The Google Pixel 10 just showed up in Android code – and may come with a useful speed boost

Google Pixel 9
A successor to the Google Pixel 9 is on the way (Image credit: Future)

  • Here's another sign the Pixel 10 is coming
  • It could be the fastest booting Pixel yet
  • Expect it to appear sometime in mid-2025

The Google Pixel 9a was made official earlier this week, but we're already well into rumor season for the Pixel 10 due later this year – and the handset just popped up in Android's codebase, with a hint of a useful speed upgrade.

As spotted by Android Authority, the Pixel 10 has been namechecked in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code. That's the code on which all the various Android flavors are based, including the Pixel software and Samsung's One UI.

What's more, changes to the boot up process on the Pixel 10 are apparently leading to the handset starting up more quickly, according to a Google engineer – though of course the device will only be in the very early stages of testing right now.

It seems that's down to something called Parallel Module Loading, which basically loads up different bits of Android alongside each other, rather than one at a time – as you might have guessed from the name. The Pixel 10 is showing a 30% speed improvement in this particular part of the boot process, according to code comments.

Camera upgrades rumored

Google Pixel 9a being held, from the back

The Pixel 9a ditched the usual Pixel camera bar (Image credit: Google)

This won't be exclusive to the Pixel 10, either: Parallel Module Loading improvements should be rolling out to other recent Android handsets as well. It may well be included as part of Android 16, which is due sometime in the middle of 2025.

As for the Pixel 10, that may well make an appearance in August – which would be a neat 12 months after the launch of the Google Pixel 9 series. To date though, we haven't heard too much in the way of leaks and rumors.

We have seen some leaks in terms of model numbers and internal codenames, but they're not particularly exciting. Of more interest are rumors that the Pixel 10 could come with some camera upgrades, including an extra rear camera.

While the Pixel 9a ditched the iconic rear camera bar that we've grown accustomed to on the Pixel series, it's most probably going to make a return to the Pixel 10 phones. We can expect several different models to make an appearance again, including – perhaps – a successor to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

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David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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