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Although it\u2019s been nearly two months since its launch event, Google\u2019s still facing some heat in the aftermath of the Pixel 10\u2019s arrival on store shelves. What started out as simple disappointment over the state of Tensor \u2014 following two years of what I can only describe as Tensor G5 overhype \u2014 ballooned into full-on outrage in the face of a Genshin Impact-inspired controversy<\/a> that may or may not have been a controversy after all. Simply put, people are mad about what Tensor isn\u2019t<\/a>, rather than feeling satisfied with what Tensor actually is.<\/p>\n While I certainly see the argument surrounding Google\u2019s overemphasis on local AI performance over all other metrics, this feels like a great example of Pixel fans \u2014 or haters, in some cases \u2014 missing the forest for the trees. Google does need to ensure that its flagship smartphones actually look, feel, and perform like their similarly-priced rivals, but to go as far as to declare the Pixel 10 dead on arrival feels like an overreaction at best. The magic of Pixel isn\u2019t its performance, its design, and frankly, it\u2019s not even really the cameras anymore. To me, it\u2019s the software.<\/p>\n Now, when I say that, I don\u2019t mean Google\u2019s recent obsession with AI. While it\u2019s undoubtedly an improvement over Assistant, Gemini is available on effectively every other smartphone, Android-powered or otherwise<\/a>. Some of the more recent local AI tools launched on the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 aren\u2019t good enough to convince me that Gemini Nano is worth an entire 7GB of space either<\/a>, even if Google\u2019s gimmicks are at least more interesting on a surface level than anything from Samsung or Apple.<\/p>\n To me, AI sort of falls by the wayside, as it\u2019s the underlying take on Android that keeps a Pixel in my pocket. That\u2019s a core experience Google has really nailed since the original Pixel nearly a decade ago.<\/p>\n \tAdvertisement – scroll for more content<\/p>\n In some ways, Google\u2019s own UI here is one of the very few that actually feels equal parts modern and unique. No other Android skin really looks identical to Pixel; Samsung, OnePlus, and various Chinese OEMs all typically pair their own respective themes with concepts often inspired by the iPhone<\/a>, while brands like Motorola keep to a more traditional AOSP look. Really, I\u2019d say Nothing is the only other company that I think strikes this balance, and that\u2019s a pretty damning indictment of the mobile world at large.<\/p>\n In a post-Material 3 Expressive world, that sentiment only rings more true. Using Android 16 on a Pixel just feels fun. Maybe this is my phone nerd brain talking, but it\u2019s genuinely enjoyable to bop around the OS thanks to Google\u2019s use of color and animation. It\u2019s bright and poppy, and it comes together to create something that really heightens the experience of simply using the phone on a daily basis \u2014 a rare feat in our stagnant mobile market. And again, it accomplishes all of this without really pulling much inspiration from the competition.<\/p>\n While Google certainly isn\u2019t immune from taking some of the iPhone\u2019s best ideas \u2014 I\u2019m holding out hope every Dynamic Island-supporting app eventually updates their Android versions for Live Updates \u2014 it\u2019s night and day compared to other brands.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the look and feel of Google\u2019s flavor of Android, of course. It\u2019s easy to take a lot of the Pixel\u2019s software for granted just because these phones pack in so many exclusive tools. I will never stop waxing poetic about my love of Now Playing, a dead-simple feature that, inexplicably, no one has bothered to copy. I have genuinely discovered new music just from having an always-active approach to Shazam in my pocket locally sourcing songs from my surroundings. Not even Apple \u2014 which owns Shazam \u2014 has built something like this into its products.<\/p>\n At a Glance, for as simple a concept as it is, has genuinely saved me from missing both appointments and meetings I\u2019ve nearly forgotten about in the past. I get why some Pixel owners want to fully disable it, but it\u2019s a crucial part of the home screen for me. The same goes for that bottom-mounted, always-available search bar. While frequent mis-taps of the Lens icon often leaves me wanting to tear my hair out, I genuinely miss the easy access to quick searches when I\u2019m on any other smartphone. Even non-Google exclusive tools, like notification history, just work better on Pixel<\/a> than on some of its rivals.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not trying to come off like some kind of Google fanboy; I get just as frustrated as anyone else when I brush up against the limitations or shortcomings that Tensor still faces five generations in. I think Pixel fans have every right to be vocal when they\u2019re disappointed over performance, especially when the value proposition that once made up Google\u2019s best selling point is effectively gone. Battery life should be better, gaming performance should be on par with the competition, and frankly, tools like 4K60 10-bit HDR video recording should just be available by default in 2025.<\/p>\n But none of this is really enough to sway me away from why I\u2019ve stuck with Pixel practically since the beginning. Google\u2019s software experience really blows away the competition with plenty of enhancements both big and small, and unless other brands start to play catch-up, I don\u2019t see that changing any time soon.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pixel-10-pro-xl-review-18-lockscreen.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
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