Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Which flagship could win?

Tom's Guide

3 days ago

We're less than a month away until the next Made by Google event on August 20, where we'll presumably get our first official glimpse at the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Expectations are naturally high, especially when it's a direct competition to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
That's why a Pixel 10 Pro X vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max face-off preview is necessary to determine how these best phone contenders compare to one another for that coveted best phone title.
In our iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Pixel 9 Pro XL comparison, Apple's flagship narrowly came out on top — driven largely by excellent camera and battery performances.
Google doesn't intend on coming up short with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which is tipped for bigger upgrades alongside its sibling in the Pixel 10 Pro. Not only is it rumored to be powered by the Tensor G5 chip, but you can bet that Google's going to be making greater strides around its software and new AI features.
Pixel 10 Pro XL (rumored)
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Price
$1,099
$1,199
Display
6.8 inches
6.9 inches
Refresh Rate
120Hz adaptive
120Hz adaptive
CPU
Tensor G4
A18 Pro
Storage
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Rear Cameras
50MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto (5x zoom)
48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (5x optical zoom)
Front Camera
42MP
12MP
Battery
5,060 mAh
4,685 mAh
Colors
Obsidian, Porcelain, Moonstone, and Jade
Black, White, Desert and Natural Titanium
Size
N/A
6.42 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches
Weight
N/A
8 ounces
Depending on what storage models Google ends up giving the Pixel 10 Pro XL, it could see a price hike. Just as a refresher, the current Pixel 9 Pro XL fetches for $1,099 with the base 128GB model. With the Pixel 10 Pro XL, a price hike could be in its future if Google ends up ditching the 128GB model and opts to make 256GB the base option.
That means the Pixel 10 Pro XL could inherently get a price hike because of this. If this ends up happening, then there would be no price advantage with the Pixel 10 Pro XL because it'd be the same price for what the iPhone 16 Pro Max commands right now.
We know a lot about what the Pixel 10 Pro XL might look like, given the numerous rendered images shared by leakers (and Google itself).
From the looks of it, Google isn't changing the formula with the Pixel 10 Pro XL's design, as the phone largely flaunts the same aesthetics as last year's model. This consists of rounded corners and the same elongated pill shaped camera bar on the back of the phone.
One promising design change we're thrilled to potentially get with the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the magnets needed to support for Qi2 charging. Everyone thought the Pixel 9 Pro XL would come with proper Qi2 support, but it didn't come to fruition. With the Pixel 10 Pro XL, it stands to benefit in a great way.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is still an incredibly well-built phone, but it too recycles the design of its predecessor. The only meaningful change is the addition of the Camera Control on the side of the phone.
Even though the designs of these phones don't differ from their predecessors, it could ultimately come down yet again to the color options. Apple keeps to the same neutral tones it's leaned on for years with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, whereas Google is tipped to again inject a little bit of color to its flagship.
Based on recently leaked renders, the Pixel 10 Pro XL will be available in four colors: Obsidian, Porcelain, Moonstone, and Jade. Meanwhile, you have only three options with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Google already has the upper hand here because the Pixel 9 Pro XL has the brightest display that we've ever tested with a staggering peak brightness output of 2,649 nits. Given how the iPhone 16 Pro Max topped out at 1,553 nits, it's a safe presumption that the Pixel 10 Pro XL will still come out on top — but by how much more is the question.
Specs leaks for the Pixel 10 Pro XL hint at a similar 6.8-inch display as its predecessor, with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and 2992 x 1344 resolution. Google is tipped to make one new addition with the display, an improved PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) dimming, that would ease eye strain by switching to a 480Hz PWM dimming display.
After coming up short in our 200 photo shootout with the iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Pixel 9 Pro XL, Google has a huge challenge ahead to redeem itself.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max's triple camera system, which consists of a 48MP main shooter, 48MP ultrawide, and a 12MP telephoto with 5x zoom, edged out the Pixel 9 Pro XL in nearly every category — including telephoto and low light performances.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the Pixel 10 Pro XL is getting any major hardware upgrades. In fact, rumors point to the same triple camera system as before, which would be made up of a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto with 5x zoom.
