I didn’t buy the Pixel 10 Pro for this feature — but now I use it every day

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been slow to adapt to the AI craze of the last few years.

Maybe it’s because I’m a writer, or because the technology has been so prone to errors, or because AI experts keep talking about how it has the potential to create an extinction-level event for humans.

Either way, the productivity potential of AI simply hadn’t landed for me just yet, and I had very little intention of using it for everyday tasks, even after I purchased the notably AI-powered Google Pixel 10 Pro.

However, in just the first week, the ease with which Google has made it possible to engage with its Gemini platform piqued my curiosity, and I started testing it out.

From Gemini Live to Remix in the Google Photos app, I can confidently say that the AI in the Pixel 10 Pro is one of my most-used apps on the recently launched smartphone. Here’s why.

It’s easy to access

Widgets, power buttons, and app tabs make Gemini a quick find

The problem with new features on smartphones is that they aren’t always easy to find or, more importantly, use.

Because these devices have become so ingrained in our lives, most users have a fairly rigid routine, and finding a way to integrate AI into that routine can be difficult without a simple way to access it.

The Pixel 10 series doesn’t seem to have that problem, making Gemini very easy to access for users of the device.

For starters, you can immediately bring up Gemini by holding down the power button for a few seconds. It immediately allows you to talk to the AI model, directing it to answer questions or perform tasks on the device.

It also provides you with a prompt to “Share screen with Live” or to access Gemini Live from the display at the bottom of your screen.

On top of that, the Google Pixel 10 series offers a Gemini widget that allows you to access the many functionalities of the AI model from the home screen.

Depending on how big you want it to be, the customizable widget features between one and six buttons, allowing you to speak to, share your screen with, provide files to, or open the Gemini app.

It’s new

Innovative features are hard to come by in 2025

In the modern era, new phones don’t often add much by way of innovative features.

What usually happens is that the recently launched device will improve a few specs here and there, making the battery a bit better, the camera a bit sharper, and the display a bit brighter.

The phone is still just a rectangle that can access the internet, and not much else.

However, the Pixel 10 Pro shirks that trend with all these fancy Gemini tools, and it has made having a new phone feel, well, new again.

The new rainbow-adjacent animation when you access the platform by holding the power button, the prompts throughout the interface, and the overall feel of actually getting your fingertips on something that feels new is a combination of dopamine and nostalgia that’s hard to beat.

It’s actually kind of accurate

AI errors aren’t nearly as bad

If you haven’t heard about all the errors associated with AI models over the last few years, I have to assume that you live in some kind of anti-technology society with no access to tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

Since their inception, AI models have been riddled with missteps, mistakes, and missed opportunities that have consequences that range from kind of funny to absolutely catastrophic.

Stories about chatbots erasing entire databases and pretending to be human have become tragically common.

The AI on the Google Pixel 10 Pro, however, seems to be a bit more polished than those early iterations.

Powered by the Gemini 2.5 Flash model, the answers to specific questions are quick and helpful, while its ability to perform tasks like setting reminders and creating calendar entries is entirely accurate, at least as far as my limited experience of scheduling NFL watch parties is concerned.

To be clear, though, this is not true of the entire platform, with its image recognition needing some serious improvement before it’s ready for prime time.

While watching the weather delay during the Eagles-Cowboys game on Thursday night, I took a picture of the pundits and asked the model to identify these widely televised individuals.

As you can see from the screenshots below, it got none of them right, and then, when pressed about the accuracy of its requests, it admitted its mistake and then completely got it wrong again.

Still, as long as you’re using Gemini for basic productivity improvements, like scheduling meetings and sending emails instead of identifying people on TV, there’s some notable accuracy that should put your mind at ease.

Smartphone AI is likely the future

It’s coming whether you like it or not

AI on phones is only just becoming standard, with the Google Tensor G5 chip making the Pixel 10 Pro one of the few smartphones with on-device AI capabilities.

That won’t be the case for long, though, with tech companies pushing to get this kind of tech integrated with virtually every platform you can imagine.

As much as it may pain some to admit it, this technology seems like it’s going to be the future, and getting used to it could go a long way in preparing you for what is to come. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself all week.