iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL: I compared both phones, and it’s a close one

Observe ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

It looks like yesterday after I sat in a Brooklyn warehouse to look at Jimmy Fallon introduce the Google Pixel 10 sequence to the world. Since then, Apple has joined the fray with the brand new iPhone 17, and now I’ve acquired a couple of too many new handsets on my thoughts.

Between what Apple and Google introduced, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL stand out as the very best of the very best. They’re the fashions that tech lovers drool about, followers wait in traces for, and journalists like me itch to check earlier than the year-end awards are due.

Additionally: Apple Events live updates: iPhone 17, iPhone Air, AirPods Pro 3, and reactions to new wearables

For those who’re deciding on which of the 2 telephones to purchase, I’ve laid out the largest variations under, primarily based on specs, hands-on expertise, and years of testing each iPhone and Pixel telephones.

Specs

You should purchase the iPhone 17 Professional Max if…

1. You are a video (and selfie) aficionado

The iPhone 17 Professional Max obtained a number of digicam upgrades this 12 months, however the two that I would prefer to give attention to are the ProRes Uncooked video help and the 18MP Middle Stage entrance sensor.

With the previous, videographers can document content material whereas bypassing all the standard, automated picture processing, like adapting colours and sharpness. The result’s footage that is friendlier to edit, could be matched to the tone that you simply’re after, and, maybe most significantly, seems extra in step with content material captured by different cameras.

Additionally: Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: I compared both, and here’s the winner

Apple has additionally upgraded the entrance digicam, which might now take pictures and movies with a wider discipline of view. It is achieved this by choosing a square-shaped sensor versus an oblong one, permitting the iPhone to crop in or out (learn: take pictures in panorama or portrait orientation) with out requiring you to rotate the system.

2. You understand how to make a cellphone flip scorching

Whether or not you are a hardcore cell gamer or regularly multitasking, the iPhone 17 Professional Max is arguably the better-performing handset of the 2. A giant purpose for the hole is the brand new A19 Professional chip, which Apple claims presents a 40% enchancment in sustained efficiency in comparison with the iPhone 16 Professional. (Needless to say after we examined final 12 months’s mannequin, the efficiency was already spectacular.)

Apple has additionally launched a brand new vapor chamber cooling system for the iPhone, which leverages a liquid-filled again panel for warmth dissipation. I am anticipating this to maintain the iPhone operating at peak efficiency for longer whereas lowering the toll intense workloads would often have on the system’s battery life.

3. You want 2TB of storage in your cellphone 

We now reside in a actuality the place you should buy a $2,000 iPhone from the Apple retailer, due to the brand new 2TB configuration for the iPhone 17 Professional Max. For content material creators, picture buffs, and folk who merely obtain extra apps and information than wanted, there’s now an iPhone geared for you.

Additionally: You can preorder Apple’s new devices this week: iPhone 17, Watch 11, AirPods Pro 3 and more

Comparatively, the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL maxes out at 1TB of inside storage. That is nonetheless loads for many customers, however these with excessive calls for ought to gravitate towards the iPhone.

You should purchase the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL if…

1. You need AI options that promise and ship 

There isn’t any denying that the AI options on iPhones are remedial in comparison with what’s on the Pixel. It has been an uphill battle for Apple for the reason that starting, and the hole has solely gotten wider with the launch of the Pixel 10 Professional.

Additionally: I replaced my Samsung S25 Ultra with the Pixel 10 Pro XL for weeks – and don’t regret it

Google’s newest AI methods embody generative picture modifying by way of textual content and a Magic Cue ticker that populates messages, notes, and even cellphone calls with related data (equivalent to flight data, restaurant bookings, and extra). 

I’ve discovered Google’s newest AI options delicate, uninvasive, and extremely purposeful, a mix that many others, together with Apple, are nonetheless making an attempt to match.

2. You need essentially the most forgiving digicam in the marketplace

Whereas the iPhone 17 Professional Max will get my decide for capturing movies, the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL, with its triple lens setup and bounty of computational touch-ups, makes it essentially the most forgiving digicam cellphone proper now.

One characteristic that is impressed me essentially the most this 12 months is Professional Res Zoom, which makes use of generative AI to right noise and distortion while you’re taking footage of distant topics. Which means photographs of buildings and skyscrapers, statues, and even signage that is far-off seem extra in focus. 

Additionally: The secrets that make Pixel 10 Pro the world’s smartest phone camera – from inside Google

You may as well activate Auto Greatest Take, which robotically picks out the very best facial expressions of topics and morphs them right into a single picture — successfully eradicating any likelihood of imperfections.

3. You resonate extra with Materials 3 Expressive

This 12 months, Google and Apple’s approaches to software program and consumer interface design diverged considerably. Google targeted on unified colours, pure actions, and distinctive visible cues, whereas Apple’s design language emphasised translucency and reflections.

Apple’s Liquid Glass concept for iOS 26, which makes the UI parts transfer like water droplets on a glass panel, is sensible in principle. Nevertheless, many iPhone beta customers have identified a scarcity of distinction and discernment.

In distinction, Google’s Material 3 Expressive theming has been well-received by Pixel customers. It permits for personalizing units with out being distracting.

Wish to comply with my work? Add ZDNET as a trusted source on Google.