Google Pixel 10 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25: Battle of the Android phones takes shape

Tom's Guide

16 hours ago

For much of the year, Samsung has set the tone for the best Android phones with its Galaxy S25 release from earlier in the year. But with a Google launch event looming, we're likely to get a look at the Pixel 10 very soon, setting the stage for a Google Pixel 10 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 showdown.
The Galaxy S25 would be a tough enough phone to beat on its on, given the high-end Snapdragon chipset, excellent camera setup and long-lasting battery you'd expect from one of the best Samsung phones. But then Samsung went and added more Galaxy AI features to the S25, making this phone even more appealing to those who value devices with built-in smarts.
But Google is no slouch when it comes to AI features of its own. The company's handsets just won our AI phone face-off against Samsung and Apple devices, and that's before the Pixel 10 ushers in new AI features powered by its updated system-on-chip. And some other hardware improvements are rumored for the Pixel 10 as well.
We're not going to see a true winner emerge from a Google Pixel 10 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 face-off until after Google announces its next flagship. But here's how that match-up is shaping up based on Pixel 10 rumors and what we've seen in our Galaxy S25 testing.
Google Pixel 10 (Rumored)
Samsung Galaxy S25
Screen size
6.3 inches
6.2 inches
Chipset
Tensor G5
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
RAM
12GB
12GB
Storage
128GB, 512GB
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Rear cameras
48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x telephoto
50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto
Front camera
10.5MP
12MP
Battery size
4,970 mAh
4,000 mAh
Size
152.8 x 72 x 8.6mm
146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2mm
Weight
204 grams
162 grams
Colors
Obsidian, Indigo, Frost, Limoncello
Navy, Icyblue, Mint, Silver Shadow
Google has set an August 20 date for its Made by Google hardware event, and while we don't know for certain what's on the agenda, new Pixel phones almost certainly figure to be the headliners. After all, it was last August that Google released its Pixel 9 phones.
If you remember, the Pixel 9 saw a price hike to $799, which matches the cost of the Galaxy S25 that Samsung revealed in January 2025. The base model S25 features 128GB of storage, and since the phone has been out for more than half the year at this point, you can probably find discounts amont the best phone deals.
Recent reports suggest that the Pixel 10 won't feature any changes from its predecessor's price, meaning a Pixel 10 vs. Galaxy S25 face-off will be a battle of $799 phones. Like the S25, we're looking for the Pixel 10 to come with 128GB of storage.
The Galaxy S25 didn't introduce many design changes to Samsung's flagship lineup, and the Pixel 10 doesn't figure to be a radical departure from the Pixel 9 either. That's a bit of a surprise since the Pixel 9a released this spring did away with Google's distinctive horizontal camera bar. Yet, every Pixel 10 render we've seen — including one posted by Google — shows the same old camera bar as before stretching across the back of the phone.
The Galaxy S25 did shed some weight, while switching to enhanced Aluminum Armor 2 for its sides. Samsung's phone weighs 5.71 ounces, and unless Google drops some mass from the nearly 7-ounce Pixel 9, you figure the Pixel 10 will weigh more. In fact, some rumors claim the Pixel 10 will be slightly thicker and heavier than its predecessor to accommodate a larger battery. (More on that in the battery section.)
The Pixel 10's screen size is certainly expected to remain unchanged from the 6.3-inch panel on the Pixel 9. That means a little extra screen real estate compared to the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25. Samsung's display is a bright one, with a peak brightness of 1,789 its on our light meter, but the Pixel 9 wasn't that far off at 1,769 nits. We'll see if the Pixel 10 can outshine the competition.
There is a rumor that Google is turning to displays with improved dimming rates to help combat eye strain, but that appears to be a feature limited to the Pixel 10 Pro models. Nevertheless, if it does find its way on to the Pixel 10, Google's entry-level flagship might enjoy an edge over the Galaxy S25.
The Galaxy S25 comes in four standard colors — Navy, Icyblue, Mint and Silver Shadow — with three other colors exclusive to Samsung's store. Pixel 10 color rumors list Obsidian, Indigo, Frost, and Limoncello as the likely options.
Galaxy S phones have enjoyed an edge over rival flagships when it comes to camera setups, as even the entry-level model offers a telephoto lens. But it sounds like Google may be answering that with the Pixel 10.
Rumors about the upcoming Pixel suggest the standard model will join the Pixel 10 Pro in offering a zoom lens. The telephoto camera on the Pixel 10 isn't likely to be as powerful as what's on its Pro counterpart — rumors suggest a 10MP sensor — but it would allow the Pixel 10 to match the Galaxy S25's camera offering.
To make things even more interesting, the Pixel 10 is rumored to support a 5x zoom, which would top the 3x zoom offered by the Galaxy S25's 10MP telephoto camera.
To go with that new telephoto lens, the Pixel 10 would reportedly feature a 48MP main camera and an ultrawide shooter with either a 12MP or 13MP sensor depending on who's doing the leaking. (Those specs would be a downgrade from the Pixel 9's 50MP main and 48MP ultrawide cameras in terms of resolution.) The Galaxy S25 offers a 50MP main camera and 12MP ultrawide camera to go with its telephoto lens.
Samsung phones typically outpace Google's flagship device in CPU and GPU testing, and that doesn't figure to change with a Pixel 10 vs. Galaxy S25 match-up. For starters, the Galaxy S25 uses an optimized Snapdragon 8 Elite system-on-chip, which produces some of the best benchmarks we've seen on an Android phone.
Google uses its own Tensor chips, and while they perform well enough for most tasks, they're simply not as fast as the best Snapdragon silicon. That said, there is one rumor that suggests the Tensor G5 could be built on a 3nm process, which would lead to bigger-than-normal performance gains. Still, most people expect the Tensor G5 to be a 4nm chip.
Even so, the story behind Tensor usually revolves around the AI features it enables, with updated silicon powering more advanced capabilities. We haven't heard many rumors about the AI improvements in the works for this year's Pixel, but you figure that Google will be looking to match the cross-app actions that the latest version of Galaxy AI supports on the the S25 series.
Now that Android 16 is out, you'd imagine the software will come preinstalled on the Pixel 10 when it arrives. Samsung's new foldable phones debuted with that software, and the company is in the process of rolling it out to already available models like the S25.
Both Google and Samsung offer seven years of support for their flagship phones — something we don't anticipate changing once the Pixel 10 arrives on the scene.
Google's Pixel phones have struggled to keep pace with devices offering the best phone battery life, with the Pixel 9 lasting 12.5 hours on our battery test — a better-than-average result, but hardly world-beating in light of the Galaxy S25's 15 hour, 43 minute time on that same test.
One of the ways Google could combat that is with a bigger battery. Reports claim the Pixel 10 will turn to a 4,970 mAh cell, up from 4,700 mAh on the Pixel 9, and well ahead of the S25's 4,000 mAh power pack.
The Pixel 10 is also said to be including Qi2 wireless charging magnets to its panel for more secure connections with charging pads. The Galaxy S25 supports Qi2 speeds, but it lacks the magnets.
The Galaxy S25 took a big leap ahead this year with its Galaxy AI features, particularly the ability to have the assistant perform tasks across multiple apps with one command. As impressive as that is, AI is Google's bread-and-butter, so we're very interested to see if the Pixel 10 can up the stakes on AI capabilities.
Certainly, other Pixel 10 rumors suggest the Galaxy S25 will have a fight on its hands — especially if that rumored telephoto lens does show up on Google's least expensive flagship. In other words, the stage is set for a pretty compelling clash of Android phones, and we won't have to wait long to see how it plays out.