Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

Episode: Is the Pixel 9 Better than the 10?
Date: September 5, 2025
Hosts: Marques Brownlee (A), Andrew Manganelli (B), David Imel (C), Adam (D), Ellis (E)

Overview

This week, Marques and the Waveform crew dive deep into "peak smartphone season," tackling the biggest questions and rumors around the newly released Google Pixel 10 versus Pixel 9, the peculiarities of smartphone camera sensors, UI quirks, and early insights into the upcoming iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S25 launch events. They also discuss camera preferences, software limitations, and a slew of other gadget-adjacent debates, including alarm habits and subscription shenanigans. The episode blends hands-on opinions and lighthearted banter, offering an insider’s look at 2025’s most anticipated tech releases.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. Pixel 10 Launch: Early Impressions & Quirks

[02:28–06:43]

• The hosts and several team members now have the Pixel 10 in hand ("Everybody who ordered a Pixel 10 now has it" – A, 02:56).
• Adam jokingly reveals he used the Pixel 10 Pro's temperature sensor when sick—comparing its readings to a real thermometer:

  “I found the one person in the world who used the temperature sensor on the Pixel 10 Pro. And it is I.” (D, 03:58)
  “Within a degree.” (D, 04:14)

• General agreement the Pixel 10's design and color options (ex: “Lemongrass” vs. “Lemon Cello”) are strong, but branding confuses staff.
• Marques reflects on his annual phone-switching cycle, anticipating annoyance with hardware or software flaws in the Pixel 10:

  “Within four months I will get really annoyed with something hardware related, probably the cameras or battery ... and then I will get really annoyed with that phone's worst software. And I will switch back to the Pixel ... That'll all happen within about 12 months.” (A, 05:50)

2. Pixel 10 Camera Controversy: Is the 9 Actually Better?

[10:23–15:44]

• Debate centers on whether the Pixel 10’s base model camera is a downgrade from the Pixel 9, as Google swapped in the 9A sensor.
• Andrew summarizes:

  “If you had a Pixel 9 and upgraded to a Pixel 10, you are sacrificing some camera quality to get the rest of the upgrades of the Pixel 10, which does not look good on paper.” (A, 11:20)

• Online reviews noted decent daylight shots but worse low-light performance (more glare, “astigmatism”/flare).
• David laments:

  “The processing every year is getting further and further away from the iPhone ... especially in video ... I would rather use Halide on an iPhone and take straight RAW photos ... those raws look better to me than the raws out of the Pixel.” (C, 14:03)

• General agreement: pixel processing style now feels less "natural," and camera experience is less consistent compared to earlier Pixels.

3. Personal Camera Setups and New Gear

[15:52–19:04]

• Marques reveals he just purchased the Hasselblad X2D Mark II, excited by improved autofocus and advanced features:

  “Files are gonna be so worth it ... I have 30 minutes, I get one photo out of this. ... Now they’ve added lidar ... It’s much better.” (A, 16:46–18:06)

• Banter over how the pro camera trend is influencing team habits, the joys and limits of high-res gear and print use.

4. Samsung S25 FE and Tri-Fold Rumors

[20:16–24:25]

• Marques recaps the S25 FE: a $649 version with Exynos 2400 chip and slightly downgraded specs but many S25 features.
• Rumors swirl about a Samsung “Tri fold” phone shipping by end of 2025, with speculation about pricing ($3,000), durability vs. Huawei models, and the push to make foldables potentially replace laptops.

5. iPhone Alarm App UI Oddity + Alarm Setting Habits

[31:48–37:50]

• The crew laughs about the iPhone alarm app, where the hour/minute lists aren’t circular:

  “It is not a circle. It is just a really, really long list of numbers 1 through 12 in the alarm.” (B, 32:28)

• Discussion about snooze duration (default 9 minutes until iOS 26), alarm use philosophies (“shouldn’t have snooze” says David; A/B are one-snooze or no-snooze types).
• Playful analysis of team members’ alarm bloat and the madness of managing “too many alarms.”

6. iPhone 17 Rumor Roundup

[42:16–54:22]

• New Design: Rectangle camera cutout spanning the width (“liquid glass”), possibly for aesthetics or minor internal changes.

