Google Pixel 10a vs iPhone 17 Pro Max

Google Pixel 10a

The 6.3-inch 1080×2424 pOLED with 120Hz refresh is identical in resolution and panel tech to the 9a, but Google bumped peak brightness 11% to 3,000 nits and finally replaced the ancient Gorilla Glass 3 with Gorilla Glass 7i. Reviewers agree it is good rather than great — bright enough for outdoor use, sharp, fast — but the bezels remain noticeably thick by 2026 mid-range standards, and the panel still ships with 120Hz off by default.

• The Gorilla Glass 7i upgrade from the ancient Gorilla Glass 3 might secretly be the best improvement here, bringing the screen's protection and feel closer to the base Pixel 10.
• After two weeks of use I can't see a single scratch on the Pixel 10a's screen — the Gorilla Glass 7i upgrade noticeably improves on the older Gorilla Glass 3.
• The display is fast, responsive, vibrant, and the on-screen fingerprint sensor is in an easy-to-reach spot toward the middle of the phone.
• Display brightness climbs to 3,000 nits at peak, matching the iPhone 17 Pro — readability is excellent even on sunny days outdoors.
• Slimmer bezels than the 9a, but still pretty thick — only a 0.8% increase in screen-to-body ratio, and noticeably thicker than the OnePlus Nord 5 or Honor 400.
• The 11 percent boost to 3,000 nits matches the Pixel 10, but the difference won't be obvious unless you put a 9a and 10a side by side in strong sunlight.
• The display ships with refresh rate set to 60Hz out of the box — you have to manually flip it to 120Hz in settings, which most casual buyers never will.
• Coming from a 7a's 90Hz panel, the 10a's 120Hz feels noticeably smoother — and the measured peak brightness over 4,000 nits SDR is brighter than most content you'll ever watch.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

The 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED carries over from the 16 Pro Max but gains Ceramic Shield 2 (Apple claims 3x better scratch resistance), a seven-layer anti-reflective coating, and a peak brightness boost from 2,000 to 3,000 nits in sunlight. Nearly every reviewer rates it among the best smartphone displays sold today, with Samsung's S25 Ultra still winning on outright anti-glare and a minority noting that auto-brightness rarely sustains the full peak.

• The 3,000-nit peak brightness and anti-reflective coating make the iPhone 17 Pro Max easier to read in direct sunlight than its predecessor, with significantly less indoor glare from artificial light.
• The screen has the new Ceramic Shield 2 with anti-reflective coating for 'incredible legibility' in challenging lighting conditions, though Apple still owes its biggest scratch resistance claims to a stretch.
• There is still much more glare on the iPhone 17 Pro Max than on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's Gorilla Armor 2 panel — Apple has improved it, but the S25 Ultra still wins outright.
• The iPhone 17 Pro Max display stays brilliant and vibrant even under harsh California sun — it gets noticeably brighter than the iPhone Air's screen at maximum brightness.

Google Pixel 10a

The 48MP f/1.7 main with OIS, 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide and 13MP selfie carry over byte-for-byte from the Pixel 9a — no new hardware. What is new is Camera Coach and Auto Best Take, both pulled from the Pixel 10 series, and the absence of a telephoto lens that the Galaxy S25 FE and Nothing 4a Pro both ship at this price. Critics agree this is still the best $500 camera experience on Android thanks to Google's image processing, though shooting beyond 2x or in low light reveals the small sensor's limits.

