iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Pixel 10 Pro XL: Main differences to expect

Intro

Both devices are expected to carry minor updates over their predecessors. Neither will revolutionize the experience, and honestly speaking, we don’t feel that either one needs any major changes in the first place. 

But which one should you consider, and which one should find its place in your pocket?

Design and Size

Some changes for the iPhone, business as usual for the Pixel 

The iPhone 17 Pro Max will retain the general shape and form of previous large iPhones, utilizing a premium titanium frame with the all-encompassing flat design language. However, as Apple strives to differentiate the newer models from the older ones, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will get a larger camera island at the rear, a rectangular-shaped on rather than a squarish one. 

This new design language applies to all models except for the regular iPhone (Image Credit-Weibo)

Size-wise, we expect the iPhone 17 Pro Max to be the thicker device here, with a projected thickness of 8.73 mm. The Pixel 10 Pro XL will be ever-so-slightly thinner at around 8.5 mm, but we challenge you to notice this minor difference in real life. 

iPhone 17 Pro Max render (Image Credit-@asherdipps

The iPhone will continue to be the device with more variety in the button lineup. The Action Button and the Camera Controls key are returning this fall, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL will possibly score no extra buttons rather than the standard volume/power button combo.

Color-wise, we expect the iPhone 17 Pro Max to be available in Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and one extra color. The Pixel might come in Midnight, Iris, and two vivid colors.

Display Differences

We don’t expect any display size increases on either device. 

So, don’t be surprised if the iPhone 17 Pro Max rolls out with a 6.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR screen with thin bezels, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL comes with a 6.8-inch Super Actua one with slightly thicker bezels. 

Both phones will be OLED ones, with high-resolution, excellent color accuracy, the sharpness to match, and peak brightness nearing 3,000 nits. 

That would actually be a massive improvement for the iPhone. Most previous iPhone Pro Max devices maxed out at around 2,000 nits, so this increase will be palpable, most likely.

We’ve heard that Apple might employ a slightly smaller Dynamic Island notch up front thanks to using smaller and more space-efficient elements, which would increase the screen real estate. However, we doubt 

In terms of biometrics, the Pixel 10 Pro XL will continue Google’s affair with ultrasonic fingerprint scanners, while Apple is unlikely to move away from the well-established Face ID system right now. 

Performance and Software

An even 3nm battle?

Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max will be the third device to employ a 3nm chipset. The upcoming A19 Pro chip will surely increase the upper limits of mobile performance, just as most of its predecessors. We expect nothing short of superb raw performance, as well as even better efficiency than before, which will hopefully improve battery life even further. 

Meanwhile, significant changes are coming to the Pixel 10 lineup. It will be the first time Google uses a custom-made Tensor chip manufactured by TSMC on its 3nm process and will finally break away from the Exynos blueprint that was used to make all previous Tensor chips. This could finally give us the major performance improvement we’ve desired on the Pixel lineup. 

The iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely feature three storage versions: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. 

The Pixel 10 Pro XL, on the other hand, will come with either 12 or 16GB of RAM, and while most of Google’s AI processing is done in the cloud, having more of the vital hardware component has never hurt anybody. We expect the Pixel to allow an entry-level version with slightly less storage, some 128GB.

Camera

Triple-camera champs

Both phones will employ triple camera setups at the back, and they have never been closer in terms of specs. 

Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is possibly getting setup similar to the Pixel 9 Pro XL. This essentially means a 50MP main camera, a 48MP ultrawide, a 48MP periscope with 5X zoom, and a high-res 42MP front-facing camera. Not too bad, and given Google’s acumen in image-processing, we are likely getting one very potent cameraphone!

An upgrade is expected at the front of the iPhone 17 Pro Max. To commemorate the slimming of the Dynamic Island, Apple is reportedly increasing the resolution of the FaceTime camera from 12 to 24MP. The Pixel 10 Pro XL will likely remain a 42MP one, so the resolution advantage could be Google’s.

The iPhone might finally score 8K video-recording, despite the low demand for this feature. The Pixel could possibly also score 8K video-recording: the sensor that was featured on the Pixel 9 Pro XL was already capable of doing that, but the functionality was likely dropped due to heat concerns.

Battery Life and Charging

Minor moves, big results?

We don’t expect significantly larger silicon-carbon batteries on either phone, let’s get this straight from the get-go. Both will likely score minimal increase (or decrease) to their battery sizes. 

Last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max featured the largest battery ever fitted on an iPhone. At 4,685 mAh, it pushed the limits for Apple. Could we get another record this year? Well, possibly, but don’t expect a major increase. Something under 100 or even 50 mAh is more believable.

The same applies to the Pixel 10 Pro XL. We don’t expect Google to put a battery significantly larger than the one on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and this one came with a 5,000 mAh one. 

Charging-wise, the iPhone will likely repeat the charging configuration of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, with 27W wired charging (that could jump to 40W in certain scenarios) and 25W MagSafe 2.0.

No changes are expected for the Google flagship: 37W wired and 23W wireless charging. The latter will possibly be Qi2-ready, meaning MagSafe for Android, but there won’t be any magnets embedded in the phone itself. Instead, Google will put the magnets in the protective cases for the range, which is definitely a workaround. 

Specs Comparison

Summary

Apple and Google are cooking, but the dishes might not blow you away. Sure, they will be tastier, but nothing our palates haven’t experienced before. 

The iPhone 17 Pro Max will continue honing its super-premium design with a potent hardware setup that’s perfectly suited for the upcoming iOS 26 update. A new camera strip at the rear could summarize most of the major changes here.

In Google’s camp, the changes could be even less on the outside, but a massive internal shift towards a fully custom 3nm Tensor chip could be the biggest upgrade the Pixel lineup has seen in years.