Apple and Google have pulled out all the stops with two giants looking to dominate your pocket: iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pixel 10 Pro XL. This time, the aesthetic resemblance is also impossible to ignore: the iPhone’s new “plateau” camera openly recalls the Pixel’s horizontal bar, a move that makes it clear the rear module is once again a design area with personality. But this isn’t just about showing off; there are 3 nm chips, displays that break the nit meter, and cameras that play with zoom like a slider in a pro editor. Which one comes out on top?
Design and displays: two styles, the same ambition
Apple has reorganized the iPhone 17 Pro Max chassis with a new thermal-focused approach: aluminum is back (goodbye to the titanium phase) and a Ceramic Shield “window” on the rear leaves more metal exposed to better dissipate heat. On the front, Ceramic Shield 2 debuts and, as a cherry on top, a seven-layer anti-reflective coating promises much better outdoor legibility; a change that, as we already saw on the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the S25 Ultra, can make a difference in daily use.
Google, for its part, keeps its hallmark in the Pixel 10 Pro XL: a flat aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and its now-classic full-width camera bar. No frills, but very consistent visually. In size and weight they play in the same league (approx. 233 g), with a very similar thickness that you will hardly notice in the hand.
The iPhone’s display scales up to a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR with ProMotion from 1–120 Hz and a peak of 3,000 nits, while the Pixel opts for a 6.8-inch Super Actua OLED, also 1–120 Hz, with a dizzying brightness that can reach around 3,300 nits according to Google. The iPhone’s Dynamic Island remains intact hosting Face ID and the front camera; the Pixel relies on its ultrasonic fingerprint reader – fast and reliable – and adds AI-powered facial unlock that has passed security requirements to be used even in banking apps.
In buttons and colors, Apple keeps the Action Button and the Camera Controls key, while the Pixel plays it safe with volume and power buttons. The Pixel arrives in Moonstone, Obsidian, Porcelain and Jade; the iPhone bets on a shorter palette: Silver, Deep Blue and Cosmic Orange.
Performance and software: 3 nm at full speed
Inside the iPhone 17 Pro Max sits the new A19 Pro built on a 3 nm process, the third generation at this node with promises of higher performance and efficiency ceilings. Apple, aware of the thermal challenge of its most powerful chips, also debuts a vapor chamber to improve dissipation and better sustain power peaks. As for memory, there is no official figure yet; 12 GB of RAM is being talked about, likely to give Apple Intelligence more breathing room for on-device processing, and storage options of 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB and now also 2 TB.
Google counters with its first Tensor fully designed in-house: the G5 at 3 nm (via TSMC). The leap is notable compared to previous generations: everything feels snappier and more stable, although in pure benchmarks it doesn’t hit the numbers of the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the Apple A18 Pro mentioned in earlier comparisons. That said, with 16 GB of RAM, the Pixel 10 Pro XL has plenty to feed the AI features that characterize the Pixel experience, available in 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB.
On the software side, the iPhone ships with iOS 26 and live translation features integrated into calls, Messages and FaceTime; if you use AirPods Pro, you can even hold face-to-face conversations with simultaneous translation. The Pixel launches with Android 16, seven years of support and a visual refresh with Material 3 Expressive. The star is Magic Cue, a proactive agent that suggests contextual actions: if someone mentions a reservation, it scans your Gmail and proposes the appropriate reply without leaving the thread, like a digital butler that never gets distracted.
Cameras, battery and charging: zoom, AI and plenty of endurance
Apple renews the complete 48 MP trio: main, ultra wide (with macro) and a tetraprism zoom that also rises to 48 MP. The “Fusion” idea gains prominence with sensor cropping to offer “lossless” magnifications in seven steps of the zoom ring: 13, 24, 28, 35, 48, 100 and 200 mm. On the front, a square sensor allows horizontal selfies with reframing and intelligent tracking to improve both video and video calls.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is not left behind: 50 MP in the main camera, 48 MP for the ultra wide and a 48 MP periscope with 5x optical zoom that now scales up to 100x with Pro Res Zoom. With this, Google matches the great zooms in the Android ecosystem, like those on the Galaxy S25 Ultra or Xiaomi 15 Ultra. It also debuts Camera Coach, a photographic trainer that guides you with visual cues to nail composition and improve your shots no matter the situation.
In endurance, the Pixel hits hard with 5,200 mAh, the largest battery ever seen in a Pixel, and raises wired charging to 45 W and wireless to 25 W (Qi2.2). The iPhone doesn’t reveal exact capacity, but it points to more than 4,700 mAh and, importantly, speeds up charging: 40 W wired and 25 W wireless, with 50% promised in about 20 minutes. Both integrate magnetic rings for accessories: MagSafe on the iPhone and Pixelsnap on the Pixel, also compatible with Qi2 chargers and a healthy arsenal of third-party accessories.
With starting prices of $1,199, the duel is high-end. If you prioritize outdoor brightness, versatile zoom and extra battery life, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is a very well-balanced beast already available to buy. If you seek the most powerful platform, a new anti-reflective layer that can change your experience and a very polished ecosystem, the iPhone 17 Pro Max looks like a tempting upgrade (although it’s still to arrive in stores). In the end, does Google-branded AI magic win you over, or the muscle of the A19 Pro with Apple’s new features?
