Google Pixel 10 series codenames seemingly leak, and it's bad news for big phone fans

Google Pixel 9 in green Wintergreen color showing AI features on screen
The Google Pixel 9 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Google Pixel 9 line arrived just last month, but we’re already hearing about the Google Pixel 10, as codenames for four phones in this series have now leaked.

Android Headlines claims that the Pixel 10 itself is codenamed ‘Frankel’, the Pixel 10 Pro is codenamed ‘Blazer’, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is codenamed 'Mustang’, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is codenamed ‘Rango’.

As far as we can tell, these codenames are references to horses – a mix of breeds and specific racehorses. So, the implication there is perhaps that these phones will be fast, but it’s probably not worth reading too much into the codenames.

Really, the main thing this leak tells us is simply that there likely will be four Pixel 10 models, with Google offering the same selection of phones as this year. The assumed inclusion of the Pixel 10 Pro, in particular, is notable, since the compact Pixel 9 Pro is functionally a new addition to the line, so there wasn’t any certainty that we’d see that model continue to another generation.

If you want a big screen, you'll need a big budget

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review back handheld

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is the only big Pixel 9 model that doesn't fold (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Sadly, this leak does also suggest that there won’t be a Pixel 10 XL – so while you’ll likely be able to get a top-end phone with a small screen (the Pixel 10 Pro), you might not be able to get a slightly lower-end phone with a big screen.

Of course, a Pixel 10 Pro XL looks likely, but it would have been nice to see Google offer a big-screened Pixel phone for those on a more modest budget.

On top of the Pixel 10 codenames, the site also claims that the Google Pixel 9a has the codename Tegu, which is a type of lizard, though this has previously leaked elsewhere, so it’s not new information.

The Pixel 9a is almost certainly going to be the next Google phone to actually launch, with the phone likely to land at Google I/O 2025 in May. 

As for the Pixel 10 series, those phones probably won’t launch before August, so there’s a long wait yet.

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James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.