes to colors, the Pixel 10 Pro is available in Moonstone (my favorite color this year), Jade, Porcelain, and Obsidian. The S25 Ultra widens your choices with seven titanium-infused shades, including Black, Gray, Silverblue, Whitesilver, and three online-exclusive colors: Jadegreen, Jetblack, and Pinkgold.
Pixel 10 Pro Offers Smaller Yet Brighter Screen
In its portable chassis, the Pixel 10 Pro fits in a 6.3-inch Super Actua OLED screen that has a resolution of 2856 x 1280 pixels (495 ppi), features an LTPO panel that supports a variable refresh rate (1-120Hz), and can achieve a peak brightness of 3,300 nits. The bezels around the screen, however, are not the thinnest I’ve seen on a $999 smartphone in 2025.
With its larger footprint, the S25 Ultra has enough space to feature a gigantic 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen that has a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels (with similar pixel density), supports a variable refresh rate (1-120Hz with the LTPO panel), but can only achieve a peak brightness of 2,600 nits.
It’s worth noting that the thinner bezels around the screen give the phone a more contemporary look. It also supports 480Hz PWM dimming, but at higher brightness levels. The handset supports S-Pen, but without all the Air Actions features included with the stylus on the S24 Ultra.
Anyway, both phones support HDR10+ content, but a notable difference is the protective layer on the screen. Google’s latest Pixel features Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is among the most durable products by Corning, but the S25 Ultra features Gorilla Armor 2, which offers better visibility (due to its anti-reflective nature).
Tensor G5 vs. Snapdragon 8 Elite
In my Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 9 Pro comparison, I mentioned how the Tensor G5 (3nm) SoC offers a substantial improvement over its predecessor. However, it’s still way behind the competition, and that includes the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
You see, the Tensor G5, using TSMC’s 2nd generation 3nm fabrication technology, manages to pack in a 3.78 GHz prime core, five 3.05 GHz performance cores, and two 2.25 GHz efficient cores, following a new configuration (1+5+2). While the included GPU doesn’t sound like much of an upgrade (as it doesn’t support ray tracing), the AI processing unit, or the TPU, is 60% more powerful than the one on the Tensor G4.
Alongside the chipset, all the Pixel 10 Pro models get 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, but the usage of different storage standards might add to your confusion. On the baseline variant with 128GB of storage, Google offers UFS 3.1 storage (same as the Pixel 9 Pro). But the 256GB variant gets UFS 4.0 storage, while the 512GB and 1TB versions get UFS 4.0 with Zoned UFS technology (which increases the life of the storage module).
Given that I’ve written about the Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) on multiple occasions, I’ll keep this part short and simple. The chipset features a six-core CPU (with two 4.47 GHz prime cores), the Adreno 830 GPU (with support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing), and Qualcomm’s Hexagon NPU for local AI processing.
Combined with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.0 (standard across all models), the Snapdragon 8 Elite on the S25 Ultra delivers lightning-fast performance. If you compare the GeekBench 6 scores of the two chipsets, the S25 Ultra does around 30% better in the single-core and multi-core CPU tests, and that isn’t something worth ignoring.
Now, it’s important to understand here that not everyone needs such processing power on their handset. For a majority of users, the Tensor G5 offers enough bandwidth to handle the day-to-day tasks, handle the most demanding apps (including video games), and edit photos or videos on the go.
But if you want your smartphone to be the quickest at doing everything, you might want to go with the S25 Ultra. Other than that, you get satellite connectivity, an ultra-wideband chip, Wi-Fi 7, and mmWave/Sub-6 GHz 5G on both smartphones.
Android 16 vs. One UI 7
The Pixel 10 Pro comes with Android 16 out of the box. It includes features like Live Updates, Notification Cooldown, Material 3 Expressive visual design, night-mode scene detection, and enhanced security for users. Besides, Google also equips the Pixel 10 series with new AI smarts, including the Camera Coach, Edit with Ask Photos, and Magic Cue.
On the other hand, the S25 Ultra currently runs on One UI 7 (based on Android 15), which features a new Quick Panel, Live Notifications, better lock screen widget support, a privacy dashboard, and upgrades to the Edge Panel. Among the AI-based features are agentic AI support via Google’s Gemini voice assistance that can perform cross-app functions, the addition of Now Bar, and Now Now Brief.
