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It looks like yesterday once 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 obtained 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 perfect of the perfect. They’re the fashions that tech lovers drool about, followers wait in strains for, and journalists like me itch to match 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 most important variations under, primarily based on specs, hands-on expertise, and years of testing each iPhone and Pixel telephones.
Specs
| Apple iPhone 17 Professional Max | Google Pixel 10 Professional XL | |
| Show | 6.9″ AMOLED with 120Hz, 3000 nits peak | 6.8″ QHD AMOLED 120Hz, 3300 nits peak |
| Weight | 233 grams | 232 grams |
| Processor | Apple A19 Professional | Google Tensor G5 |
| Dimensions | 78 x 163.4 x 8.75mm | 76.6 x 162.8 x 8.5mm |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Battery | N/A | 5,080mAh |
| Digicam | 48MP Fusion / 48MP Extremely Large / 48MP telephoto / 18MP entrance | 50MP huge / 48MP telephoto (5x) / 48MP ultrawide / 42MP entrance |
| Worth | $1,199 | $1,199 |
You can purchase the iPhone 17 Professional Max if…
1. You are a video (and selfie) aficionado
The iPhone 17 Professional Max acquired a number of digital camera upgrades this 12 months, however the two that I would wish to concentrate on are the ProRes Uncooked video assist and the 18MP Middle Stage entrance sensor.
With the previous, videographers can report content material whereas bypassing all the same old, automated picture processing, like adapting colours and sharpness. The result’s footage that is friendlier to edit, might be matched to the tone that you just’re after, and, maybe most significantly, seems extra in line 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 digital camera, which may now take images and movies with a wider subject 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 images in panorama or portrait orientation) with out requiring you to rotate the gadget.
2. You understand how to make a telephone flip sizzling
Whether or not you are a hardcore cell gamer or often multitasking, the iPhone 17 Professional Max is arguably the better-performing handset of the 2. A giant cause for the hole is the brand new A19 Professional chip, which Apple claims provides a 40% enchancment in sustained efficiency in comparison with the iPhone 16 Professional. (Understand that once 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 normally have on the gadget’s battery life.
3. You want 2TB of storage in your telephone
We now dwell in a actuality the place you should purchase a $2,000 iPhone from the Apple retailer, because of the brand new 2TB configuration for the iPhone 17 Professional Max. For content material creators, photograph 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 inner storage. That is nonetheless lots for many customers, however these with excessive calls for ought to gravitate towards the iPhone.
You can purchase the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL if…
1. You need AI options that promise and ship
There is not 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 tips embody generative picture modifying through textual content and a Magic Cue ticker that populates messages, notes, and even telephone calls with related info (reminiscent of flight info, restaurant bookings, and extra).
I’ve discovered Google’s newest AI options delicate, uninvasive, and extremely useful, a mix that many others, together with Apple, are nonetheless making an attempt to match.
2. You need probably the most forgiving digital camera available on the market
Whereas the iPhone 17 Professional Max will get my decide for taking pictures movies, the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL, with its triple lens setup and bounty of computational touch-ups, makes it probably the most forgiving digital camera telephone proper now.
One characteristic that is impressed me probably the most this 12 months is Professional Res Zoom, which makes use of generative AI to right noise and distortion whenever you’re taking photos 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 also activate Auto Finest Take, which routinely picks out the perfect facial expressions of topics and morphs them right into a single photograph — 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 good in idea. Nonetheless, 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 gadgets with out being distracting.
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