When you like someone, should you accept their flaws and incompleteness, or praise their brilliance?
If you like them, does it mean that no matter how the world changes, you will persistently stay by your side without regrets?
If you like someone, do you accompany them to the highest peak together, or cuddle up to the valley for warmth?

What exactly does liking feel like?
Is it grandiose talk, or just a few words?

Like, it can be a perfect matchIt can be unilateral or reluctantly managed.
Sometimes liking is the best answer after hard work, sometimes it's when you don't try, there's no choice.
Liking has never had a clear definition; it's more like a test of one's own state of mind.

This article is about 10,000 words; please arrange your reading time reasonably.

I tried a new writing style, which differs slightly from traditional experience reports and may seem less organized. Thank you for your understanding.

In August 2025, the annual "Made by Google" event will be held as scheduled, continuing the previous year's aggressive strategy by moving the event from late autumn to midsummer, and barring any surprises, it will likely continue to be the same.

It's unclear whether this is to launch its new generation flagship ahead of competitors, so as not to embarrass itself. After all, competitors' products can easily overshadow Google, whether in terms of overall product strength or sales regions. Even if both companies have unique products to ensure a foothold in the high-end market,

Or rather, it was to ensure that new software features just showcased at the "Google I/O Conference" would be implemented in new models before the hype died down, ensuring user expectations.

In any case, it adds a flavor to the heat of summer, even if it seems to be Google'sMobile phonesEven more restless than the user's heart.

This generation, whether in terms of appearance or specs, doesn't seem to offer any obvious upgrades compared to the previous one. In fact, many people even call it the most squeezed Pixel generation. But on closer thought, it doesn't seem unreasonable. In terms of appearance, this generation is just a new batch of color options for the Pixel 9 series and an enlarged rear Deco. In terms of specs, they have a conventional processor, similar screens, similar battery sizes, and similar camera specs. Even the Pixel 10 Muji, while adding a telephoto lens, has slightly reduced ultra-wide and main camera specs compared to the previous generation, and the US version, like the iPhone, has removed the physical SIM slot. No matter how you look at it, it seems pretty similar. The most obvious upgrade in the promotional page is even the magnetic ecosystem Apple began developing in 2020, but Google has given it a new name: "Pixel Snap." More than hardware, it seems to emphasize more than hardwareAI。

Let's rewind the timeline, back to the days when Pixel was still using Qualcomm chips. Back then, Google's design was patchwork and color-blocking: the first Pixel and Pixel 2 had glass and metal splicing, the Pixel 3 had glossy glass and matte glass, the Pixel 2-5 featured the eye-catching color blocking power button, and the Pixel 4 featured a black frame for all colors. Almost no generation looked very similar to the previous generation. That was the fastest-growing period for smartphones. Besides using the IMX362 main camera for nearly four consecutive years, Google almost every year offered something different. Pixel Visual Core, Active Edge, and Motion Sense were typical examples. Although the hardware stacking was never ahead, at least it never bored consumers.

Later models like the Pixel 6, 7, and 8 series, although the hardware is obvious,UpdateThough minimal, at least the design has been slightly changed with each generation while maintaining the explosion-proof shield Deco principle. In fact, the Pixel 7a generation even made an unprecedented entry-level model with a high-refresh screen.

Looking at it this way, it seems the Pixel 10 series should be a big deal if it doesn't succumb to toothpaste. But does this kind of small-step jogging really count as squeezing toothpaste? Beyond the specs on the flyer, what changes are hidden that require careful appreciation to be noticed...... In the end, you have to try it to find out.

Guess who I am

I never imagined that one day I would buy a Google Pixel that was still the latest model at the time, but this year the ship seems to dock earlier than usual. Thanks even more to the US version for removing the SIM slot, and mainland carriers' eSIMs not yet fully popularized, causing prices in the second-hand market to crash, giving me a low-cost opportunity to experience the latest generation of devices.