Both handsets will get seven years of operating system and security updates from the date of launch. However, Google also offers quarterly Pixel Drop updates with minor yet meaningful features.
S25 Ultra Offers a More Versatile Camera Setup
Pixel 10 Pro | Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
Primary Sensor | 50MP (f/1.7, 1/1.31″, OIS) | 200MP (f/1.7, 1/1.3″, OIS) |
Telephoto Sensor (1) | 48MP (f/2.8, 1/2.55″, OIS) | 10MP (f/2.4, 1/3.52″, OIS) for 3x optical zoom |
Telephoto Sensor (2) | N.A. | 50MP (f/3.4, 1/2.52″, OIS) for 5x optical zoom |
Ultrawide Sensor | 48MP (f/2.8, 1/2.55″, AF), covers 123° FOV | 50MP (f/1.9, 1/2.5″, AF), covers 120° FOV |
Selfie Sensor | 42MP (f/2.2, 103° FOV, AF) | 12MP (f/2.2, AF) |
To begin with, the Pixel offers a better front camera, with a wider field-of-view and higher resolution. For the first time on a Pixel phone, the Pixel 10 Pro provides Pro Res Zoom (up to 100x, using AI). However, the video zoom levels remain at 20x.
Besides key features like Pro Controls, Add Me, Night Sight (for photos and videos), Pixel Studio, Reimagine, and 8K video recording (via the Video Boost feature that uses cloud processing), you also get two new features: Camera Coach (provide real-time guidance on improving the composition), and Edit with Ask Photos (enabled editing via voice commands).
In comparison, the S25 Ultra offers a higher-resolution primary camera (200MP), an additional 3x telephoto camera for added clarity between 1x and 5x, a maximum zoom range of 100x, the ability to record 8K videos in up to 30 fps, and 4K videos in up to 120 fps (resulting in super-clear slow motion videos).
While both phones can capture RAW photos (in 200MP on the S25 Ultra) and record 10-bit HDR video, Samsung’s latest flagship also offers Galaxy Log video recording for professionals. Apart from that, it also provides a virtual aperture button, Portrait Studio, stylized filters, Generative Edit, and Google’s Audio Eraser feature.
Expect Similar Battery Life From Both Phones
The Pixel 10 Pro boasts an upgraded 4,870 mAh battery that supports up to 30W wired charging and 15W Pixelsnap wireless charging (with first-party or Qi2-certified accessories). Though Google’s claim of “24+ hour battery life” hasn’t changed, I believe that the handset should last longer than its predecessor (as it features a larger battery and a more efficient chipset).
The S25 Ultra features a 5,000 mAh battery that supports up to 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging (Qi2-ready, but doesn’t include the magnetic aligners), and with moderate usage, it also lasts over a day between charges. Moreover, both phones should provide a similar battery life.
Which Phone Is Right for You?
If a big screen and raw processing power aren’t among your top priorities, you can’t go wrong with the Pixel 10 Pro. On the other hand, the phone could be an excellent upgrade for the Pixel 7 or the Pixel 8 series owners, as they’re used to the clean Android experience that Google offers on its smartphones.
Even otherwise, the handset features brighter screens, an excellent camera system (with a better front-facing camera), new AI-based features for clicking and editing photographs, and wireless magnetic charging.
However, if you want a big-screen flagship with one of the best processors, the S25 Ultra might be a better option. Even otherwise, the phone offers a four-camera setup, better video recording abilities, and faster wired charging. Compared to stock Android, One UI offers more customization features, and I’ve seen many users enjoy them.
In my opinion, the S25 Ultra is among the best conventional smartphones in the market, especially if you can get it for around $1,000. However, its form factor could be a major dealbreaker for some buyers.
- Brand
-
Google
- SoC
-
Google Tensor G5
- Display
-
6.3-inch Super Actua, 20:9
- RAM
-
16 GB RAM
- Storage
-
128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS
- Battery
-
4870mAh
The Pixel 10 Pro offers an upgrade over the base model with the powerful Google Tensor G5 chip, more RAM, and more storage (if you need it).
- SoC
-
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
- Display
-
6.9″, 3120 x 1440, LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz
- RAM
-
12GB
- Storage
-
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Battery
-
5,000mAh
- Ports
-
USB-C
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a top-of-the-line smartphone with a 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and a 120Hz refresh rate. It boasts the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 12GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W Super Fast Charging 2.0.
