Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Attempts to Survive the Ultimate Durability Gauntlet

Zack Nelson of JerryRigEverything has put the new Google Pixel 10 Pro XL through his signature durability tests. This $1,200 phone is supposed to get 7 years of software updates, so can its hardware live up to the promise?

Nelson starts with a scratch test on the 6.8-inch, 120 Hz, 3,300-nit display. The 3,300-nit screen is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2. He uses his Mohs hardness picks to find that scratches start at level 6 and deeper grooves at level 7. That’s on par with most high end phones today. The front glass with the 48-megapixel hole-punch camera and ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is tough. Even after he carves level 7 scratches across the scanner area, it still unlocks the phone every time. The 100% recycled aluminum frame and metal buttons take a beating without losing their polish. The glossy “Moonstone” back glass shows scuffs more than a matte finish would. Nelson’s advice? Slap on a screen protector like Dbrand’s Prism 2.0 to keep that glass pristine for the phone’s 7 year lifespan.

Google’s design on the Pixel 10 Pro XL doesn’t scream new, but Nelson finds some clever details. A magnetic ring embedded in the back glass – a nod to wireless charging accessories like Google’s Pixelsnap – is only visible with niche tools like magnetic field viewing film. This is a smart move for users who juggle multiple devices. The camera bar is described as “diamond cut” and houses three lenses (48-megapixel wide, 50-megapixel standard, and 48-megapixel 5x telephoto) under one glass panel, polished to prevent light refraction. The SIM tray is etched with the phone’s IMEI and sealed with a gray rubber ring and upholds the IP68 water resistance rating. But Nelson flags the large mesh grilles over the lower speaker and microphone as dirt traps – mud, dust or even Jell-O could clog them and there’s no way to clean them out.

Next up, Nelson holds a lighter to the Pixel’s OLED display to simulate extreme conditions. The 6.8-inch screen withstands the flame for 20 seconds without permanent damage, a good showing for an OLED panel, although the oleophobic coating disappears under the heat. This test, while not something you’d do at home, shows the display can handle brief exposure to extreme conditions—a nice reassurance for more mundane scenarios. There’s no visible pixel damage after the burn test so Google’s Super Actua display is built to handle more than just bright sunlight.

The grand finale of Nelson’s torture test is the bend test, the make-or-break moment for any phone that wants to last. The Pixel 10 Pro XL, the largest in Google’s 2025 lineup, is put to the test as Nelson tries to bend it from both the front and back. The result? No bend, no creak, no groan, no crack. This phone is potentially Google’s strongest yet, a big improvement over the Pixel 7 Pro which bent under similar pressure. Nelson attributes this to thoughtful engineering, the phone’s aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 holding firm. For users who plan to keep their phone for seven years of updates, this is a big win, a phone that can withstand daily life—provided you don’t sit on it carelessly.

While the Pixel 10 Pro XL passes the durability test, Nelson highlights a few design flaws that may irritate perfectionists. The glossy “G” logo on the back, which is protected by a sticker or shielding, does not exactly align with the glass, a slight misalignment that is only visible under careful study. The polished metal frame is smooth and exposes scratches and scuffs more easily than a rough finish. The replaceable metal buttons are secure but can be swapped or lost, but Nelson claims they will not pop out on their own.