In shortI bought a Pixel 10 Pro。 By connecting it to the old Pixel 7 Pro via a data cable, almost all data is transferred to the new phone via wired transfer in the time it takes to eat a meal. Except for third-party apps not available in the Play Store, neither the device nor the data will be transferred.

As one of my favorite tech bloggers put it:
"Now, my life with the Pixel 10 Pro is officially... Let's get started."

However, there is no ritual of swapping SIM cards between new and old phones, because the eSIM has already been written into the phone through a mobile service center.

The phone is sold in the United States (Verizon contracted version), and where I live, it's also considered an overseas versionSome localized features are not supported; when purchased, the network lock is already unlocked, and after long-term overseas use, the eSIM has already been programmed.

Now, I'm using the Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel Watch 2, and Pixel Buds Pro 2, so I'm pretty much an Android user.

A new day began. Since it was the weekend, the alarm didn't go off, and I slept until I woke up naturally.
The first thing he did upon waking wasn't to wear glasses, but to habitually search and grab his phone to check messages. With a 6.3-inch screen and a body width of 72mm, it's indeed compact compared to the iPhone Air and iPhone 15 Pro Max I currently have, and even lying in bed, it's easy to hold with one hand. But this relatively small phone weighs a full 207g, definitely a small power hatch. If you're not careful, it's easy to hit your face with it. I've been hit in the face by this guy at least twice.

A notification came—not from whom, but from Gemini & Google Health summarizing my sleep status. Although the test data are similar across brands, Gemini summarizes it very well, pointing out details that are often overlooked, which also provides me with some emotional value.

Thanks to the native magnetic feature added in this generation, I can finally place my Android device on the magnetic stand I prepared for my iPhone while washing up to play music. The stand is placed next to the sink, and the phone is just placed on top. By the way, I also prepared a similar stand in the kitchen, so I often fixed my phone there to play while cooking.

Washing up, getting dressed, going out. Since the data was migrated directly from my old phone, the Bluetooth pairing list was naturally preserved, smoothly connecting to my Pixel Buds Pro 2. When I went out, I tried to switch the headphones to noise-cancelling mode in the elevator, but I was carrying trash and couldn't spare my hands at all. Normally, I let Siri switch modes for me, but after calling Gemini, it didn't work, the integration of its own software and hardware ecosystem is still somewhat lacking.

It was a sunny day, but I didn't listen to the song called "It's a Sunny Day," nor did I play "Sunny Day."

I love admiring my phone under sunlight and blue skies. I believe only when there's plenty of light can you truly appreciate the aesthetics of industrial design. Otherwise, some manufacturers wouldn't rack their brains to create fancy textures that unlock under the light, even though Google, known for its minimalist approach, never went to such lengths.

The Pixel 6 series was a turning point for Pixel phones, featuring the Tensor chip for the first time and the first Pro model to be launched, which also set the overall design style for subsequent generations.

The Pixel 7 series has undergone minor changes, making the blurred line between the lens and frame much clearer, but honestly, I don't like the design of this generation.

The Pixel 8 series has enlarged the R-corner of the bodyThe Pro model switches to a flat screen, and the Deco on the back removes the separation between the telephoto and the other two cameras. At this point, the small design language that lasts at least three generations has begun to take shape.

The Pixel 9 series has gone further towards ruggedness, featuring a flat screen, flat back cover, and a right-angle middle frame. Even the iPhones of the same era are rounder than it. This generation's design has been finalized and continued throughout, with little change up to the Pixel 11. It's my favorite design after the Pixel 6 Pro.

The Pixel 10 series is like a mold cut from the previous generation, with only minor adjustments in Deco size and frame thickness. But personally, I think it's better not to change than to make random changes just for the sake of modification. Right, right? Some fruit factory?

