As the tech world eagerly awaits the launch of the Apple iPhone 17 lineup, following the launch of the Pixel 10 series on August 20, a rivalry is shaping up between the two, as the two flagships attempt to push the envelope—but in very different ways.
Here's what we know about the two tech giants' weapons as they prepare for battle:
Google’s AI charge forward
The Pixel 10 family—the standard variant, Pro and Pro XL—all prioritise artificial intelligence.
Powered by the brand-new Tensor G5 chip built on a 3nm process node, these phones offer real-time translation, “Magic-Cue” prompts that anticipate user needs, and Camera Coach (a tool that helps nail tricky shots).
The successor to the Pixel 9 comes with a 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, the Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and a maximum brightness of 3,300 nits. It houses a 4,970mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging and up to 15W Pixelsnap wireless charging, and also comes with IP68 dust and water resistance.
As far as the camera is concerned, in terms of the cameras, the Pixel 10 family builds on from the Pixel 9 with a 48 MP main camera, a 13MP ultrawide sensor, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens, but retains the same 10.5MP front camera.
The genre-defining feature remains photography: the Pixel 10 Pro’s Pro Res Zoom goes up to 100x, backed by generative AI that can enhance or even re-compose images.
Apple sticks to the familiar
The iPhone 17 (to be launched this September) on the other hand, is expected to stick to Apple’s core playbook.
The A19 Pro chip—also built on a 3nm process—promises faster performance, AI-driven optimisations, and better battery efficiency. Also, if rumours are to be believed, Apple's latest 'Awe Dropping' event logo might just be a hint at the new phones' vapour chamber cooling system, which could be immensely useful during gaming, editing videos, or using many heavy applications simultaneously.
Apple is said to be working on an updated 24 MP front-facing camera with a six-element lens for its models. In addition, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could include an upgraded 48 MP telephoto camera, while the iPhone 17 Air is expected to get a single-lens 48 MP rear camera.
The triple-camera arrays for phones of the iPhone 17 family with an upgraded telephoto lens could finally close the zoom gap with Google.
Factoring in iOS 26 refinements and the usual tight integration across Apple devices, the iPhone remains the safe, high-performance bet.