It looks like the wait for the Google Pixel 10 is getting a bit more interesting. While it’s still expected to officially launch in the second half of the year—right on schedule with past Pixel rollouts—fresh details have surfaced, giving us what might be our first real glimpse at the actual device in the wild. And oddly enough, the leak didn’t come from a tech insider, but rather from a photographer who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
A Beach Shoot in Vancouver Offers the First Look
According to photographer Mark Teasdale, a commercial shoot was underway at a beach in Vancouver, Canada, with a full film crew—over 20 people, no less—capturing what appeared to be a new Google Pixel phone. From the looks of the equipment and team, this was no small production.
Teasdale snapped several photos, which he later shared through social media and 9to5Google. The device seen in those shots—likely the Pixel 10 Pro or perhaps even the larger Pixel 10 Pro XL—was shown in Obsidian. At a glance, it bears a close resemblance to the Pixel 9 Pro, suggesting that Google isn’t straying far from its established design language this year.
AI Takes Center Stage in the Pixel 10 Campaign
What’s really interesting, though, is what was seen on the storyboards being used during the shoot. One of the key taglines spotted—“Ask more of your phone”—strongly suggests that Google’s leaning hard into AI for its Pixel 10 marketing push.
AI-powered camera features are likely to be front and center, building on the tools introduced in the Pixel 9 series. Take “Add Me,” for instance—that clever feature that lets Google’s AI merge multiple photos so no one gets left out, not even the person taking the picture. If it’s being highlighted again, there’s a good chance we’ll see it return—maybe even in an upgraded form.
A Peek at the Hardware: Familiar But Refined
Another storyboard photo shows a partial rear view of the phone, giving us a close look at the usual camera bar, as well as the volume rocker and power button. It doesn’t look dramatically different from earlier renders leaked in March, but seeing it in a real-world context adds some weight to the design continuity theory. In short, Google might be sticking with a “don’t fix what isn’t broken” approach—at least on the outside.
What’s Under the Hood: Android 16 & Tensor G5
As for specs, leaks point to the Pixel 10 being the first Google device to launch with Android 16, setting the tone for what’s next in the Android ecosystem. Even more notable is what’s powering it—the all-new
Tensor G5 chip.
Unlike its predecessors, this chipset isn’t being made by Samsung. Instead, Google is reportedly working with TSMC for production. That’s a big shift and possibly a strategic move aimed at improving performance, efficiency, or maybe just gaining more control over the entire silicon pipeline.