I know some people upgrade their phones every year with each new hardware revision, but I like to put more space between my devices. I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S8 in 2017 and stuck with that until I decided to get the Google Pixel 6 in 2021. I wasn't planning on buying a new phone for another year or so, but Google emailed me with all kinds of enticing offers if I upgraded to one of the brand-new devices from its Google Pixel 10 line of phones. Wanting a beefier phone and sold by perks like a free year of Google AI Pro, I took the plunge and purchased a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, which typically retails for $1,199.00.

My Google Pixel 10 Pro XL arrived on Thursday, August 28, and I spent a great deal of time using it this Labor Day weekend. With it having been four years since I last bought a phone, I was expecting the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL to blow me away with its advancements. At the very least, I expected a phone that performs better than my Pixel 6. Instead, I came away with the lesson that I can wait a lot longer between phone upgrades without missing out on much of anything.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL Just Doesn't Work as Well as My Pixel 6

Jumping from a Google Pixel 6 all the way to a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, I would expect there to be significant and noticeable performance improvements. On the contrary, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL has not worked as well as its 4-year-old predecessor in my testing of it. In one instance, I attempted to skip around on videos using the Pixel 10 Pro XL, only for the videos to freeze every time. Multiple refreshes and switching to different internet did nothing to help. Using my Pixel 6 on the same exact internet being used by my Pixel 10 Pro XL, I was able to load videos and skip around with zero issue.

That's not the only performance problem I have encountered since switching to the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. There is a slight, but noticeable lag when inputting the code on my unlock screen that isn't there with the Pixel 6. My To-Do List app is a laggy nightmare on the Pixel 10 Pro XL and frequently crashes on the new device, plus there is general sluggishness when using the phone that is nonexistent on my Pixel 6.

Destiny: Rising is a Disaster on Google Pixel 10 Pro XL

Destiny: Rising is one of the biggest new mobile game releases of the year, but prepare to jump through some hoops if you want to play it on a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. Destiny: Rising translates Bungie's looter-shooter MMO/FPS formula to mobile devices surprisingly well, and the game has already earned a great deal of praise. I would love to play it more, but on the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, there are black boxes that take up the screen and make it virtually impossible to play. There are apparently workarounds to resolve this issue, but the fact that one of the biggest new mobile games of the year requires such workarounds to work on the latest, top-of-the-line new Pixel is frustrating. Users shouldn't have to rely on workarounds - games should just work.

Future Updates Should Make the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL a Better Phone

It's likely that apps and games like Destiny: Rising will get updates to make them more compatible with the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL and these issues will be resolved in short order, but they are prevalent at the time of this writing. Since receiving the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL on Thursday, August 28, though, I have been incredibly disappointed. This is the first time that I have ever upgraded to a new phone and felt worse off. Based on the specs, the Pixel 10 Pro XL should be a much better phone than my Pixel 6, but it's a lateral move at its best and most of the time, it's a clearly inferior experience in desperate need of updates. It will likely be a much easier recommendation once the early day issues have been sorted out, but if you are in the market for a new phone, I would hold off on getting the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL - especially if you already have an older Pixel phone handy.