How Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Can Defeat Apple’s New iPhone 17

Pixel 9 Pro XL

Ewan Spence

Google will launch the new Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro smartphones this month, and the new family of Pixels has an opportunity within reach that no other Pixel has had so far… the chance to take on and claim victory against Apple’s iPhone.

The latter will launch early in September and will no doubt be seen as “the best iPhone ever” by the faithful. The Pixel 10 family is not going after that market; they belong to Apple in much the same way that Google has a tranche of users dedicated to the Pixel brand. Sales to these loyal crowds are locked in. The challenge is the group in the middle, the group that will happily swap manufacturers, proficient in living in multiple clouds, and always looking for the best balance.

The Pixel 10 family, especially the Pixel 10 Pro, will speak to all of that market.

Pixel 10 Pro Wins The Price Discussion

First up is the price. Google appears to be keeping the prices of the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL in line with the Pixel 9 family launched last year. On the other hand, Apple is set to add a $50 premium across the board for the iPhone 17 handsets. Apple is mitigating this by increasing the base level of storage on these entry-level models, so a like-for-like comparison with the second-tier models of the iPhone 16 will show an effective $50 saving year-on-year.

That needs a close reading of the specifications to become clear. A quick comparison online or in-store of the prices will show (as much like-for-like as you can get between Android and iOS) that the Pixel is the more cost-effective option.

Pixel 10 Pro Wins This Round Of AI

It can’t have escaped anyone’s notice that artificial intelligence is the latest buzzword in computing. This isn’t restricted to mobile; everywhere you turn, you can see AI being used in countless ways. The smartphone is the key computing device for many, and the AI revolution is incredibly visible on the smartphone.

At least on Android smartphones. Apple’s efforts in artificial intelligence have fallen short of the publicly announced goals at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2024. Features that were going to debut on the iPhone 16, then would be coming by the end of the year, may turn up ahead of the iPhone 17 launch. That delay, of more than a year, hands Google a visible win for those expecting modern artificial intelligence on their smartphone.

Pixel 10 Pro Has More To Show In 2025

That’s just the state of play of AI right now. When the Pixel 10 smartphones are launched, they will have all the added AI benefits from Android 16, as well as the new tools and updates in Google’s first-party apps. AI will continue to be one of the buzzwords of 2025. Google will have demonstrated its lead and then extended it as consumers get ready to buy their new smartphones.

Apple’s AI efforts are still trying to match the promises of June 2024. Those who have purchased the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro smartphones

Add to that the leap forward that Google will make with the launch of Android 16 on the Pixel 10 phones, as well as the new AI features in Google’s first-party apps, and you can see how Pixel will have an AI advantage with consumers. Apple’s AI promises from WWDC 2025 are less than grand.

Advantage Pixel 10 Pro

A better price on retail shelves, a better acknowledgement of artificial intelligence, and more new features that will extend its lead in mobile AI. The Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro smartphones have more advantages over the iPhone than the Pixel range has had to date.

Now read the latest Pixel 10 Pro headlines in Forbes’ weekly Android news digest…