Google Pixel 10 Professional XL Makes an attempt to Survive the Final Sturdiness Gauntlet

Zack Nelson of JerryRigEverything has put the brand new Google Pixel 10 Professional XL via his signature sturdiness assessments. This $1,200 cellphone is meant to get 7 years of software program updates, so can its {hardware} dwell as much as the promise?

Nelson begins with a scratch check on the 6.8-inch, 120 Hz, 3,300-nit show. The three,300-nit display screen is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2. He makes use of his Mohs hardness picks to search out that scratches begin at degree 6 and deeper grooves at degree 7. That’s on par with most excessive finish telephones in the present day. The entrance glass with the 48-megapixel hole-punch digital camera and ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is hard. Even after he carves degree 7 scratches throughout the scanner space, it nonetheless unlocks the cellphone each time. The 100% recycled aluminum body and metallic buttons take a beating with out dropping their polish. The shiny “Moonstone” again glass exhibits scuffs greater than a matte end would. Nelson’s recommendation? Slap on a display screen protector like Dbrand’s Prism 2.0 to maintain that cup pristine for the cellphone’s 7 12 months lifespan.

Google’s design on the Pixel 10 Professional XL doesn’t scream new, however Nelson finds some intelligent particulars. A magnetic ring embedded within the again glass – a nod to wi-fi charging equipment like Google’s Pixelsnap – is barely seen with area of interest instruments like magnetic area viewing movie. It is a sensible transfer for customers who juggle a number of units. The digital camera bar is described as “diamond minimize” and homes three lenses (48-megapixel large, 50-megapixel normal, and 48-megapixel 5x telephoto) beneath one glass panel, polished to forestall gentle refraction. The SIM tray is etched with the cellphone’s IMEI and sealed with a grey rubber ring and upholds the IP68 water resistance score. However Nelson flags the big mesh grilles over the decrease speaker and microphone as dust traps – mud, mud and even Jell-O may clog them and there’s no technique to clear them out.

Subsequent up, Nelson holds a lighter to the Pixel’s OLED show to simulate excessive situations. The 6.8-inch display screen withstands the flame for 20 seconds with out everlasting injury, displaying for an OLED panel, though the oleophobic coating disappears beneath the warmth. This check, whereas not one thing you’d do at residence, exhibits the show can deal with temporary publicity to excessive situations—a pleasant reassurance for extra mundane situations. There’s no seen pixel injury after the burn check so Google’s Tremendous Actua show is constructed to deal with extra than simply vivid daylight.

The grand finale of Nelson’s torture check is the bend check, the make-or-break second for any cellphone that wishes to final. The Pixel 10 Professional XL, the biggest in Google’s 2025 lineup, is put to the check as Nelson tries to bend it from each the back and front. The consequence? No bend, no creak, no groan, no crack. This cellphone is probably Google’s strongest but, an enormous enchancment over the Pixel 7 Professional which bent beneath related stress. Nelson attributes this to considerate engineering, the cellphone’s aluminum body and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 holding agency. For customers who plan to maintain their cellphone for seven years of updates, this can be a huge win, a cellphone that may face up to day by day life—offered you don’t sit on it carelessly.

Whereas the Pixel 10 Professional XL passes the sturdiness check, Nelson highlights a number of design flaws which will irritate perfectionists. The shiny “G” brand on the again, which is protected by a sticker or shielding, doesn’t precisely align with the glass, a slight misalignment that’s solely seen beneath cautious examine. The polished metallic body is easy and exposes scratches and scuffs extra simply than a tough end. The replaceable metallic buttons are safe however might be swapped or misplaced, however Nelson claims they won’t come out on their very own.