Best View Yet Of New Design Shown In Latest Leaks

Google is set to launch its new Pixel 10 family at next month’s Made By Google event on Aug. 20. Of the four handsets, the Pixel 10 Pro will be seen as the flagship as it balances power and size. While we may not have any official details beyond the name, the new design’s focus on continuity is evident, alongside a pursuit of the competitive edge in software.

Pixel 10 Pro’s Chinese Sighting

This week saw our clearest look yet at the Pixel 10 Pro, as images of the handset appeared on a Chinese auction site. This looks to be a pre-release model, but one that has advanced beyond the basic prototype stage. It’s likely a Design Validation Test or Engineering Validation Test model. These are used at various stages of the process, from prototyping to mass production, both represent near-final units but allow scope for changes to be made before all factors are locked in.

The design changes we see are likely to be the same as those on the released handsets.

The camera bar design introduced in the Pixel 9, moving away from an edge-to-edge raised strip for a still substantial but more island-like lozenge remains. Reflections suggest that the periscope lens has been added as one of the three main lenses at the rear.

Around the front of the device, we can make out the bezels, which appear to be slightly smaller than those of previous models, and confirmation that Google is retaining a central punch-out for the selfie camera.

Pixel 10 Pro’s Vancouver Shoot

The design of the Pixel 9 Pro matched that of the Pixel 9. Google is expected to follow a similar path this year with the Pixel 10 as the base unit and the Pixel 10 Pro externally similar but with uprated specifications, the Pixel 10 Pro XL, a larger-screened variant of the 10 Pro, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, exhibiting a folding design echoing a Pixel 10 when closed.

That would mean what is on display here will also be the Pixel 10, especially as the base model may be moving up to a three-lens main camera for 2025.

The tweaked camera bar, slimmer bezels and reworked edge matches the Pixel 10 that was spotted in Vancouver during May. The handset and associated storyboards were papped during filming, presumably of the flashy introduction videos and initial YouTube spots seen at a launch event.

Pixel 10 Pro’s CAD Files

Going back further, March saw CAD files of the Pixel 10 appear online. These would be from much earlier in the process, but they illustrated the new camera bar and flatter sides, as well as the potential for a periscope lens in the main camera.

The CAD files provided precise measurements of the handset; the width and height remain the same as those of the Pixel 9, but the body is 0.1mm thicker.

Pixel 10 Pro Design Cues

While these changes from the Pixel 9 family to the Pixel 10 are more evolutionary than the revolutionary jump from the Pixel 8 to the Pixel 9, they are adding up to a cleaner design for the handsets. It’s unlikely to stand out against the competition from the likes of Samsung and Apple, but the design will keep pace.

Where the Pixel 10 family will have a significant impact will be in software. Google has utilised the Pixel range to promote the broader adoption of Artificial intelligence in mobile devices. The recent I/O Developers conference shows that there will be no let-up in this strategy.

The hardware is refined, but it’s the software that Google will push hard.

Now read the latest Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Android smartphones in Forbes’ weekly mobile news digest…