I chose this jade-green shade called Jade—understated, with a touch of elegance and a touch of freshness. The back cover is tinged with a faint yellow-green, like a cup of mint milk green in midsummer or a refreshing matcha with a light foam, seemingly able to completely dispel the surrounding heat. The logo still has a glossy finish, and under light, it appears in a soft champagne gold color just like the frame and middle frame. This reminds me of the Song Dynasty's powder-green glazed gold-inlaid buckle, or perhaps the Jade color design inspiration actually comes from high-quality ancient jade artifacts.

The combination of matte glass and glossy frame has always been my favorite; it's one of the most textured design combinations in my opinion. The glass is tinged with the cold sharpness of metal, and the metal borrows its warmth, creating a striking contrast. But beauty comes at a price. The glossy mid-frame is destined to show more obvious wear and dirt, but when it comes to texture, I'm willing to sacrifice some durability.

Once upon a timeMatte glass + glossy frame is synonymous with quality in my mind, and the iPhone Pro is synonymous with matte glass + glossy frame. But as Apple embraced matte titanium and aluminum alloys, the Pro series no longer has glossy frames, only briefly revived with polished titanium on the iPhone Air. So, it can be said that the current Pixel feels even more premium than the iPhone, especially after the iPhone 17 Pro adopted a one-piece aluminum alloy back cover, making the contrast even stronger.

Although metal Deco is molded as a single piece, it does not use the same surface treatment alone. The area facing the back is matte, while the sides are polished like the middle frame. Although the casing is assembled from various components, the consistency in texture in every abstract visual dimension is ensured. Looking at the back of the phone, large areas of glass and metal are matte; Turning to the side, both metal and metal are shiny； But when you flip it to the front, whether it's the screen or the frame, everything you see is bright.

The US version does not have a physical SIM tray. In other versions, millimeter-wave antennas are placed where the slots are placed. Thanks to advances in packaging technology, unlike the iPhone 16 series, there is no dedicated groove known as a "birthmark" to highlight the antenna.

The body width is 72.0mm, 0.1mm less than the iPhone 17 Pro, andXiaomiThe 17 Pro differs by 0.2mm, and because it supports magnetic attachment, it fits perfectly with the Xiaomi GSR power bank.

The design looks pretty beautiful this way, right? Now, let's turn the phone to the front.
The nearly uniform width on all four sides + large R-corners and the not-so-high front camera cutout look quite harmonious, with a bit of an iPhone vibe. The bezels are as wide as those on the market, but they're on par with the most entry-level iPhone models currently available.

Let's take a look at some data:P ixel 10 Pro's bezels are about 3.28mm wide on each side, and the iPhone 17e is about 3.48mm on each side. However, Apple's last Pro model with flat glass—the iPhone 14 Pro—has a bezel of only 3.19mm, and even the Pixel 5 from years ago had only 3.27mm per side. After five years of hard work, they caught up with a competitor's flagship from four years ago, but not their own products from five years ago. Being able to make such an operation is, in a sense, not an ordinary company.

As mentioned earlier, the cutout position is slightly lower. Whether this design is good or bad is truly subjective. At least personally, I don't really like the Meizu 20 Pro and 21's design where the top frame is tightly pressed against the top frame. Visually, it feels a bit crowded, with a sense of disharmony caused by the so-called edge tension. On the other hand, the Pixel 10 Pro and iPhone Air's camera placement is slightly lowered, which actually gives a sense of order. After moving it down, the large blank space around the edges makes the punch-hole a more independent visual element. While the trade-off makes the punch-hole more noticeable—especially for landscape mobile games—it's a trade-off between a regular daily interface and a full-screen immersive experience. Besides, the two models I'm talking about aren't even suitable for gamingGames。

Ignoring the pitiful screen-to-body ratio, the screen quality actually ranks among the top tier. It enjoys the same treatment as Apple and Samsung, using Samsung M14 substrate, featuring a resolution of 1280*2856, a 1-120Hz LTPO refresh rate, 2200nit HDR brightness, and a local peak brightness of 3300nit. The official website doesn't specify the maximum full-screen brightness, so I conducted an incomplete entertainment test。 The test device is the Xperia 5 III, and the software uses hidden parameters. The software reads Lux in units, but when the test screen is completely close to the test device's light sensor, the measured Lux value can basically be considered Nit.

