If you want more of a selection to choose from, we\u2019ve also rounded up the best smartphones<\/a> and best mid-range phones<\/a> of the year so far.<\/p>\n Specs comparison table<\/p>\n Xiaomi 17Pixel 10aBattery6300mAh5100mAhChipsetSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Google Tensor G4Front Camera50MP13MPOperating SystemAndroid 16Android 16Rear Camera50MP + 50MP + 50MP48MP + 13MPScreen Size6.3-inches6.3-inchesWired Charging100W45WWireless Charging50W10WManufacturerXiaomiGoogle<\/p>\n \n Advertisement <\/p>\n Price and Availability<\/p>\n The Pixel 10a is currently available for pre-order ahead of its official launch on March 5th. With a starting price of \u00a3499\/$599, it\u2019s the cheapest of the Pixel 10 series and comes in a choice between four colours including Lavender, Berry, Fog and Obsidian.<\/p>\n SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10208265<\/p>\n Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Google Tensor G4<\/p>\n The Pixel 10a\u2019s announcement was met with controversy, as Google has decided to kit the affordable smartphone with the 2025 Tensor G4 chip, rather than the newer Tensor G5 model. While this may not sound that surprising, as many manufacturers tend to use older chips on their cheaper smartphones, Google usually equipped its entire flagship series with the same chip.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite this disappointing choice, we should state that we found Tensor G4 to be a solid chip that offers speedy everyday performance. Although it didn\u2019t receive very high benchmarking scores, this shouldn\u2019t be surprising as the focus of all Google\u2019s Tensor chips is AI performance over sheer power.<\/p>\n In comparison, the Xiaomi 17 runs on Qualcomm\u2019s premium Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. Powering many of the best Android phones<\/a>, in our experience with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 we\u2019ve found the chip runs through everything from everyday scrolling to console gaming and even video editing with barely any stutter. Plus, and unsurprisingly, it achieves seriously high benchmark scores \u2013 especially when compared to Tensor G4.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n Advertisement <\/p>\n Having said that, for everyday uses you really are unlikely to notice that much of a difference between the Xiaomi 17 and Pixel 10a. We\u2019ll be sure to update this versus once we review both phones.<\/p>\n Xiaomi 17 has a telephoto lens<\/p>\n With a main, ultrawide and 5x optical-zoom telephoto lenses \u2013 all 50MP \u2013 the Xiaomi 17\u2019s Leica camera set-up promises to capture \u201ctrue-to-life images even under the most challenging lighting conditions.\u201d The specs undoubtedly sound promising, however if photography is important to you, then perhaps the Xiaomi 17 Ultra<\/a> might be a better fit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Otherwise, the Pixel 10a sports a dual-camera set-up which is equipped with a 48MP main and a 13MP ultrawide. Although we\u2019re yet to review the Pixel 10a, it\u2019s the same hardware found in the Pixel 9a which we concluded was able to take detailed and vibrant images across most lighting conditions. In fact, we\u2019ve often hailed the Pixel range as being some of the best camera phones<\/a> as they deliver accurate results, thanks to Google\u2019s excellent image processing.<\/p>\n While we would have preferred the Pixel 10a to see some hardware tweaks, it does benefit from a few new AI-powered photography tools including Camera Coach which offers guidance on how to take the perfect shot, based on your current shooting environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Xiaomi 17 supports 100W charging<\/p>\n Although the Pixel 10a supports 45W charging, which Google promises should take the handset from 0-50% in about 30 minutes, the Xiaomi 17 is a clear winner thanks to its 100W support.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n Advertisement <\/p>\n That\u2019s not all, as although both support wireless charging, the Xiaomi 17 boasts 50W support. However, you will need to invest in a compatible wireless charger to actually see those speeds. In comparison, the Pixel 10a supports Qi charging up to just 10W.<\/p>\n Pixel 10a has more of Google\u2019s AI features<\/p>\n One of the key selling points of the entire Pixel range is its plethora of AI features, many of which can be found on the Pixel 10a. These features include Gemini, Circle to Search and Live Translation, plus photo and video editing tools within the Photos app.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, that\u2019s not to say the Xiaomi 17 is lacking in AI capabilities. In fact, you could argue that the Xiaomi 17 has found the sweet spot of AI features, with enough to be genuinely useful in everyday life, but not enough that it\u2019s the only reason to opt for the handset. For example, like the Pixel 10a, the Xiaomi 17 has Circle to Search<\/a> and access to Gemini too.\u00a0<\/p>\n Xiaomi 17 has a 1-120Hz refresh rate<\/p>\n The Xiaomi 17\u2019s 6.3-inch OLED display boasts many premium screen technologies, including a 1-120Hz LTPO refresh rate, a peak brightness of 3500 nits and Xiaomi Shield Glass for scratch resistance. While the Pixel 10a also sports a 6.3-inch display, it\u2019s instead fitted with a 60-120Hz refresh rate. This means it isn\u2019t quite as energy efficient as the Xiaomi 17, which can drop down to just 1Hz when needed.<\/p>\n \n Advertisement <\/p>\n Otherwise, the Pixel 10a promises a peak brightness of 3000 nits and is fitted with Corning\u2019s 2024 Gorilla Glass 7i for screen protection.<\/p>\n Early Verdict<\/p>\n We\u2019ll be sure to update this versus with more of a conclusive verdict once we review both handsets. However, at this early stage, if you want plenty of power, faster charging and a more varied camera set-up, then the Xiaomi 17 is certainly an appealing choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the other hand, if you\u2019d prefer a stock-Android experience and want to play around with Google\u2019s AI features, then the Pixel 10a remains a solid choice. Having said that, considering there aren\u2019t many differences between the Pixel 10a and Pixel 9a<\/a>, we\u2019d argue that you could opt for the latter to save a bit of money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Xiaomi announced its flagship smartphone series at MWC, made up of the premium Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[342,111,139,69,145],"class_list":["post-307418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-mobile","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Xiaomi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Xiaomi-17-Ultra-820x461.jpg\")
Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Image Credit (Xiaomi)<\/p>\n![\"Pixel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-pixel-10a-1-820x461.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
Pixel 10a. Image Credit (Google)<\/p>\n