Key Takeaways
1. The Pixel 10 series was revealed on August 20, with minimal design changes from the Pixel 9 series, except for an extra camera on the standard model.
2. Users of the Pixel 10 Pro XL are experiencing audio recording issues during video capture due to a design change where the speaker and microphone were switched.
3. The new placement of the microphone can become obstructed when filming videos in landscape mode, affecting audio quality.
4. Suggested solutions for users include adjusting hand placement or turning the phone 180 degrees, though this may be uncomfortable for right-handed users.
5. The Tensor G5 chip has shown disappointing GPU performance, but a driver update may improve it; the new phones are also easier to repair.
The Pixel 10 series was revealed on August 20, and when looking at the design, it appears not a lot has changed from the Pixel 9 series. The standard Pixel 10 does include an extra camera on the back, but that’s pretty much it. However, some users of the Pixel 10 Pro XL (available on Amazon) have been experiencing problems with audio recording while shooting videos. It turns out that Google made a slight design adjustment with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which ended up causing this issue.
Audio Problems Noted
According to Artem Russakovskii from Android Police, their Pixel 10 Pro XL exhibited some strange audio behavior when capturing videos. After talking to a few Google employees, they discovered that the speaker and microphone at the bottom of the Pixel 10 Pro XL were switched compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Google made this change to prevent sound from being obstructed or muted while gaming in landscape mode. Unfortunately, this resulted in the microphone being obstructed or partially covered when filming videos in landscape, which is the cause of the audio problems.
Suggested Solutions
A straightforward solution could be to pay closer attention to hand placement while recording videos in landscape. Another option would be to turn the phone 180 degrees to keep the microphone free from the palm. However, as Artem pointed out, this might feel quite uncomfortable for right-handed users.
Overall Impact
The swap of the speaker and microphone isn’t a major issue and is not significant enough to deter customers from choosing the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Yet, it isn’t the only problem with the device. The Tensor G5 chip that powers the entire lineup has displayed disappointing performance, particularly in terms of GPU capabilities. On a brighter note, it has been reported that a simple driver update could potentially unlock greater performance from the chip. Also, this year’s phones are considerably easier to take apart and repair, which is definitely a benefit.
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