On the Pixel 10 Pro without a screen protector, the manual maximum brightness is about 645-660 nits when auto brightness is on, and about 1630-1650 nits when auto brightness is off. When using Google Photos to process pure white images with Ultra HDR and preview full-screen, the brightness is about 2520 nits。 The iPhone Air with a tempered glass coating has a manual maximum brightness of about 710 nits, and after high brightness activation, it reaches about 1390-1400 nits. When using Google Photos to perform Ultra HDR processing and preview full-screen pure white images, the brightness is about 1640 nits. However, since there are no professional testing instruments or software, this is just a test from TuYile. The results differ somewhat from the official website. I also tested the X100 Ultra's full-screen peak brightness with the same device. The official spec is 1600 nits, but I tested 1830 nits.

Setting aside extreme data, at the same auto brightness, Pixel's brightness strategy is somewhat conservative, and when high brightness is triggered outdoors, brightness decreases as the device heats up and other factors occur. However, after brightness decreases, the system maintains its color strategy for a short time when the brightness is triggered. This feeling can't be fully explained by language or photography. Just imagine using an SDR screen to force HDR colors on—it's basically that slightly distorted and oversaturated effect. To verify this, I even simulated this visual effect by displaying the normal system interface while browsing full-screen HDR images. Also, if the screen color mode is set to "Auto Adjust," there will be ring-shaped shadows around the screen like LCD backlight aging. The solution is relatively straightforward and straightforward: just set the color mode to "Natural."

Similar to the iPhone, Pixel now has the ability to adjust screen color temperature based on the surrounding environment, but not "True Tone" but "Adaptive Tone." Probably achieved through that AMS TMD3743.

Just a simple meal...

The participating models were the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Pixel 10 Pro, and vivo X100 Ultra, all using the main camera with 2x cropping.

First, let's look at this salad. Pixel's color tones and tuning are conservative; the actual environment has a warm color temperature and dark green leaves, but the overall result is cool and the colors aren't vibrant. vivo's photos are the most appetizing yet still retain the classic digital sweet soup flavor. Zooming in, the Pixel's unexpectedly good details may be thanks to its smaller sensor size than vivo's, which provides a clearer foreground focusing range and a wider focus range, along with good algorithm optimization. Although people often say a bigger sensor is overwhelming, large sensors not only offer higher dynamic range and pixel size, but also offer shallow depth of field that tends to blur at the edges at close range.

Moving on to the main dishes, I think Pixel is actually the closest to the real image, although the sausages aren't as tempting as vivo's photos; The details are similar to the previous image, so I won't elaborate further.

Paying directly with Google Pay at checkout is smooth if you could say it's silky, but the current experience is still not as good as Apple Pay. It should be noted that Google Pay cannot be linked to cards issued in mainland China, even though this card can be used for subscription payments on the Play StoreApplicationPurchase.

Because my phone is the Verizon version, at the software level, it blocks support for Japanese mobile wallets and cannot be unlockedBLModify the device model region, so well-known transportation IC cards like Suica cannot be activated, even if the hardware supports FeliCa. Currently, JR East and Keijo Electric Railway do not support bank card contactless payments, and not all ticket gates on Tokyo Metro or Toei Subway support them, so it's best to just use your iPhone card when riding.

Browsing text-based social media while riding the train is the right and comfortable way to pass the time. When encountering foreign language updates or news you don't understand, you can simply press and hold the small white slip at the bottom of the screen to translate or extract text for recognition. If you want to search for the same thing, you can use Circle Search for quick lookup, or share the entire screen directly with Gemini to ask questions. It seems that except Apple, Meizu has done this well. But I think Google is still quite ahead in multilingual recognition capabilities. Since Apple also relies on ChatGPT and Google, I'll just use Google directly.