We're hoping that the sensors and apertures are a little different. If not, then it's going to come down to what new image processing algorithms Google has in place for its new phone.
Despite this, we're hopeful that Google could amplify its camera capabilities with new AI-assisted tools and features. The current tools on the Pixel 9 Pro XL already beat out anything that Apple offers with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, so Google could widen its gap in this area.
There have been leaks around new AI-editing tools that could be coming to Google Photos, like a new Help Me Edit tool that lets users make edits through a text box. For Apple, we'll have to wait until a later time to see if the iPhone 16 Pro Max will get more camera tools with help from Apple Intelligence.
Out of all the changes tipped to come to the Pixel 10 Pro XL, the most notable one has to be the Tensor G5. A promising tip reportedly says that Google's turning to chip maker TSMC for its Tensor G5 chip, which is supposedly being made using a 3-nanometer manufacturing process — an improvement over the 4nm process with the current Tensor G4.
While this is all promising, there's still the matter of how much of a significant performance boost it will give the Pixel 10 Pro XL. That's because the A18 Pro's performance with the iPhone 16 Pro Max easily proved how much of a gap there was against the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Various performance tests we conducted painted the A18 Pro as the winner, but the Tensor G5 could finally prove that Google can step up to the plate with something just as formidable.
However, early reports hint that the Tensor G5 would lag behind chips from Qualcomm and Apple — with a later report backing up this sentiment. Needless to say, it doesn't look good for the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Hopefully optimizations that Google's been working on with Android 16 could result in improvements that could push the needle towards its upcoming phone.
Those optimizations could end up being critical at boosting the Pixel 10 Pro XL's battery life over the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple certainly does not disappoint in this area because the iPhone 16 Pro Max achieved a time of 18 hours and 6 minutes on Tom's Guide's battery benchmark test — whereas the Pixel 9 Pro XL came in shorter at 14 hours and 37 minutes.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is reportedly getting a larger 5,200 mAh battery, an increase over the Pixel 9 Pro XL's 5,060 mAh battery capacity. Paired with power optimizations with the Tensor G5 and Android 16, the Pixel 10 Pro XL could at the very least match the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Exceeding it would be a tough challenge though.
Likewise, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is tipped to gain a slightly faster wired charging speed to 39W, which despite being a minor increase over the 37W, would likely still charge faster than the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
We already have a good idea how the software powering Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 16 Pro Max, mainly because the iOS 26 beta has been available for some time — along with the Android 16's rollout this summer to the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Apple made significant visual changes to its interface with iOS 26, like its new Liquid Glass material design and other changes to the lock screen. There's also a slew of other helpful features and changes that we've tested, like its new Camera app layout, Hold Assist with phone calls, and even the new Call Screen feature. With the latter, we've tested the iOS 26 Call Screen against the Pixel 9 Pro's similar feature — and determined Google's version to be superior.
While we do have a good idea of what the final iOS 26 release for the iPhone 16 Pro Max will be like, Google could still throw in a few surprises around Android 16 for the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Chief among them would be new Google AI features, possibly around more multimodal AI support with Gemini. There's even the Android 16 desktop mode that was quietly introduced at Google I/O 2025.
Unless Apple Intelligence makes a big push, the Pixel 10 Pro XL could still be the AI phone to beat for the foreseeable future.
Based on all the rumors we know around the Pixel 10 Pro XL, Google has a lot to prove to convince people it's going to be much better than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple's flagship model is continually a best phone contender, despite newer phones coming out after it like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13.
Google could again lean on what it does best, which is to bring new AI features that could tip the scales towards the Pixel 10 Pro XL's favor — more so when the hardware upgrades don't seem as dramatic. At the same time, pricing could end up being the biggest differentiator considering how this has been a staple asset for the Pixel series.
And keep in mind that the Pixel 10 Pro XL will have to compete with the new iPhone 17 Pro Max come September. Stay tuned for that comparison.
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