The Google Pixel 10 could put a serious dent in Samsung’s popularity

Google has a fantastic opportunity in 2025. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a fine smartphone, but it lacks the innovation and inspiration we’ve come to expect from Samsung. I can only take so many years of iterative improvements, and I know I’m not alone in my frustrations.

On the other hand, Google had a banner year in 2024. The Google Pixel 9 series was a significant leap forward for the company, offering a refined design and an improved software experience. Google’s fourth-generation Tensor was up to the task, resolving the last overheating and battery life issues users experienced with previous Pixel devices. I love using mine, and it’s the best Pixel phone since the Pixel 2 XL. With a few tweaks, the rumored Google Pixel 10 series could dent Samsung’s popularity and take full advantage of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s uninspiring upgrades.

Google needs to get a little closer

Tensor G5 needs a slight boost

I’ve never called for Google to eliminate its Tensor chipsets. However, plenty of people are pounding the pavement, saying Google should return to using Snapdragon chipsets to level the playing field with Samsung. I disagree. Google has a coherent direction for the first time in years, and increased sales back it up. We’ve seen Google try to go spec-for-spec with Samsung, and the results weren’t favorable. Google isn’t interested in a footrace between the two manufacturers, and I like the company’s focus on the user experience and software. No one can say the Pixel 9 Pro XL isn’t silky smooth to use, and that’s the bottom line for most users.

However, there’s one area where the Pixel 9 series is glaringly deficient for its flagship price tag: gaming. Not everyone plays mobile games on their smartphones, but it’s difficult to ignore that the Pixel 9 gets noticeably worse gaming performance than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Even if you don’t spend all your waking hours on Genshin Impact, you’ll want top-tier performance for whatever you play. It’s not too much to ask, and Google must improve with the Pixel 10.

Thankfully, rumors suggest that the Tensor G5 will have 15% better GPU performance. If true, that’ll give us smooth frames at high graphics settings in AAA titles — enough performance to make the gap less noticeable, giving the Pixel 10 a chance to shine.

Google Gemini can show up Samsung

Galaxy AI isn’t doing it

I still don’t understand how Galaxy AI fits into the Samsung user experience. The pitch sounds good, and I’m not against AI impacting my daily life. However, its current implementation leaves much to be desired. Cross-app action on my Galaxy S25 Ultra needs routine double-checking, and I refuse to parse prompts to get the exact output I want when I could do the action just as quickly without Galaxy AI’s help. Now Brief is plagued by wasted potential, and over a month on, I haven’t seen any improvement to make the feature more useful. Nothing feels generative about Galaxy AI in its current state, and I’d love the Personal Data Engine to start doing something that feels remotely personal.

And as much as I like Google’s hardware, it’s harder to justify a Pixel if the price creeps to $1,300 or $1,400.

I’ve consistently felt that Google has been a step ahead of Samsung with AI. The company has a more coherent vision for AI and has been planning how to integrate it into Pixel phones for years. The Pixel 10 will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase that. It’s a chance for Google to integrate AI more intuitively, making it helpful to customers and not just an annoyance we’re tired of hearing about. I expect improved Google Gemini performance, and when paired with the regular Pixel software extras like Now Playing, it should make for a more pleasant AI experience.

The price can’t go up anymore

Google needs to keep some value

I was disappointed when Google raised the price of its Pixel 9 series phones. They still cost less than their Samsung counterparts, but the gap wasn’t nearly as significant as in previous years. A comparably loaded Pixel 9 Pro XL was still $100 or $200 less than a Galaxy S24 Ultra, but we’d been used to more savings and value with the Pixel lineup. Google can’t raise its prices again for the Pixel 10. It would be a mistake, and we’ve seen the company try to go toe-to-toe with Samsung before. And as much as I like Google’s hardware, it’s harder to justify a Pixel if the price creeps to $1,300 or $1,400.

It’s unreasonable to ask a company to drop prices in 2025; I live on this planet, so I understand how things are. However, I believe Google has escaped some criticism by keeping a healthy price gap between itself and Samsung. I’m not going to complain about Tensor’s lackluster benchmarks if I’m paying decently less, so I hope Google realizes that and keeps some value in the Pixel phones.

Samsung opened the door, but it’s up to Google

Samsung created an opportunity for Google to shine by not taking a bigger swing with the Galaxy S25 phones. People are holding off on upgrades or looking for alternatives. Even Galaxy S24 Ultra owners, frustrated by the company’s One UI 7 delays and rumors that the S24 won’t get all the new features, are looking elsewhere for the first time in years.

With the Pixel 9 lineup, Google aimed to siphon off market share from Apple. Perhaps it’s time for Google to look at luring disgruntled Samsung users with the Pixel 10.