Google Pixel 11 Series Review: The Experience Is The Upgrade
| Google Pixel 11 Series - Starting At $899, Find It On Amazon Google’s Pixel 11 ($899), Pixel 11 Pro ($1,099), and Pixel 11 Pro XL ($1,299) improve upon last year’s Pixel 10 series with a more efficient SoC (Tensor G6) and camera upgrades. The Pro models gain a notification light (HiLight) and brighter displays but at the expense of less base RAM, slightly smaller batteries, and higher prices. |
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At last week’s Made By Google event in New York City, the company unveiled three flagship bar phones (Pixel 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro XL), a book-style folding phone (Pixel 11 Pro Fold), a smartwatch (Pixel Watch 5), and a tracker (Pixel Tag). While last year’s Pixel 10 series offered significant hardware upgrades, Google’s 2026 flagship lineup is more iterative, and focuses more on software, AI, and user experience, though there is a totally new SoC inside, with significant CPU and TPU upgrades as well.
Like its predecessors, the Pixel 11 ($899), 11 Pro ($1,099), and 11 Pro XL ($1,299) support Qi2.2 magnetic accessories but lack SIM trays in the US, and showcase Google’s ecosystem very well. Today I’m testing the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro XL, so let’s find out what’s changed. Are the improvements over last year’s Pixel 10 lineup worthwhile? How good are these phones? Should you upgrade? Read my review to find out...
Pixel 11 Series Hardware Design, HiLight Features And Build Quality
The overall design of the Pixel 11 series is similar to the Pixel 10 and Pixel 9’s. Google’s new handsets are slightly lighter, but their dimensions are virtually identical. The iconic pill-shaped camera visor is different this year. It’s made of edge-to-edge black glass and surrounded by a thin metal rim matching the phone’s color. As part of this cosmetic tweak, Google removed the thermometer found on Pro and Pro XL models since the Pixel 8.
On Pixel 11 Pro models, the LED flash doubles as a notification light Google calls HiLight. Currently, HiLight’s functionality is somewhat limited. It will show different patterns when Gemini’s listening, thinking, or responding, and you can assign one of just five colors to incoming calls from contacts in your favorites list. So, unlike notification lights of lore, you can’t set HiLight to glow for messages or specific app notifications, which is disappointing.
Google should be able to improve HiLight’s functionality with future software updates, but as it stands right now, it’s simply not as useful as it could be. The Obsidian Pixel 11 Pro XL review unit I tested is fully matte black, but other colors include Canyon, Olive, and Fog with a matte glass back and polished aluminum frame. Ditto the Pixel 11 Pro. The Pixel 11 comes in Frost, Pistachio (shown here), Hibiscus, and Obsidian with a shiny glass back and satin aluminum frame.
Like before, the Pixel 11 lineup boasts Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back, and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. These new phones support Qi2.2 magnetic accessories for wireless charging (up to 25W). Apple calls it MagSafe, Google calls it Pixelsnap, and I call it awesome. What’s less awesome is that once again, the Pixel 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL lack SIM trays on US models, unlike my Canadian review units.
The Pixel 11 series’ build quality is top notch, and the port and control layout matches Pixel 10’s almost exactly. You'll find the power/lock key and volume rocker on the right side. The USB Type-C port (USB 3.2) is located along the bottom edge between two grilles hiding the primary mic and main speaker. You’ll find the SIM tray (outside the US) next to the secondary mic on top. There’s nothing but a couple of antenna bands on the left.
Pixel 11 Specs And Features
| Processing & 5G Platform | Google Tensor G6, MediaTek M90 |
| Display | 6.3" 1080p LTPS OLED, 2424x1080 resolution, 120Hz |
| Memory | 12GB |
| Storage | 256/512GB (UFS 4.0) |
| Rear-Facing Cameras | 48MP
f/1.7 Main OIS, dual-pixel PDAF - 13MP f/2.2
120º Ultrawide PDAF - 10.8MP f/3.1 5x Periscope Telephoto OIS, dual-pixel PDAF |
| Front-Facing Cameras | 10.5MP, f/2.2 Ultrawide PDAF |
| Video Recording | Up to 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 1080p slow-mo |
| Battery | 4,985mAh, 30W wired charging, 25W wireless charging, Qi2.2 with magnets |
| OS | Android 17 With Pixel UI |
| Dimensions | 152.8 x 72 x 8.6mm |
| Weight | 204 grams |
| Connectivity | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 6.0+LE, NFC, USB-C 3.2, LTE, 5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave), eSIM only in the US |
| Colors | Frost, Pistachio, Hibiscus, Obsidian |
| Pricing | Find the Google Pixel 11 @ Amazon, starting at $899 |
Pixel 11 Pro Specs And Features
| Processing & 5G Platform | Google Tensor G6, MediaTek M90 |
| Display | 6.3" 1.5k LTPO OLED, 2856 x 1280 resolution, 1-120Hz |
| Memory | 12/16GB |
| Storage | 256GB (UFS 4.0), 512GB and 1TB (Zoned UFS 4.0) |
| Rear-Facing Cameras | 50MP f/1.7 Main OIS, omni-directional PDAF - 48MP f/1.7 123º Ultrawide dual-pixel PDAF - 48MP f/2.8 5x Periscope Telephoto OIS, dual-pixel PDAF |
| Front-Facing Cameras | 42MP, f/2.2 Ultrawide PDAF |
| Video Recording | Up to 8K @ 30fps, 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 1080p slow-mo |
| Battery | 4,850mAh, 30W wired charging, 25W wireless charging, Qi2.2 with magnets |