• Photos are pleasingly exposed with sharp details and natural colors — overall it's a very respectable system for the money, even if a 2x or 3x optical zoom lens would be welcome on a future A-series.
• No other $500 phone offers a comparable camera experience — Google's image processing brings out detail in bright and dim areas, and Night Sight is great for situations where rivals fall apart.
• Camera Coach is too slow because it relies on a cloud model — by the time the AI responds, the cat has walked away, so its utility is limited to static scenes.
• Auto Best Take works as advertised — Google merges multiple group photos so everyone looks their best, finally solving the problem of no single frame having everyone smiling.
• The main 48MP impresses despite the small 1/2.0-inch sensor — sharp focus, natural colors, and some of the best skin tones of any phone on the market.
• Camera Coach impedes the flow of taking a photo — I have little reason to use it, but Google's conversational photo editor in Photos is genuinely useful.
• Without a telephoto lens you're limited to 8x super-res zoom, and things get blurry beyond 3–4x — Google's processing cleans up a 2x crop well enough but starts to look artificial.
• The 10a continues Pixel's longstanding fear of saturated colors and deep shadows — the camera feels stuck where it was in 2021 or 2022, and I miss the bigger generational leaps from earlier Pixels.
• The 13MP ultrawide sensor is smaller and tends to lose details, and it lacks autofocus — fine for casual use but a step behind the main camera in low light.
• Side-by-side, the Pixel 10a's photos look slightly crisper and more vibrant than older Pixels — clearly an improvement, even if it's mostly the same hardware on paper.
• The cameras are identical to the Pixel 10 except for the missing 5x telephoto — same main, same ultrawide, same processing, same Camera Coach. The only real ceiling is zoom flexibility.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

All three rear cameras are now 48MP — the unchanged main, an upgraded ultrawide (48MP, f/2.2), and a brand-new 4x telephoto at 100mm with a sensor 56% larger than the 16 Pro Max's, allowing an 'optical-quality' 8x crop from the center. The 18MP Center Stage square selfie sensor is praised as the year's best camera feature. Where reviewers split: Wired says it's the smartphone camera king; Forbes, Engadget and GSMArena concede the Vivo X200 Pro, Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro XL still pull ahead at the longest zoom range. Video — particularly ProRes LOG 2, Genlock, and Dual Capture — is unanimously called best-in-class.

• The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are the current smartphone camera kings, at least in the US — photos a hair sharper than the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Galaxy S25 Edge across most environments.
• Vivo's and Xiaomi's highest-tier phones still have a superior zoom lens with larger sensors and more depth — the iPhone is good enough for most people but the Chinese flagships still win the long end of camera quality.
• The 4x telephoto in 8x crop mode is the iPhone 17 Pro's favorite feature — the level of detail captured at distance is consistently impressive and it's the thing that comes closest to being worth the $300 premium over the regular iPhone 17.
• All three rear cameras now use 48MP sensors — including a brand-new telephoto with a sensor 56% larger than its predecessor, offering 4x optical zoom at 100mm and 8x optical-quality zoom at 200mm.

Google Pixel 10a

The 5,100 mAh cell is identical to the 9a's — Engadget measured 28 hours in their video rundown (matching last year), and most reviewers report comfortable all-day life with two-day endurance on lighter use. Charging is the bigger story: wired jumps from 23W to 30W (~50% in 30 minutes, full in ~98 minutes), and wireless from 7.5W to 10W. The non-negotiable disappointment is the lack of Pixelsnap magnets — every single reviewer flags it.

• The 10a ran 28 hours in Engadget's video rundown test — exactly where the Pixel 9a landed last year, putting it middle of the pack for 2026 flagships.
• After a heavy workday — off charger at 8am, messaging, snaps, scrolling, evening event — the 10a still had 26% left by midnight. Two-day life is achievable on lighter use.
• Battery life has been OK — the 10a lasts a full day with average use but still requires daily charging, and heavier travel use pushes me to top up in the afternoon.
• The 10a actually outperformed my personal Pixel 10 on raw battery life — and on lighter days I squeezed two full days of use out of a single charge.
• Wired charging hits 30W and delivers ~50% in 30 minutes as advertised, with a full charge in about 98 minutes — serviceable but not class-leading.
• No Pixelsnap magnets is the biggest letdown — Google should have brought Qi2 wireless charging to the A-series the way Apple brought MagSafe to the iPhone 17e.
• The lack of Pixelsnap is the biggest let down here by far — Google should have found a way to get it on the 10a, and a third-party magnetic case ruins one of the best aspects of this phone's design.
• There are no Pixelsnap magnets inside the 10a, which feels arbitrary — almost as if Google is gating the feature to make the $800 Pixel 10 look like a better upgrade.
• Adding Pixelsnap magnets across the entire Pixel 10 lineup would have been a clean win and a great moment for Google — instead the A-series gets left out yet again.
• Wireless charging up to 10W from 7.5W is a real bump — but without Pixelsnap, I can't imagine throwing this thing on a wireless charger very often.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

