This time around, we’re comparing new smartphones from Apple and Google. We’ll be comparing the Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro . Both of these smartphones were announced in the last couple of months. The iPhone Air arrived last month, while the Pixel 10 Pro dropped a month earlier, in August. We have considerably different phones on offer here, which should make the whole thing that much more interesting.
On one hand, you have an extremely thin smartphone from Apple, while on the other, you have a compact flagship from Google. There are some similarities between them, but not a lot of them. We’ll first list the specs of both phones, and then move to compare them across a number of categories. We’ll be comparing their design, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output.
- Specs
- Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Design
- Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Display
- Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Performance
- Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Battery
- Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Cameras
- Audio
Specs
Apple iPhone Air
Google Pixel 10 Pro
| Apple iPhone Air | Google Pixel 10 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6 mm | 152.8 x 72 x 8.6mm |
| Weight | 165 grams | 207 grams |
| Display | 6.5-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED | 6.3-inch Super Actual LTPO OLED display |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz | Smooth Display (1-120Hz) |
| Resolution | 2736 x 1260 | 2856 x 1280 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro | Google Tensor G5 |
| RAM | 12GB | 16GB (LPDDR5X) |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0) |
| Main camera | 48MP (f/1.6 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, sensor-shift-OIS) | 50MP (f/1.68 aperture, 1/1.3-inch sensor size, 82-degree FoV) |
| Ultra-wide camera | N/A | 48MP (f/1.7 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 123-degree FoV) |
| Telephoto camera | N/A | N/A |
| Periscope telephoto camera | N/A | 48MP (f/2.8 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom, 22-degree FoV) |
| Selfie camera | 18MP (f/1.9 aperture, OIS) | 42MP (f/2.2 aperture, 103-degree FoV) |
| Battery size | 3,149mAh | 4.870mAh |
| Charging | Wired, 20W MagSafe wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included) | 30W wired, 15W Qi2 wireless (charger not included) |
| Colors | Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue | Moonstone, Jade, Porcelain, Obsidian |
Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Design
These two smartphones have considerably different designs, regardless of which side we’re talking about. The iPhone Air has a titanium frame and a glass backplate. The Google Pixel 10 Pro is made out of aluminum and glass. You’ll notice a flat display on both smartphones, with thin, uniform bezels. Those bezels are thinner on the iPhone Air. The iPhone Air also has a pill-shaped cutout on the display, the so-called Dynamic Island. Google’s phone, on the other hand, has a camera hole on the display.
Both phones have flat frames, but the iPhone Air is thinner, and it’s also curvier towards the edges. The iPhone Air has a power/lock button on the right, along with the Camera control key. On the left, you’ll notice the volume up and down buttons, along with the Action key. The Pixel 10 Pro includes physical buttons on the right side. You’ll notice its power/lock key there, and the volume up and down buttons.
If we flip them around, you’ll notice considerably different backplates here. Both of them have camera bars, but they look notably different. The iPhone Air’s camera bar is a bit thinner and includes one pronounced camera on it, which protrudes. The Pixel 10 Pro’s camera bar protrudes, but not the camera lenses themselves. There are three cameras included in that camera bar. The backplates on both phones are flat.
The iPhone Air is taller, wider, and thinner. It has a larger display, hence the larger footprint. That phone is notably lighter, though, at 165 grams. The Pixel 10 Pro weighs 207 grams. Both smartphones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Display
The Apple iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it supports an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). It also supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, while the peak brightness is 3,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio here is around 90%. This display has a resolution of 2736 x 1260 pixels and a display aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The Ceramic Shield 2 protects the display, and it comes with an anti-reflective coating.
Google Pixel 10 Pro
The Google Pixel 10 Pro, on the flip side, has a 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display. That display is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR10+ content is supported, while the peak brightness here is 3,300 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 87%. The resolution you’re getting here is 2856 x 1280 pixels, while the display aspect ratio is 20:9. This panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Both of these displays are really, really good, actually. They’re not only vivid and have great viewing angles, but they’re more than bright enough. The touch response is quite good on both, and both panels are sharp. The iPhone Air has the benefit of having that anti-reflecitve coating, and it does make a difference. Not as much as the Gorilla Armor or Armor 2 glass, but it’s noticeable in comparison with the Pixel 10 Pro’s panel.
Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Performance
The Apple iPhone Air is fueled by the Apple A19 Pro processor. That is a 3nm chip that is combined with 12GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. This variant of the Apple A19 Pro is not the same as the one in the ‘Pro’ iPhone models, however. This variant has one less GPU core, a total of 5.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro, on the other hand, is fueled by the Google Tensor G5 processor. That is a 3nm chip, and the first TSMC-made Tensor processor. That chip is combined with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside this phone, while Google is also using UFS 3.1 and UFS 4.0 flash storage. Only the entry-level model has UFS 3.1. Storage expansion is not available on either of the two phones.
Both smartphones deliver in the performance department. The iPhone Air has a considerably more powerful processor, but you wouldn’t have noticed in day-to-day use. They’re both performing great, they offer very smooth performance. Where you may notice a difference is in graphically-intensive games. Both smartphones also get quite warm when you’re gaming, though overheating is not an issue on either of them.
Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Battery
The Apple iPhone Air has a 3,149mAh battery, while the Google Pixel 10 Pro includes a 4,870mAh battery. Apple’s iPhones usually have smaller batteries than their Android counterparts, and in this case it’s even more pronounced as the iPhone Air has a rather petite battery, even for an iPhone. Its extreme thinness is why that is. Does that mean its battery life is bad, though?
The battery life may surprise you. The iPhone Air’s battery life is nowhere near as bad as it seems. In fact, it can compete with the Pixel 10 Pro, that’s for sure. For most people, both of these phones will be able to deliver a full day’s worth of battery life. Some power users may find them wanting, however. Getting over 6 hours of screen-on-time is not a problem, though that will depend on your usage, that’s for sure. Gaming hits both smartphones quite hard in the battery life department.
The iPhone Air supports 20W wired (though it’s more like 18W, realistically) charging, along with 20W MagSafe wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The Pixel 10 Pro, on the other hand, supports 30W wired, 15W Qi2 wireless, and 5W reverse wired charging. The iPhone Air will take slightly over an hour and a half to charge, while it takes the Pixel 10 Pro around an hour and 40 minutes to fully charge. Do note that neither phone comes with a charger in the retail box, though.
Apple iPhone Air vs Google Pixel 10 Pro: Cameras
The Apple iPhone Air features a single camera on the back. It has a 48-megapixel camera (1/1.56-inch sensor size), and that’s it. The Pixel 10 Pro, on the other hand, has three cameras on the back. It has a 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.31-inch sensor size), a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit (1/2.55-inch sensor size), and a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom).
Apple iPhone Air
The Google Pixel 10 Pro definitely looks better on paper, in terms of its cameras. It is more versatile also. However, Google does need to tweak the camera performance a bit, as the images tend to be a bit too dark as things stand. The colors are also a bit off, but that can be fixed. The iPhone Air does provide images that look closer to what you’ll actually see in real-life. It has a solid camera on the back.
The Pixel 10 Pro is more versatile, of course. It has the ability to take ultrawide shots, not to mention that it has a 5x optical zoom capability. If you’re planning on taking zoom shots often, the iPhone Air is definitely not for you. That phone is better when it comes to video recording, however, despite the fact it has only one camera on the back. Both devices have rather capable front-facing cameras, though the iPhone Air’s is more versatile due to a square sensor Apple is using.
Audio
When it comes to audio output, the Pixel 10 Pro has a huge advantage. That phone has rather solid stereo speakers, while the iPhone Air includes a single speaker. Not only is it not as loud, but the sound quality is lacking in comparison. That’s not surprising considering it’s just a single speaker.
Neither phone includes an audio jack. You can use their Type-C ports to connect your wired headphones, however. If you prefer wireless audio, you’ll be glad to hear that both of these phones support Bluetooth 6.0.
