Google Pixel 10 joins Beta, selective zoned UFS 4.0 storage & Gemini AI starring at TIFF and LFW

The Google Pixel news cycle this week has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. We’ve already dissected scam detection expansion, Pixel Watch upgrades, and that wild Google-at-27 deals promo. Then came rumors of the Pixel 10A and updates on Safety and Care+. And just yesterday, we dove into the Pixel 10 update circus, featuring GPU tweaks, rope straps, and even whispers about call recording.

Today, the Pixel train keeps chugging, and the latest batch of stories has everything: Pixel 10 Android beta thrills, Zoned UFS 4.0 storage headaches, an AI cameo at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and a high-fashion collab at London Fashion Week. Let’s dig in.

Android Beta finally lands on the Google Pixel 10

Google Pixel 10 users can now hop on the Android Beta Program without feeling like last month’s leftovers. When the Pixel 10 launched, Google left its new flagship outside the beta club (rude, right?). But now, whether you’re rocking the standard Pixel 10, the Pro XL, or even the fancy Fold, you can dive into the latest Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2.

Enrolling is easy. Just hit the Android Beta page, click a few buttons, and wait up to 24 hours. Then voilà: beta builds galore.

Hot take: This is one of those moments where “being first” actually matters. Beta life may not be smooth sailing, but if you’re brave enough, you get bragging rights that your Pixel is living in the future. Just remember: if your phone starts acting like it needs a nap every two hours, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Pixel 10 Zoned UFS 4.0: the storage upgrade that’s both sweet and sour

Good news first: Google finally moved the Pixel 10 family away from the Pixel 9’s slower UFS 3.1 storage and adopted UFS 4.0 for higher-capacity models. But the upgrade isn’t uniform. Models with at least 256GB get UFS 4.0, while the base 128GB units (including the Pro models) remain on UFS 3.1 in many regions.

Now the “zoned” part. Zoned UFS (ZUFS) is a smarter, longevity-focused variant of UFS 4.0 that organizes storage into zones for more efficient writes over time. Google is reserving ZUFS for the upper-end SKUs. In the U.S., ZUFS appears on the 512GB and 1TB Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL models; outside the U.S., many markets, including the UK, only get ZUFS on the 1TB models. That means buyers in some countries (and in markets where only the 256GB SKU is sold) won’t see ZUFS at all.

So what does that mean day-to-day? Benchmarks and reviews suggest the move to UFS 4.0 gives better sequential throughput (moving big files), but real-world gains (app launches, small file I/O, and general snappiness) are modest. Random I/O (what most apps actually depend on) hasn’t leapt forward for Pixel 10 users in a way you’d feel every minute. In short, it’s a future-proofing and endurance play more than a dramatic instant speed boost.

Hot take? Don’t buy a 1TB Pixel 10 Pro XL just to get ZUFS. Buy the capacity you actually need (photos, videos, and local media are valid reasons), but if you’re hoping for a night-and-day speed jump, you’ll probably be underwhelmed. Google’s push toward Google One cloud storage also softens the sting of on-device storage limits, which makes the staggered implementation feel, well, strategically convenient for Google.

Google Pixel joins the runway at London Fashion Week

Not content with movie night, the Google Pixel is now strutting its AI stuff on the runway. Ahead of London Fashion Week starting September 18, Google teamed up with the British Fashion Council and JW Anderson for a “special AI-powered activation.”

Translation: Gemini will animate JW Anderson’s Cabinet of Curiosities collection, while Pixel cameras document the opening dinner in ways that sound suspiciously artsy (and potentially Instagram gold).

Fashion leaders are framing this as a moment where creativity and AI meet without stepping on each other’s toes. As BFC’s chief put it, the idea isn’t for AI to replace designers, but to amplify their work. Which, honestly, is a refreshing take compared to the usual “robots will steal our jobs” narrative.

Whether you care about fashion or not, this shows Google is serious about embedding Pixel into cultural moments, not just tech launches. And hey, if the Google Pixel 10 can make me look runway-ready on camera, I’ll take ten.

Gemini takes center stage at TIFF

In Canada, Google Pixel decided to get artsy. To celebrate the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) 50th anniversary, they launched a campaign called Gemini Takes the Stage. The premise? Movie night chaos is real, and Pixel’s Gemini AI is here to help couples, friends, and families agree on whether to watch explosions, artsy drama, or a safe “don’t text your ex” sad movie.

The ads were cheeky. Think posters with “He wants artsy fartsy. I just want explosions.” vibes plastered across Toronto. Social campaigns and live-action spots followed, showing Gemini as the peacekeeper of living rooms everywhere.

My two cents? If Gemini can solve the “what to watch” debate faster than my household’s usual 45-minute scrollathon, it deserves an Oscar.

So, between Android Betas, storage quirks, film festivals, and fashion collabs, the Pixel 10 is shaping up to be more than just another smartphone. It’s Google’s Swiss Army knife — part tester’s playground, part AI guinea pig, part cultural ambassador.

Now, the only question is: will ZUFS 4.0 help your Pixel 10 Pro survive seven years of updates, or will Google’s real storage strategy be nudging us all toward Google One? Place your bets.