The Pro Max's 4,823 mAh battery (5,088 mAh on the eSIM-only model) is the largest Apple has ever shipped, and Apple's 39-hour video playback claim is the longest battery life ever on any iPhone. Notebookcheck calls it a battery-life record-setter, Forbes gets 13-14 hours of heavy outdoor use with 20% to spare, and Ars Technica found overnight standby drop minimal. The flip side: GSMArena's web-browsing test actually came in shorter than the 16 Pro Max (a Liquid Glass / iOS 26 issue some suspect), and a heavy r/iphone user reports no meaningful upgrade over a fresh-battery 14 Pro Max. Wired charging finally goes to 40W, wireless to 25W via Qi2 with built-in magnets.

• Apple's 4,823 mAh battery on the Pro Max is the largest ever in an iPhone, and the company claims 39 hours of video playback — the longest battery-life claim Apple has ever made for any iPhone.
• The iPhone 17 Pro Max sets new battery-life records — Apple has put together a very convincing package and battery endurance is now the clear benchmark for the entire industry.
• The Pro Max can last a heavy 13-14 hour day outside with continuous use and still have over 20% left at the end — genuine all-day battery for the first time on a Pro iPhone.
• After forgetting to plug it in overnight, the Pro Max still had 30 percent charge by morning — enough that you don't have to think about the battery at all anymore.

Google Pixel 10a

Android 16 with Google's clean Pixel UI, Material 3 Expressive, and seven years of OS and security updates through 2033 — this is the section where every reviewer agrees the 10a still earns its $500. Gemini is a long-press of the power button away, Hold for Me / Now Playing / Call Screen remain genuinely useful, and Quick Share now works natively with Apple's AirDrop. The catch: because of the Tensor G4 and 8GB RAM, the 10a is missing the higher-end on-device AI features (Magic Cue, Pixel Screenshots) that require the larger Gemini Nano model.

• Seven years of OS upgrades and security updates through 2033 — the 10a will eventually ship Android 23, matching Samsung's industry-leading support window.
• Google's stock approach to Android 16 remains one of the more attractive options — refined, controlled, and stripped of the flashy niche features competitors add.
• Google's Hold for Me, AI transcription in Recorder, Now Playing, and contextual Gemini queries are features I've come to rely on — the software is the real reason to buy.
• Quick Share to AirDrop is one of the killer features — Pixel owners can transfer files directly to iPhones now, eliminating a long-running cross-platform friction point.
• Magic Cue, Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio, weather summaries, and call notes are gated to the Pixel 10 — if you're not keen on Google AI overload, this may actually be a selling point.
• Pixel Weather's AI summaries generate more slowly than the time it takes me to read the actual weather data — Google Discover pushing AI-summarized stories is similarly tedious.
• Software experience is excellent — Google's signature Pixel features reach practically every area of the phone, and the AI tools that actually ship feel genuinely useful day-to-day.
• The 10a packs a robust set of theft protection features, device safety tools, and Safety Check perks alongside Gemini AI-driven experiences like on-device translation, call scam protection, audio Magic Eraser, and conversational photo editing.
• Software is the star — Pixel UI is best-in-class with seven years of support, and a chunk of users will explicitly prefer this AI-lite build to the flagship's heavier feature load.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

iOS 26 with Liquid Glass is the biggest visual refresh in years and ships on every iPhone 17 — useful new features include call/message screening and ChatGPT-on-screen integration, but Apple Intelligence remains the consensus weakness. Reviewers from Wired, Trusted Reviews, TechCrunch and 9to5Mac all flag that Siri is still useless, Clean Up can't compete with Google or Samsung's eraser tools, and Apple barely mentioned Intelligence at the launch event. Long-time Android users on Reddit cite the keyboard, lack of a back gesture, and missing data-usage controls as reasons they go back. Apple is expected to provide at least 6 years of updates.

• There are no major AI features being shoved down your throat with the iPhone 17 Pro — Apple gave Intelligence a miss this year and the phone is just a better iPhone in every way without it.
• Apple Intelligence is still waiting for a reason to exist — the existing features are basic, the Clean Up tool just blurs subjects instead of removing them properly, and the writing tools produce robotic phrases that scream AI.
• Apple Intelligence was hardly mentioned during the iPhone 17 launch — a stark contrast to last year and to rival phone launches like Google's new Pixel 10 lineup.
• Liquid Glass is a significant refresh that matches the vibes of Apple's new hardware — and iOS 26 brings useful call/message screening that limits spam and robocalls.

