Does lackluster performance put you off buying a Google Pixel?
- Yes – 39%
- No – 57%
- I wouldn’t buy a Pixel anyway – 4%
Real game performance tests
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
I wanted to start right out of the gate, showing where the most noticeable differences lie when it comes to demanding graphics and high frame rates. So I opted for COD Mobile’s Battle Royale mode and its high frame rate mode.
However, COD Mobile limits the Pixel to 90 fps and only allows the graphics to be set to medium with a frame rate above 60. Meanwhile, Xiaomi can run at up to 120 fps with graphics set to Very High. I tested both graphics settings to see if the Snapdragon is really capable of hitting that frame rate with graphics maxed out, since previous models didn’t have these options when I last tested.
It turns out not only can the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 hit 120fps on medium graphics, but it can do so on very high as well. Both settings hold very stably around 120 fps. The Pixel 10 Pro XL isn’t far from its 90 fps target on average, but its consistency is worse: 5% of frames fall closer to 80fps or below, while the Snapdragon is undoubtedly smoother, both in average and in the worst frames.
As an aside, the Pixel 10 Pro XL also drew far more power, clocking in at 5.8W on average compared to 3.9W for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra on medium settings and 4.8W on very high. While there are lots of variables here, from display to networking, it’s an interesting and potentially significant difference as well.
Pixel can play games well, but it’s raw performance is well behind rivals.
Next-gen Pixel might fall even further behind
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Going into this test, I thought the practical frame rate limits of real games might help Tensor’s on-paper benchmark deficit look a little better in practice. It’s true that the phone can hit 60 fps when you turn down the graphics settings, and even at max settings, it held well above 30 fps in my tests. However, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’s sheer performance lead is undeniable.
Pixel and Tensor are a long way behind 2026’s flagship Snapdragon-powered smartphones. They regularly hand in half the performance in real games, while the 8 Elite Gen 5 can best Google’s flagship even with higher graphics settings enabled. That’s concerning, not because the Pixel can’t play games smoothly enough, but because rivals in the same price bracket are so much faster and future-proof against upcoming titles. At flagship prices, matching the competition — not barely keeping up — is the expectation.
All the driver tweaks in the world won’t see Tensor catch Snapdragon.
If Google wants to seriously close this gap, it needs to rethink its GPU strategy at a fundamental level. Right now, Tensor feels like it’s designed to be “good enough” for mainstream workloads, rather than truly competitive at the flagship tier — and that’s increasingly hard to justify when rivals are pushing well beyond that baseline.
Google badly needs a faster GPU, but next-year’s Tensor G6 might be more of the same.
In the here and now, should gamers avoid the Pixel 10? Well, that’s not a straightforward question. Google has been gradually improving performance, but all the driver tweaks in the world won’t catch up to Qualcomm. With older titles and moderate emulation, the Pixel 10 series will undoubtedly see you through with solid performance at reasonable graphics settings. If gaming is a passing interest rather than a primary reason to buy a phone, then a modern Pixel still makes a lot of sense; it performs well enough for playable experiences, and its AI and photography tools are pretty great too.
However, if you want the smoothest possible frame rates in today’s games and emulators with headroom to spare for future generations, then the extra power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will be worth the extra cost. It also helps that phones like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra pack impressive camera and AI capabilities of their own, so you’re not necessarily missing out on all of Google’s strengths either.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