  “It is specifically a rectangle and not a square. And it goes all the way across the device.” (C, 44:24)

• Camera: All three cameras to be 48MP; Pro Max to get bigger battery/thicker body.
• Air Variant:
  • Ultra-thin (5.5mm), 6.6” display, single 48MP camera, A19 chip, possibly Promotion (120Hz, "maybe 60–120," speculation over 1–120 vs. 60–120).
  • Priced ~$900, likely replacing the Plus.
  • No 5G mmWave.
  • Colorways: Pro gets black, white, dark blue, and (allegedly) orange; Air in black, silver, gold, light blue.

  “The rumor right now is the pro iPhone, all the iPhones are supposed to have promotion…” (C, 55:21)

• Apple Watch SE: Rumored to shift to plastic, targeted at kids; focus on child-safety/affordability.
• AirPods Pro: Possible heart-rate monitoring, redesigned charging case, new H3 chip, no physical pairing button.
• Marques plans to test new iPhone video features by filming with it for his own channel.

7. Sony Xperia 1 VII Debacle

[69:47–71:59]

• Sony's flagship hit headlines after a major hardware flaw (bad circuit boards) caused mass failures and sales freezes.

• “Apparently after being announced in May and then released in June, they had multiple reports of the phone just straight up rebooting, shutting down and then not turning back on.” (B, 70:43)

• Phones are (finally) available again, but the overpriced, unseen release cycle perpetuates Sony’s poor smartphone reputation.

8. Tech Subscriptions and Family Plan Crackdowns

[72:05–79:17]

• YouTube Premium now flags “family” accounts not sharing a household. The crew jokes about their own multi-family setups, bemoan upcoming crackdown.
• Reflection on the difference between “family” and “roommate” plans, and how streaming services are systematically closing loopholes previously used by friends or distant family.
• Discussion expands to the absurdity of YouTube Premium's "pro" features being basic usability features (offline download, PIP).

9. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Pixel Camera Quality

“If you had a Pixel 9 and upgraded to a Pixel 10, you are sacrificing some camera quality to get the rest of the upgrades … that's an easy headline. That does not look great.”
—Marques (A), 11:20

Alarm UI

“It is not a circle. It is just a really, really long list of numbers 1 through 12 in the alarm.”
—Andrew (B), 32:28

Annual Phone Switch

“Within four months I will get really annoyed with something hardware related … then I will get really annoyed with that phone’s worst software. And I will switch back to the Pixel … That’ll all happen within about 12 months.”
—Marques (A), 05:50

Apple Event Predictability

“Apple is the company that doesn’t prebrief anyone ... seven times out of ten, I feel like I have a pretty good handle ... three times out of ten I'll show up and I'm like, oh, I'm just gonna leave.”
—Marques (A), 57:23

'Family' Plan Crackdown

“Why is it even called the family plan? It should be called the roommate plan.”
—David (C), 79:17

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------| | 02:28 | Pixel 10 hands-on, color names, wallet accessories | | 03:58 | Real-life Pixel 10 Pro thermometer use | | 05:50 | Marques’s phone-switching pattern | | 10:23 | Pixel 10 camera downgrade debate | | 14:03 | iPhone vs. Pixel RAW photo processing | | 16:46 | Marques buys Hasselblad X2D Mark II | | 20:16 | Samsung S25 FE and trifold rumors | | 31:48 | iPhone alarm app UI oddity | | 42:16 | iPhone 17 rumors roundup | | 44:24 | New "rectangle" camera housing design | | 55:21 | Promotion (120Hz) possibly coming to all iPhones | | 69:47 | Sony Xperia 1 VII hardware debacle | | 72:05 | YouTube Premium & family plan crackdown | | 79:17 | Final reflection on family vs. roommate plans |

Tone & Vibe

• Casual, humorous, deeply informed tech banter.
• Lively group dynamic marked by in-jokes, gentle mockery, shared personal gadget stories, and plenty of off-the-cuff analogies.
• Passionate but measured critiques—especially about camera technology, software quirks, and hardware design choices.

Closing Thoughts

A classic Waveform episode, blending real-world usage anecdotes, side-by-side device and software analysis, and timely rumor roundups as "Techtember" ramps up. The hosts, drawing on years of experience, break down the most pressing questions for smartphone upgraders, sparking laughs and nerd rants—whether about why a list isn’t circular or how soon all your “family” might be kicked off YouTube Premium.

For dedicated time breakdowns on major topics, see table above. All ad reads, intros, and outros are omitted for clarity.