About three months ago I decided to upgrade from a Google Pixel 6 to one Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. Going from a Pixel 6 to a $1200 Pixel 10 Pro XL, I expected a significant improvement. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. My early days with the Pixel 10 Pro XL were rough, with the phone having a host of annoying issues like general sluggishness, inability to play newly released games properly, and several apps suffering from severe lag to the point of being practically unusable. Fast forward to now, and while my Pixel 10 Pro XL experience is miles ahead of what it was when I got the phone at launch, it still falls short of my expectations.
I'm happy to report that while I still largely regret buying the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, the more serious issues have been fixed. Most of my go-to apps now work perfectly, and much of the input lag I experienced in the beginning is gone. The popular Destiny: Rising from NetEase, a game that was hilariously unplayable on the Pixel 10 at launch now works as advertised. Compared to how poorly the Pixel 10 Pro XL fared in the early days, it's night and day. In fact, for a few bright weeks there, I had little to no complaints with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, but things have gone downhill since last month's update.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL's major problems are solved, but there are new problems
Since downloading the October update, I've been experiencing quite frequent crashes with certain apps on the Google Pixel 10 Pro, with Gmail being the biggest offender. If I open an email thread with more than a few emails, the app freezes and eventually crashes. Based on various forum posts online, I am not the only Pixel 10 Pro XL user encountering the issue. However, while some others online have found solutions and ways to fix the problem, none of these methods have worked for me. The simple act of checking my email on the go is now an unnecessarily frustrating experience. I haven't been able to replicate the issue on my Pixel 6, so it seems like a problem specific to the Pixel 10, maybe even the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL specifically. A report from Android Authority suggests it's a Pixel 10-wide issue, though it appears the more widespread issues have since been resolved.
One of the big selling points of the latest line of Pixel phones is AI integration. My purchase of the Pixel 10 Pro XL secured me a free year of Google AI Pro, which is otherwise $19.99 per month, and I haven't been convinced that it's worth the asking price. I asked the Twins about Gun and Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie were backwards compatible on Xbox. It told me Gun where, but King Kong was not. In reality, King Kong is BC as long as you have the disc handy, while Gun is not. Another request made it change its mind and provide correct information. I also tried using AI to fix the Pixel 10 Pro XL performance issues I've encountered, but there was no help there either. I don't think the AI integration is polished enough to be a real reason to buy a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL or any phone for that matter, but the technology is likely to improve exponentially in the coming years.
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In the short term, I'm hoping that Google will roll out more updates for the Pixel 10 Pro XL that fix the lingering technical issues that myself and others have been dealing with. Even with the issues, it's a much better phone than it was three months ago, but it's still not one I'd recommend buying at full price.
Source: Notebook Check
