Larry Magid: For AI and Zoom, Pixel 10 Pro leaves iPhone behind

In last week s column I praised the iPhone Pro for its crisp x optical quality zoom and other useful features I still think it s an excellent phone but when it comes to stretching zoom capabilities and harnessing AI for photo editing and other tasks Apple lags behind Google s new Pixel Pro Related Articles Magid My first two weeks with the iPhone Pro Magid Breathing new life into old batteries Magid Why I took a Facebook break after Charlie Kirk killing Magid New iPhone operating system arrives on Monday Magid Roblox to estimate age of all users I tested the -inch Pixel Pro which starts at for GB or for GB There is also a -inch Pixel Pro XL that starts at for GB They are other wise identical except for a larger battery on the XL AI photo editing The largest part remarkable new feature is the ability to use your voice to edit photos in means that rival what professionals do with products like Photoshop If you don t like the red shirt you re wearing in a photo solely say change my shirt to blue or perhaps Hawaiian shirt and while you re at it you could easily replace your background to look like you re in Hawaii I was in New York s Battery Park last week but I didn t snap a selfie in front of the Statue of Liberty No matter I took one from my home in California and added Lady Liberty in the background The feature works in the camera roll and the phone s Photos app which allows you to use it on old pictures as well as new ones You could even scan an old print upload it to Photos and manipulate it on your phone Of subject this has long been viable for skilled photo editors with sophisticated solution but anyone can do this just by speaking or typing and the results are surprisingly good Even my friend who s a die-hard iPhone enthusiast agreed it s an amazing feature Larry wasn't in NY or Hawaii when these were taking and not wearing an Hawaiin shirt X zoom The Pixel Pro also uses AI to give you a passably good digital zoom of up to x I tested it by photographing a stop sign from a block away The sign looked crystal clear and the image even revealed a tiny scratch on the surface that I hadn t noticed until I walked right up to it When I snapped a flower from several feet away the Pixel produced what looked like a true close-up while the iPhone Pro delivered a noticeably pixelated shot At around x though both phones produce similar results Stop sign photographed at x from a block away In the real world largest part of us have limited reasons to use an extreme zoom The majority of my photos are taken close-up where the iPhone the Pixel and the greater part other modern smartphones do an excellent job As per specs the Pixel s front selfie camera is now megapixels MP the rear main camera is MP and the telephoto and ultrawide cameras are MP AI integration The Pixel s biggest claim to fame is its AI integration Unlike Apple Google has a robust AI product called Gemini which it builds into the greater part of its products including the Pixel Pro and other phones that run its new Android operating system There is Magic Cue which brings up relevant info and suggests actions based on context such as flight details during an airline call or dinner reservations in a text thread Camera coach analyzes the scene to suggest angles lighting and setup for the best shot There s Real Time translation during phone calls You can also invoke Gemini to summarize any screen on your phone including news articles I got this to work the bulk of the time but sometimes it failed to read the screen There is also AI integration with Google apps For example I requested Gemini to summarize my calendar for December and it speedily read off a list of things that are already scheduled You can run Gemini and most of other AI apps on an iPhone but they re not tightly integrated into iOS Apple does now have a partnership with OpenAI that allows Siri to invoke ChatGPT to answer questions she can t handle but it s nowhere near as seamlessly integrated as Gemini on Pixel phones After experiencing the Gemini integration on my Pixel I programmed the iPhone Action Button in the upper right corner to run a shortcut I created called Talk to ChatGPT that lets me speak to ChatGPT and hear responses but I suspect most of iPhone users wouldn t do this Unlocking and battery life Like newer iPhones the Pixel uses face unlock but it also lets you unlock the phone with a fingerprint which is often easier than using your face especially in a dark room or if you re wearing a mask I love that Google gives you both options For several users battery life is the preponderance key phone spec and the Pixel performs well Google proposes its mAh battery lasts hours but manufacturer estimates rarely reflect real-world use In Tom s Guide s standardized test continuous web surfing over a cellular connection at nits brightness the Pixel Pro lasted hours and minutes The iPhone Pro managed hours and minutes under the same conditions Of unit your results will vary but both phones should comfortably get through a full day on a single charge Ecosystem Google like Apple and Samsung offers a tightly integrated ecosystem of products and services including watches and premium earbuds Although you can pair almost any other earbuds on any phone the Pixel Watch only works with Android devices just as the Apple Watch is only for Apple devices I plan to review the new Pixel Watch in a subsequent column but spoiler alert I think it s better than the Apple Watch though I m sure countless die-hard Apple fans will disagree Switching from iOS to Android It s not unheard of to switch from iOS to Android or the other way around and both Google and Apple let you transfer figures and apps between the two platforms But the easiest product to use is the one you already know Switching from one platform to another involves a learning curve even though there are a lot of similarities between the two interfaces And although greater part iOS apps also have Android versions there are various that don t and specific that work well on one platform and not-so-well on the other So while I encourage everyone to have an open mind I respect that the greater part people will stay with whatever platform they are used to With its voice-controlled editing magic AI powered x zoom and Gemini s deep OS integration the Pixel Pro pushes boundaries in solutions that are both innovative and useful Related Articles A Bay Area dad built a trailer for better family camping Now he s selling them Disneyland raises prices on daily tickets and annual passes Elon Musk agrees to settle with fired Twitter execs over severance dispute Rise of former Greyhound station in San Jose may not happen for years Cielo Supermarket to open in Pittsburg in summer with help from city Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist Contact him at larry larrymagid com