| OS | Android 17 With Pixel UI |
| Dimensions | 152.7 x 71.9 x 8.4mm |
| Weight | 207 grams |
| Connectivity | 802.11be Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0+LE, NFC, UWB, USB-C 3.2, LTE, 5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave), eSIM only in the US |
| Colors | Canyon, Olive, Fog, Obsidian |
| Pricing | Find the Google Pixel 11 Pro @ Amazon, starting at $1,099 |
Pixel 11 Pro XL Specs And Features
| Processing & 5G Platform | Google Tensor G6, MediaTek M90 |
| Display | 6.8" 2k LTPO OLED, 2992 x 1344 resolution, 1-120Hz |
| Memory | 12/16GB |
| Storage | 256GB (UFS 4.0), 512GB and 1TB (Zoned UFS 4.0) |
| Rear-Facing Cameras | 50MP f/1.7 Main OIS, omni-directional PDAF - 48MP f/1.7 123º Ultrawide dual-pixel PDAF - 48MP f/2.8 5x Periscope Telephoto OIS, dual-pixel PDAF |
| Front-Facing Cameras | 42MP, f/2.2 Ultrawide PDAF |
| Video Recording | Up to 8K @ 30fps, 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 1080p slow-mo |
| Battery | 5,115mAh, 45W wired charging, 25W wireless charging, Qi2.2 with magnets |
| OS | Android 17 With Pixel UI |
| Dimensions | 162.7 x 76.5 x 8.5mm |
| Weight | 232 grams |
| Connectivity | 802.11be Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0+LE, NFC, UWB, USB-C 3.2, LTE, 5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave), eSIM only in the US |
| Colors | Canyon, Olive, Fog, Obsidian |
| Pricing | Find the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL @ Amazon, starting at $1,299 |
Pixel 11 Series Display Quality
The Pixel 11 inherits the Pixel 10’s display, which consists of a 6.3-inch FHD+ LTPS OLED panel (2424 x 1080 pixels, 422ppi, HDR10+) with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 120Hz refresh rate and 3000 nits peak brightness.
Similarly, the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL screens are almost identical to their predecessors’, but slightly brighter (3600 vs. 3300 nits peak). These are 6.3- and 6.8-inch 1.5k LTPO OLED panels (2856 x 1280 pixels, 495ppi and 2992 x 1344 pixels, 486ppi, HDR10+) with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
Obviously, these are beautiful displays. Colors are vibrant, blacks are deep, and viewing angles are excellent. Bezels are thin and there’s a punch hole for the selfie camera at the top center of each screen.
Pixel 11 Series Camera Performance And Image Quality
The Pixel 11 lineup benefits from a couple of camera upgrades this year. First, the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL receive a new 50MP f/1.7 25mm (1/1.3-inch 1.2-micron) main shooter with omni-directional (vs. dual-pixel) PDAF and OIS, and more importantly, a new 48MP f/2.8 106mm 5x periscope telephoto with a larger sensor (1/1.95 vs. 1/2.55-inch), dual-pixel PDAF, and OIS. This should improve low-light performance and dynamic range.
Second, the Pixel 11 gets a new 48MP f/1.7 24mm main shooter with a larger sensor (1/1.56 vs. 1/2-inch, 1.0 vs. 0.8-micron), dual-pixel PDAF, and OIS. It also inherits the Pixel 10’s 13MP f/2.2 120-degree (1/3.1-inch 1.12-micron) ultrawide with PDAF, 10.8MP f/3.1 112mm (1/3.2-inch 1.22-micron) 5x periscope telephoto with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS, and 10.5 MP f/2.2, 95-degree 20mm (1/3.1-inch 1.22-micron) ultrawide selfie camera.
On the Pixel 11, photo modes include portrait, night (called Night Sight), RAW, and long exposure, Action Pan (motion blur), and astrophotography. These are enabled on all four shooters. Panorama is only available on the main camera and telephoto, while Add Me (which combines two images to include the photographer in a group shot) is restricted to the main shooter. There’s no proper macro, but zooming achieves similar results.
Obviously, the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL pack additional imaging capabilities. These include pro (manual) and 50MP (rear only) photo modes, plus 8k 30/24fps (rear only), Video Boost (cloud processing), portrait video (up to 4k 60fps, main only), and night (rear only) videomodes. What’s missing here is a pro (manual) video mode with LOG support on the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL, and a pro (manual) photo mode for the Pixel 11.
Camera Looks are similar to Photographic Styles on the iPhone, and offer four primary options (Original, Natural, Shadows, and Vanilla) and six secondary choices (Editorial, Velvet, Classic, Digi, Black Tie, and Minimal). Think of these not so much as filters but as film types that change the way the images are processed within the ISP. Pro Stable Video works alongside Google’s Video Boost cloud processing to record ultra-stable video,
Image: HotHardware
Images: HotHardware
In all, the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro XL I reviewed take gorgeous pictures (and selfies) in most conditions, with superb detail, accurate exposure, and natural colors. Dynamic range and low-light performance are solid. Zoom quality is outstanding on the Pixel 11 Pro XL, which can easily zoom to 20x with nice results, and even adequately beyond 30x with Pro Zoom. On Pixel 11, 10x results look good, and even 30x shots are still usable thanks to Super Zoom.
Video recording quality is decent but still lags behind what Apple and Samsung are able to deliver, and Google’s Video Boost cloud processing, while impressive, takes too long to process videos to make it practical for content creators.
Next up: audio fidelity, general performance, and battery life results...
