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.
	Excellent, brighter displays Excellent cameras and zoom performance More efficient SoC, better 5G modem Qi2.2 with magnets Outstanding software and AI features	Now pricier Mid-range SoC performance Less base model RAM, slightly smaller batteries (Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL) eSIM only in the US No charger in the box

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.

These new handsets pack more efficient SoCs (Google Tensor G6, with significant CPU and TPU updates), better 5G modems (MediaTek M90), and upgraded cameras across the board. The Pixel 11 now benefits from a slightly larger battery and faster wireless charging. Meanwhile, the 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL gain a notification light (HiLight) and brighter displays at the expense of less base RAM, marginally smaller batteries, and higher prices on some models.

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... 

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 the Pro models since the Pixel 8.

Pixel 11 Pro XL - Image: HotHardware

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.

Pixel 11- Image: HotHardware

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.

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.

Pixel 11 display - Image: HotHardware

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.

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.

Pixel 11 Pro XL camera pod

As you’d expect, the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL’s 48MP f/1/7 120-degree (1/2.55-inch) ultrawide with dual-pixel PDAF and 42MP f/2.2 103-degree 17mm ultrawide selfie camera with PDAF are identical to the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL’s. Google’s impressive Pro Zoom AI-based zooming algorithm carries over to the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL as well, and lets you shoot clear photos at up to 120x magnification (vs. 100x last year).

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.

Pixel 11 telephoto (10x) - Image: HotHardware

While it doesn’t support Pro Zoom, the Pixel 11 features Google’s Super Zoom algorithm, which now tops out at 30x magnification (vs. 20x before). Like the vast majority of modern camera systems, the 50MP, 48MP, and 42MP sensors on the Pixel 11 series implement pixel binning, which outputs 12.5MP, 12MP, and 10MP images by combining groups of four pixels into one larger pixel. This improves dynamic range and low-light performance.

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.

Pixel 11 Pro XL ultrawide - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL main camera (1x) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL main camera (2x) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (5x) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (10x) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (20x) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (30x) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (50x) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (120x) - Image: HotHardware

The Pixel 11 captures stabilized 10-bit HDR video with stereo audio at up to 4k 30fps and 1080p 60fps with all four cameras, plus 4k 60fps (without HDR) on the main, telephoto and front shooter. Video modes consist of Active (1080p 30 fps, main and selfie only), slow motion (main only, 1080p 240fps/480fps), time lapse (4k/1080p 30fps), and Cinematic Pan (main and telephoto only, 4k/1080p 60fps).

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.

Pixel 11 Pro XL ultrawide (night mode) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL main camera (1x, night mode) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL main camera (2x, night mode) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (5x, night mode) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (10x, night mode) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (30x, night mode) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (50x, night mode) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (120x, night mode) - Image: HotHardware

Google introduced some useful new camera features to the Pixel 11 lineup. Magic Capture records video and takes high-quality photos then uses AI to automatically select the best clips and images of the moment you captured. Camera controls let you instantly access four adjustments by tapping anywhere in the viewfinder. You can pick between White Balance, Looks, Exposure, Shadows, Focus, Shutter Speed, and ISO.

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,

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (5x ) - primary Looks:  Original, Natural, Shadows, Vanilla (L to R) - click to enlarge
Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL main camera (2x) Secondary Looks: Original, Editorial, Velvet, Classic, Digi, Black Tie, Minimal (L to R) 
Images: HotHardware

Finally, there’s Creator Suite, a collection of settings designed to streamline video capture for content creators. These include a feature to save clips into folders in sequence and rearrange them in a storyboard to create a rough cut, a teleprompter that automatically scrolls your script in the viewfinder as you speak, plus toggles to show audio levels, enable speech enhancement, and overlay grid lines optimized for social media.

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.

Pixel 11 Pro XL telephoto (5x, macro) - Image: HotHardware

Pixel 11 Pro XL selfie camera - regular (L), portrait (R) - Image: HotHardware

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...