We’re still very much in the honeymoon phase with the Pixel 9 series. They gave us the most refined performance in Google's lineup and their best cameras yet. But it seems they are already back to the drawing board with the Pixel 10. Early leaks suggest the upcoming lineup is identical to the 9 series, and the brand is relying on fresh colors to make the phones feel “new”.
No pictures yet, but these are all the colorways
Big changes cost more in research and development, production, and marketing. Unless there’s strong consumer pressure or a major innovation to introduce, most brands would rather play it safe after a major design overhaul. Samsung spent roughly 29 billion US dollars in 2024 alone.
It's no surprise why the Pixel 10 series or future phones won't get a refresh in design so easily. Renders of the phones that surfaced within this week did reveal an added (possibly telephoto) lens. But beyond that, they all mirror their predecessors. It's not even a bad thing, because their designs couldn't be better. Even OnePlus' 13T phone is copying them.
With early previews already naming the Pixel 10 Pro XL alongside the base and regular Pro models, it's clear that Google plans to keep the variant around. Historically, the company ditched the XL naming after the Pixel 4 XL, opting instead for just Pro models. Its reintroduction signals the increased demand for a truly large-screen flagship.
Back to the colors. Telegram-based leaker Mystique Leaks, often revealing Google wallpapers, design elements, and software changes, has shared an updated batch of Pixel 10 series wallpapers, excluding the Pro Fold model.
They also mention the official color options for the new phones. The base model will come in Obsidian, Blue, Iris, and Limoncello. The Pro and Pro XL models will also come in four slightly different colours of Obsidian, Green, Sterling, and Porcelain.
Live spotting of the Pixel 10 reveals new feature
Obsidian has been Google’s go-to black since the Pixel 6 and is likely to continue indefinitely as the default color. They've also used blue in the past, but with different shades. Iris first appeared with the Pixel 9a, but not in the mainline series.
Meanwhile, Google has not used Limoncello for their phones before, but they did use Lemongrass on the Pixel 7 and for the Pixel Buds Pro. Limoncello is named after Italian lemon liqueur. Green has not exactly gone by the name “Green” and past green-ish Pixel colors were called Sorta Sage (Pixel 5), Hazel (Pixel 7 Pro), Mint (Pixel 8 Pro), and Aloe (Pixel 8a).
Sterling is totally new name and leans towards grey. Finally, Porcelain was used on the Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, Pixel 8 Pro, and others. It resembles a soft white shade with warm undertones.
More interestingly, Google's unreleased phones have been spotted live by an anonymous passerby on a public beach in Vancouver, Canada. According to GSM Arena, the company's crew was filming a commercial and the individual happened to stumble upon the ad shoot. While the phones are warming up for official release later this year, download the Pixel 10 series wallpapers ahead of time.