To prevent infringement, the screenshot is my own post

This native advantage is especially evident when handling cross-application instructions. For example, if I have a new schedule at the last minute, I just need to send the screen content along with the requirements to Gemini, and it will automatically create an event in Google Calendar, capturing and recording the time, place, and event details clearly. For comparison, the same screen content, the same commandsIf I hand it over to an iPhone that already has Apple Intelligence enabled, a window will pop up asking me to manually create the schedule.

I arrived at a familiar place. The carrier I use doesn't support 5G SA, but it does support millimeter wave. After connecting to a millimeter-wave base station, the speed can reach about 100MB/s, which is better than other carriers' normal 5G levels.

The network is Rakuten Mobile, and the area is equipped with millimeter-wave base stations

It seems I haven't really talked about photography yet. With such great weather, not taking photos would be a waste. The rainy season has just passed and the weather has sunny, especially for someone like me who grew up in Qingdao. Because I'm used to foggy and humid summers, I especially love the deep blue sky.

As usual, let's first review the camera's specs。 Main camera size: 1/1.3-inch 50MP f/1.68, ultra-wide 1/2.55-inch 48MP f/1.7, telephoto 1/2.55-inch 48MP f/2.8 (5x). All three lenses support autofocus.

In terms of specs, it's roughly similar to the iPhone flagship. In my opinion, the Pixel offers the closest camera experience among Android phones to the iPhone. It has supported photo-like effects and nonlinear zoom for years. Shutter lag is minimal, and the tone and color of images aren't particularly prominent, but they excel in naturalness. After all, natural images can be styled in post-processing, but images that are already stylized in a straight line are no easy task. Trying to make them look natural is no easy task.

Here are some sample photos; from left to right, the images show the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Pixel 10 Pro, and vivo X100 Ultra. The first set of images was shot from an ultra-wide angle; the third, fourth, sixth, and tenth groups were taken with telephoto; the rest were taken with the main camera. Because iPhones cannot force night mode on, I remember the seventh group of iPhones shooting in auto normal mode.

Due to space limitations, I won't analyze each image in detail. In summary, outdoor colors during the day are more natural, without obvious high contrast or low contrast, and the tone is softer. However, when shooting close-ups of food or indoor lighting effects, there may be slight color casting, and sometimes Ultra HDR is overly aggressive, causing distortion. The integration of hardware and software is mature, still reminiscent of the old lack of hardware and algorithms. However, hardware remains a bottleneck for photography. Even with AI Zoom, it can't compare to ultra-large telephoto at extreme telephoto distances, and at night it doesn't suppress highlights aggressively. Sometimes purple border removal fails, and algorithm failures have been overtaken by previous iPhone generations.

Starting from the Pixel 8 Pro, the telephoto lens has been much better than the Pixel telephoto lens I remembered. The depth of field isn't too deep, and low-light shooting is just barely acceptable. Due to differences in periscope structure, the focusing distance seems a bit closer than Apple's (though purely subjective), but at least it's better for shooting flowers than iPhones with 5x telephoto.

If I were to rank them,Naturalness: Pixel >iPhone>vivo; Image quality: vivo> Pixel >iPhone; HDR active: vivo>iPhone>Pixel; Night scene: vivo>Pixel> iPhone. Overall, vivo and the other two have their strengths. It's a matter of whether you prefer a more appealing style or a more natural image.

Here are some straight-out photos of the Pixel 10 Pro, using both the main and telephoto cameras.

Here are some post-processed photos of the Pixel 10 Pro, which also use the main and telephoto cameras.

Another reason I prefer to use Pixel photos for direct output is that while Pixel's RAW does have some slight multi-frame stack compositing, in my personal experience, it's not as user-friendly as Apple or domestic Android RAW files. Currently, my favorites are still Apple's Pro RAW and Xiaomi's Ultra RAW.

