3 Months Later, I Still Regret Buying the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL

About three months ago, I decided to upgrade from a Google Pixel 6 to a 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 variety of annoying issues like general sluggishness, inability to play newly-released games properly, and multiple apps suffering from severe lag to the point where they were 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’s still not meeting my expectations.

I am happy to report that, while I still largely regret buying the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, the more egregious issues have been ironed out. Most of my go-to apps now work perfectly fine, and a lot of the input lag that I experienced in the early days is gone. The popular Destiny: Rising from NetEase, a game that was hilariously unplayable on Pixel 10 at launch, now works as advertised. Compared to how bad the Pixel 10 Pro XL ran in those early days, it’s night and day. In fact, for a few bright weeks there, I had little to no complaints about the Pixel 10 Pro XL, but things have gone downhill since last month’s update.

Pixel 10 Pro XL’s Bigger Issues Are Resolved, But There Are New Problems

Since downloading the October update, I have experienced fairly frequent crashing with certain apps on the Google Pixel 10 Pro, with Gmail being the biggest offender. If I open any 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 to run into the issue. But while some others online have found workarounds and ways to fix the problem, none of those methods have worked for me. The simple act of checking my email on the go is now a needlessly frustrating experience. I have been unable to replicate the issue on my Pixel 6, so it does seem like a problem specific to the Pixel 10, maybe even the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL specifically. A report by Android Authority suggests that it’s a Pixel 10-wide problem, though it seems 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 have not been convinced that it’s worth the asking price. I asked Gemini if Gun and Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie were backward compatible on Xbox. It told me Gun was, but King Kong wasn’t. In reality, King Kong is BC as long as you have the disc handy, while Gun is not. Another inquiry had it change its mind and provide the correct information. I also tried to use the AI to help fix the Pixel 10 Pro XL performance issues I’ve been running into, but it was no help there either. I don’t think the AI integration is polished enough for it to be a real reason to buy a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL or any phone for that matter, but the tech will likely exponentially improve in the years to come.

Short-term, I am hoping for Google to roll out more updates for the Pixel 10 Pro XL that fix the lingering technical problems 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 recommend buying at full price.

Source: Notebook Check