u/Round-Standard3085

Long story short: six months ago, I switched from an iPhone 16 Pro to a Pixel 10. I wanted to give Android a try, and I was tired of dealing with what felt like artificial battery performance degradation with new iOS releases.

I already posted my first impressions back then. I never felt like switching back to iPhone, so I sold it. The Pixel 10 is an excellent base model. The keyboard, camera, and battery life have all been great.

Over the past six months, though, I noticed just a few things I wanted to improve:

• Storage: I bought the 128GB version, and after six months, I was already using around 80GB. The 256GB version would have been a much better fit for me.
• Display: When I compared it directly with my iPhone 16 Pro, I noticed a small downgrade in sharpness. The 60Hz refresh rate was also noticeable, and I occasionally caught some flickering in my peripheral vision when using Always-On Display. I eventually got used to it, but my eyes aren't getting any younger, and I could never quite find the sweet spot between display size and font size in the settings.
• Camera: The colors are excellent, and the camera works great for everyday photography. I just wanted a little more detail and better low-light performance.
• Performance: I noticed some performance limitations when scrolling through Amazon reviews with high-resolution photos. The images would sometimes stutter as I scrolled.

And that's pretty much it. Those were my only real complaints. Otherwise, the Pixel 10 has been an excellent phone for me.

My original plan was to try a Pixel by buying one as cheaply as possible on the used market. I paid $500 CAD for mine, and if everything worked out, I would upgrade to the Pixel 11 Pro later.

But after the RAM downgrade and price increase, I wasn't interested in spending $1,500 CAD on it.

So I decided to keep my Pixel 10 and casually monitor local marketplace listings. And then I got lucky: someone in my town listed a Pixel 10 Pro XL with 256GB for $850 CAD.

Now all the boxes are checked!

Here's what I like about the upgrade:

• Display: Much nicer to look at. Typing is more comfortable, and everything is easier to see. My eyes definitely appreciate the larger, sharper screen.
• Size: Yes, it's big, but not so big that it bothers me.
• Condition: Excellent. The phone is 11 months old, with 96% battery health and 280 charge cycles.
• RAM: 16GB. The stuttering I experienced when scrolling through high-resolution photos in the Amazon app is gone.
• Storage: 256GB. I should be set for a long time now.

So, by selling my Pixel 10 for the same $500 CAD I originally paid, this upgrade will cost me just $350 CAD. I think that's a pretty good deal!

P.S. There's one weird issue I've noticed on both phones: the screen protector starts lifting in exactly the same spot, near the power button.

The Pixel 10 had a TOCOL screen protector, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL currently has a no-name one. Based on recommendations from Reddit, I've ordered a Spigen protector. I'll see how that goes.

Other than that, these are just excellent phones. After 10 years of using iPhones, I'm really enjoying the switch to Pixel. Even with a previous-generation model, I never feel like I'm missing out. Everything runs smoothly, the battery life is great, and the camera keeps making me happy.

https://preview.redd.it/ugo2w3u9auuh1.jpg?width=2943&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3153a61d81fe525baed14bf765f959fff104c3d

For the last 6 months, I’ve been using a regular Pixel 10 with 128GB of storage. I bought it new from a private seller for $500 CAD, and it’s still under the factory warranty until April 2027.

I really like it. It’s fast, everything works well, and the battery life is excellent for how I use it.

The only issues are that I’ve already used 86GB of storage, and I’d like a camera with more detail.

I saw a Pixel 9 Pro XL 256Gb on a local marketplace for $800 CAD. It has 96% battery health, the warranty has expired, and it’s been used for about 10 months.

Would it be worth switching to the 9 Pro XL and selling my Pixel 10, considering what I’m looking for?

Thanks for the advice!

Back in April, I bought a brand-new Pixel 10. I wrote my first impressions and reasons for buying it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1sjfq7n/tried_a_pixel_after_years_on_iphone_didnt_expect/

I believe we only get one life, and sticking to stereotypes forever without ever trying something new is kind of silly.

For about a month, I used the Pixel only at home and in the gym without a SIM card. I installed apps, explored the phone, and got familiar with it. I wasn't ready to fully switch yet, mostly because I was still regularly using my Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the gym, and at that point I didn't really have a replacement for it.

Then in May, Google almost seemed to read my mind and released the Google Fitbit Air, which I immediately ordered. I wore it alongside my Apple Watch for the entire month and found that they track pretty much all the same metrics with similar accuracy.

I wore the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for a year, and before that, I had regular Apple Watches for several years.

Over time, my attitude toward them changed (maybe I just got older). I want fewer screens, more minimalism, more simplicity, something that feels more real. When I work out, I don't want to constantly think about numbers, I'd rather focus on how I feel.