Of course, despite relying on the old data, there have been quite a few updates to the camera features over the years。 For example, when auto mode is not using telephoto, you can manually force it on; Auto macro can be turned off directly, rather than manually disabled after each trigger like Apple's, making it a permanent solution; Portrait mode no longer forces 1.5x zoom, something only veteran players probably understand...

It's worth noting that even for non-Japanese phones, as long as the phone has a Japanese carrier SIM card, the camera sound will be forcibly enabled. If you disable the SIM card in the settings, you can turn off the photo sound. Similarly, once the SIM card is activated, the forced activation mode will revert to the state where it cannot be turned off.

Not only the camera, but the system's album editing features are also quite rich.

With Ultra HDR booming today, many apps have emerged that "light up for photos," some free, some paid. However, Google Photos comes with built-in Ultra HDR adjustment features, regardless of image type or camera model—even a single screenshot can be given Ultra HDR features.

The "Sky Style" feature sounds a bit like the magical sky change popular years ago, but in reality, it's like an optimized filter, very similar to the iPhone's photography style. It would be great if it had a function similar to an adjustment dial.

Click the "Ask" button in the lower left corner to directly tell Gemini your desired image modifications, using prompts to modify the images, as long as it's within a reasonable range. Although the AI vibe is still quite obvious at this stage, and the Chinese characters can easily collapse after editing, and it only adds an entry point to call a single Gemini function, it is still a feature that balances fun and practicality.

After a day of wandering outside, it's time to go home and rest. Although the 4870mAh battery is larger than the iPhone and the chip foundry switched to TSMC, the battery life is still not great, so battery anxiety persists. Currently, the battery is 98% healthy. With 5G + auto high brightness + positioning + Bluetooth + music listening + intensive photography, the screen stays on for about 4 hours and 30 minutes, and it shuts off automatically before I step inside. Of courseThe camera still consumes a lot of power, but I can't go out without taking photos, so for me, it's basically an unsolvable problem. So when I go out, I always keep a power bank in my backpack. However, if you connect indoors with WiFi, it's much better—it's basically a WiFi god. But since I bought my phone, I haven't spent a whole day at home so far, so I can't give a complete battery test result. Conservatively, seven hours of screen time is not a big problem. The left side of the attached map shows the range inside the house, and the right side shows the range when going out.

But don't just be fooled by its poor battery life—charging isn't fast either, though that might be a bit unfair. It supports up to 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. This is no longer just about matching Apple—it's not even as good as Apple. After all, the iPhone 17 Pro's charging power has reached 40W wired charging and 25W wireless charging (non-mainland Chinese devices).。 On the other hand, my Chinese iPhone Air supports up to 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, and although the battery is much smaller than the Pixel's, the battery life isn't much worse. So sometimes I have to admire Apple's optimization. Looking at Google, which started out with software, making hardware, I really feel a bit disappointed.

Those familiar with the specifications of previous Pixel models may notice that although this generation adds magnetic attachment, the wireless charging function is actually weakened. The Pixel 9 Pro paired with the Pixel Stand 2 offers up to 21W wireless charging, while the Pixel 10 Pro with the Pixel Snap only offers a pitiful 15W. The entire Pixel 10 series only has 25W wireless charging only on the Pro XL, and the more prestigious large foldable models are not supported.

Moreover, the only official wireless charger perfectly compatible with this generation is the Pixelsnap. When I used it with the Pixel Stand 2, the phone only charged and had no other responses—no pairing or settings page popped up, and the fan speed couldn't be adjusted. It was treated as a regular wireless charger, but on older Pixel devices, this worked normally. Moreover, the Pixel Stand 2 does not support Qi2. According to the official website, after shaking hands with the phone using the Qi protocol, theoretically it can support up to 15W EPP charging, but in actual use, the power is nowhere near 15W or even 12W, making it feel faster to charge an iPhone than to charge a Pixel.