Google Pixel 10a

Holding the price at $499 in a year of RAM shortages and broad consumer-electronics inflation is itself a small win — Samsung's Galaxy S26 line all saw price increases this cycle. But the elephant in every review is the Pixel 9a still on Google's store at the same price, and on retailer sale for ~$100 less. The iPhone 17e's MagSafe + A19 upgrade, plus the Nothing Phone 4a Pro's telephoto + 50W charging at the same $499, give the 10a real same-price competition for the first time. Reviewers split: about half explicitly recommend the cheaper 9a; the other half argue the flush camera, Gorilla Glass 7i and Satellite SOS justify the new model for first-time A-series buyers.

• It's probably still the best $500 you can spend on an Android phone — but if you can pick up a Pixel 9a for even a few bucks cheaper, you should do that instead.
• The Nothing Phone 4a Pro at the same $499 poses tough competition with a bigger and brighter screen, a Qualcomm processor, a dedicated telephoto lens, and 50W charging — making the Pixel 10a a tougher sell.
• The Pixel 10a is still $500, the same price as the Pixel 7a from three years ago — against the backdrop of RAM-shortage inflation, flat pricing is more remarkable than it sounds.
• Apple's iPhone 17e is the same price as the iPhone 16e but adds MagSafe and a class-leading A19 chip while doubling base storage — making Google look lazy by comparison.
• For $499, the 10a is one of the best-balanced Android phones you can buy — Editors' Choice winner for the midrange category despite the unchanged processor.
• The Pixel 9a is still on sale for £100 less and has the same chip, specifications, camera, software, and practically the same design — making it a far better buy.
• I give the Pixel 10a a 9 out of 10 — still the best phone you can buy new for $500 and the one I'll continue to recommend to casual users or anyone switching to Android.
• TechRadar concludes the 10a delivers where it matters most — a comfortable design, strong battery life, a bright display and a dependable camera — and remains one of the best $499 Android options in its class.
• If you already have last year's Pixel 9a there is no reason to change — and the Nothing Phone 4a Pro at the same price packs better specs.
• If you have to get a Pixel, the Pixel 9a is the better buy with its lower price tag — or even the Pixel 9 for its better features. The 10a should have offered just a bit more to justify the launch price.
• The 10a is a 9a in 10a clothing — solid mid-range pick that keeps Google in the game for now, but definitely not worth the upgrade for current 9a users.
• On r/gadgets the top-voted comment captures user sentiment: 'Why haven't they reduced the price of the pixel 9a? They're both selling for $499 which makes no sense.'
• r/Android's top comment crystallizes the cynicism: 'After Apple announced 17e, 10a seems even more like an insult to the customers in hindsight. That phone improves so much from 16e.'

iPhone 17 Pro Max

At $1,199 starting (256GB up from 128GB at the same nominal price) the Pro Max is $100 cheaper than the Galaxy S26 Ultra and roughly matches the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Reviewers split on whether the year-over-year jump justifies upgrading from a 15/16 Pro Max — TechCrunch and Tom's Guide say no, the gains aren't compelling; Trusted Reviews, Forbes and Notebookcheck say the cooling + camera + battery combination is the most worthwhile Pro upgrade in years. The hardware is widely called Apple's best Pro Max in years; the software story (iOS 26 bugs, weak Apple Intelligence) is the consistent caveat. Anyone older than a 14 Pro Max will see substantial gains across the board.

• The iPhone 17 Pro Max is the phone to get if you love iOS and want a big screen and the longest battery life possible — but it's hard to recommend upgrading from a 15 Pro Max or 16 Pro Max because the enhancements aren't compelling enough.
• If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is more of an iterative update — but if your phone is more than two years old you'll see substantial gains in battery, performance, screen and camera.
• The Pro iPhones this year are the best and most capable iPhone hardware Apple has released in a few years — even relative to the best Android phones, the gap has closed dramatically.