And then there's the image aspect. At some point, the Apple Watch on my wrist just stopped resonating with how I see myself. Between sets, I'm going to look at my phone anyway, and I can check my heart rate there if I need to. On my 165 mm wrist, the Ultra looks like an oversized sports accessory. I don't know how it looks to other people, but sometimes I feel like a character from Fallout wearing it. I even scratched my forehead a couple of times taking off a T-shirt because of the sharp edge around the display.

To me, the Apple Watch Ultra feels like a product designed by marketers to make you feel like you're more than just an office worker.

I feel like if you're a real outdoors person or an actual adventurer, you're probably buying a Garmin or some other purpose-built device.

The Apple Watch Ultra feels more like the watch equivalent of an Invicta trying to be a Rolex, if you know what I mean. It looks rugged and adventurous, and it sells you that image, but I don't think most people wearing one are crossing mountain ranges or spending weeks in the wilderness.

It's similar to SUVs. They look like off-road vehicles, but in reality, most are just lifted sedans with unpainted plastic trim. Nobody in their right mind takes a family SUV to tackle serious off-roading. Likewise, I don't think many people truly see the Apple Watch Ultra as a serious tool for real wilderness adventures.

I still charged mine every day. Sure, you can stretch it longer, but do you really want to head into a workout with 20% battery left on the second day? The only two things I actually use the screen for are checking the time and my heart rate between sets.

My uncle was a watchmaker, and I spent a lot of time in his workshop as a kid, so I have a lot of respect for quality mechanical watches. With the Google Fitbit Air, I finally feel like I can move back in that direction.

The same thing happened with my attitude toward the iPhone. For years, I had this idea in my head that yes, you pay more upfront, but you get a reliable tool that lasts for years. A device that's perfect and solidly built.

But somewhere around the iPhone 12 generation, I started noticing how older iPhones gradually feel more outdated internally after every update. I can't prove it, and this is purely my subjective opinion, but I'm convinced Apple slowly degrades performance and battery life over time.

My iPhone 16 Pro was perfect when I bought it. I thought - That's it, I'm keeping this for at least 5-7 years.

Then gradually it started getting warm, and the battery life got worse despite still having 95% battery health. On iOS 26.5, I once timed it: I was simply scrolling and switching between the Walmart and Canadian Tire apps, and the battery dropped from 70% to 20% in an hour while the phone got noticeably hot.

At work, I still have an iPhone 14 Pro Max running its original firmware, and it flies. No overheating, no lag.

It's an unpleasant feeling when it seems like your phone doesn't truly belong to you and the company can do whatever it wants with it, nudging you toward a new purchase not by making something dramatically better, but by making your current device feel worse.

Anyway, sorry for the long detour. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

It's been a month since I moved my main SIM card from my iPhone 16 Pro to the Pixel 10 and fully switched over.

A few new observations:

• 0.5x animations feel incredibly fast.
• Photos in Amazon reviews still stutter a bit.
• The built-in music recognition is a cool feature.
• The screen doesn't turn off when I flip the phone over while charging.
• MyFitnessPal runs faster and doesn't constantly log me out.
• The gym's captive Wi-Fi login page pops up automatically every time.
• Wi-Fi connects faster.
• I initially limited charging to 80% because I still had around 50% left by evening.
• Cellular signal is much better at work under a metal roof.
• Even with two hours of video and music playback, I still had 40% left by the evening after starting the day at 80%.
• On the weekend I drained it to 20%, so I switched charging back to 100%. Now I still have 57% left around 8:30 PM.
• YouTube picture-in-picture is great.
• The camera produces more dimensional photos with better depth and more natural colors.
• The screen stays on if you're looking at it, which is surprisingly convenient.
• The phone still gets warm during heavy use, but the battery doesn't melt away.

This community is mostly critical of Pixels and other Google products, and that's perfectly fine. Companies should stay on their toes and listen to customer complaints.

As for me, my overall experience with both the Pixel and the Google Fitbit Air has been very positive. I probably wouldn't pay full retail price for either device simply because Google's support still isn't on Apple's level.

As of today, my iPhone has been sold.

The plan now is to pick up a Pixel 11 Pro XL and trade in the Pixel 10 if Google offers good deals in August.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day.

https://reddit.com/link/1tzdiit/video/4w1hbeq7ev5h1/player

https://preview.redd.it/hsv6k9zn5o5h1.jpg?width=2239&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9be1f735ffe427235bfb49b52565b17cb552cb4

I started my fitness wearable journey back in 2019 with the Apple Watch Series 5. Later, I tried the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus, but unfortunately, I got a defective unit and only used it for about a month before going back to Apple Watch. Since April 2025, I've been using the Watch Ultra 2.

This week, I received the Google Fitbit Air and have been wearing it alongside the Ultra 2. So far, I've completed 3 cardio workouts, 2 strength-training sessions, and tracked 4 nights of sleep with both devices.

It's still way too early to make any real judgments, so I'll keep wearing both for another week or so and then share my thoughts.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!