The phone's daily smoothness is acceptable, with minor frame drops during overheating and not very common—in fact, it's on the smoother side. The system is relatively clean because it's the most Android available. As a demonstration system, it should still look like a model system. It only comes pre-installed with Google-style software, and doesn't have practical apps from internet partners. Compared to it, Sony is quite bloated, and you don't have to worry about endless ad pushes, which also greatly helps with excellent smoothness. And since it's a flagship, if the Tensor G5 + 16GB RAM lags in daily use, it really can't be justified. But when it comes to performance compared to similarly priced models like the 8 Elite and 8 Elite Gen5, it's nowhere near the top.

If it's smooth for daily use, then exhilarating esports should be no problem at all, right? Let's start with the benchmark scores. The CPU scores are close to the 8 Gen 3, but the GPU is much larger. Geekbench 6 scores below 5000, roughly equivalent to the Qualcomm chip from four years ago. The AnTuTu benchmark score is about 1.6 million, clearly held back by the GPU. And since it's an overseas version, the Chinese server game has hardly been optimizedIn actual tests, even after enabling HD graphics and high frame rates on the Chinese server, it couldn't maintain even 60 FPS. There is a mysterious anti-mistouch mechanism on both sides of the screen, and some buttons require split-screen to move the keys out of the mistouch protection area before they can be clicked normally. The game mode is well executed, but it still decides whether to use it based on the whitelist. With this poor performance, I think there's no need to test other mainstream domestic games—I'm afraid they'll lose badly.

Finally, let's talk about the system. Actually, I don't think there's much to say about the system. Pixel's system is probably exactly what Google most hopes Android will look like—pouring all its creativity and creativity into this system, which harbors ambitions to become a design standard. The ideal dream is that a self-developed system and chip complement each other.

First, let's look at the Material 3 Expressive, which debuted alongside the Pixel 10 series. This marks another major change in design language since Material You (Material Design 3) in 2021—or rather, this is what Google envisions as the complete product.

Above is Material You, below is Material 3 Expressive

Material Design 1 attempts to integrate physical tactile sensations into electronic screens, using virtual Z-axis and shadows to guide the visuals to create a sense of layering. Page layout and icon styles have specialized design standards, using cards and origami to deliver intuitive experiences and iconic designs.

Material Design 2 introduces a lot of blank space and rounded cornersTogether with Google Sans and the iconic blue accent color, it forms a memorable memory for the Pixel among Android users.

Material You has undergone a major overhaul, making everything from the control center to the lock screen, from buttons to sliders, all unfamiliar. It also brings comprehensive innovations in color selection, contours, light and shape, static and movement, including the start position of the transition animation for on/off, button lighting effects, particle or deformation, and the two-column large button control center... Everywhere marks a major difference from before. The new Monet Color Pick integrates almost all Google apps and third-party apps that comply with Material Design standards. You can change the phone's interface tone according to the wallpaper or choose according to your personal style, further reducing the sense of disconnect between apps. This is also my favorite design so far, and I even like it surpassing the Material 3 Expressive. The large color blocks and slightly rebellious contours in the standard style are the ones I personally prefer most for Google.

Material 3 Expressive continues to refine Material You, adding blurred backgrounds and clear layers to simple color blocks and outlines, making the control center more flexible. Whether you like it or not, whether it's good or not, is subjective.

This generation of systems probably doesn't look like the original Material Design at all. The layers and shadows emphasized back then have been replaced by flat and blurred tones, and the restrained color scheme has become lively and aggressive. Overall, it suits my taste. Except for the magnetic button outline in the control center that is a bit obsessive, that's part of the personalized design.

Vibration feedback is also one of the reasons why the Pixel is so popularStarting with the Pixel 2 series in 2017, the X-axis linear motor was used, and starting with the Pixel 3 in 2018, phones have had solid and multi-scenario vibration feedback. At one time, Pixel was one of the first devices that came to mind when mentioning "da-da-da."

The vibration feedback of the Pixel 10 Pro remains solid. Although it's not as strong as some competitors, its tuning is unique and excellent. Other brands have always relieved the vibration, but the Pixel is crisp yet feels heavy, providing deeper stimulation to the palm and a better tactile feel. Some phones also experience similar vibration effects after flashing to a stock Android system.

Basic fingerprint unlocking vibration and typing vibration go without saying. Scrolling down the notification bar, clicking the Control Center button, and opening the app drawer all provide solid vibration feedback. Volume adjustment provides pulse-like vibration feedback; volume setting to maximum or low provides solid vibration feedback similar to typing; using the circle-to-search function or switching background apps also provides pulse-like vibration feedback; and when tapping the lock screen clock, there is a dual interactive feedback of bold font returning to normal + pulse-type vibration... Vibration can be said to be present in almost every usage scenario.

AI has been a field Google has been heavily promoting in recent years, and now it seems not disappointing, unlike Apple, which has been hyping AI for two years but still hasn't pulled off any major moves. Google-based apps can deeply integrate with Android, and Google-based apps can also work closely with Gemini, making them powerful assistants for photo editing, image search, event logging, and route planning.

As mentioned earlier, by long-pressing the small white bar to bring up Gemini, combined with Google Calendar, you can quickly record and create schedules. Albums combined with Gemini can also perform simple AI editing of images using certain keywords. Now, Pixel also comes with a dedicated screenshot organizer software that can automatically recognize (with user consent) whether the screenshot is related to social media platforms, whether there are activities or event arrangements, or if there are important contact information or specific locations. It can also be shopping receipts and logistics records, all quickly organized and filtered, and like photo albums, can be searched by individual keywords.

In theory, 'Magic Prompts' can provide cross-app suggestions and prompts during chats based on information like emails, calendar dates, and notepad notes (such as booking records), but I haven't triggered it even once, so I'm not sure exactly what it can do, and currently only supports English and Japanese.

The checkmarked categories in the left screenshot are Activities, Notes, and Logistics; the right is Magic Suggest, currently only supports English and Japanese

Of course, as an Apple family suite + Pixel user, I'm also excited that Quick Share and AirDrop have been integrated, finally no longer relying on vivo transfer or LANdropToolsTransferred files. But the annoying thing is, theoretically, all models receiving the new software update should be supported, since it's not a hardware technology barrierBut older models like Pixel and Galaxy just can't be used, which is still a bit frustrating. But it doesn't matter, I've physically updated.

Although this phone is basically a minor tweak based on the much-anticipated Pixel 9 Pro, with hardware that looks similar on the surface, it has been optimized in areas that are invisible but have become user pain points, reaching a relatively usable level and gaining some of the qualities expected of a flagship phone, restoring a bit of its dignity and dignity.

Looking at the global smartphone market, this is one of the few flagship phones with relatively small sizes. There are many flagship phones, but small-screen large-cup flagships are truly rare. This generation is probably only made by Apple, Google, Honor, and Xiaomi. To quote Lenovo's classic slogan back then, it was "small screen super flagship." After all, other brands' small-sized phones mostly only exist in the mid-range segment, which is essentially entry-level flagships.

As a competitor to the iPhone 17 Pro, it's one thing to go head-to-head with Apple, but compared to the Pixel series itself, it's a clear improvement. The advantages of this phone are clear, but the flaws are even more obvious. The target customer base doesn't seem as ambiguous as the iPhone.

Back to the initial question: What exactly does liking feel like?

Liking has never had a clear definition. Choosing a phone you think suits you and is suitable for actual use can be called liking. No matter what others say about it, no matter how outstanding its hardware and software are, summon the courage to accept its flaws and imperfections; liking and reassuring it is the ultimate truth.