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Google has just launched a boatload of new devices, including four new phones, a new watch, and a brand-new tag device which you can attach to any inanimate object you don’t want to lose sight of.
Today, I want to focus on the Pixel 11 smartphone series, because that’s what I’ve had most hands-on time with. And by “hands-on time” I mean around an hour and 15 minutes in a room with a bunch of other reviewers and some very helpful Google staff.
This gives me enough time to form a first impression, but it doesn’t exactly go skin deep – that’ll come with the full review.
We now have the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold. So, Google has stuck with the existing line-up structure and nomenclature. That’s no bad thing. They all start at 256GB, and pre-orders are open now.
There have been some price increases, but as far as the 11 and 11 Pro are concerned, that’s partly because the starting storage has been doubled. This is how the lineup irons out versus last year:
UK Google Pixel 11 Pricing
| Model | Pixel 10 | Pixel 11 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | £799 | £879 | +£80 |
| Pro | £999 | £1,079 | +£80 |
| Pro XL | £1,199 | £1,279 | +£80 |
| Pro Fold | £1,799 | £1,799 | No change |
The question is – what has Google done this year to demand your attention if your contract is saying it’s time for a new smartphone?
The problem with modern smartphones
It’s nigh-on impossible to buy a crap new phone in 2026.
They’re all really good.
A case in point. If a well-known Android brand sends me a mid-range, mid-tier device to review, I’ve reached the point – or, rather, the underlying tech has reached the point – where I no longer have to turn the bloody thing on to recommend it. The performance will be superb for the price, the battery will sail into two days, the display will be phenomenal, and the camera system, while offering limited optical zoom, will still produce lovely photos at regular focal lengths.
This isn’t lazy on my part. And it certainly isn’t a criticism of the manufacturers behind these devices. It’s a wonderful problem to have for both of us. But I fear for consumers who need a new phone, because the choice is so overwhelming.
Struggling to choose between Android flagships? Check out our S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max breakdown for more.
Google gets this, I think. Because the first thing that I was immediately impressed by when I walked into that hands-on room in Paris a couple of weeks ago was the colours they’d chosen for the new Pixel lineup.
The Pixel 11 retains its glossy look and comes in Frost, Hibiscus, Pistachio, and Obsidian.
Even the names are really nice.
The 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL are available in Canyon, Fog, Obsidian (which is all-matte for the first time), and a rather lovely Olive. The 11 Pro Fold doesn’t receive quite as many options – just two, in fact: Olive and Obsidian.
They all look lovely. More importantly, they have that immediate ‘want’ factor, which so many smartphones lack these days. Google has worked hard at this design and appears to have settled on something which really ‘pops’. I hate that word, too, but it’s the best one I can use to describe the Pixel 11 series.
This is entirely superficial. I know. But this is where we’ve got to with smartphones. And I’m not sure it bothers me as much as it should.
Pixel 11 Colour Options at a Glance
The Pixel 11 comes in Frost, Hibiscus, Pistachio, and Obsidian. The Pro models add Canyon, Fog, and Olive – with Obsidian offered in an all-matte finish for the first time. The Pro Fold is available in Olive and Obsidian only.
Google’s big (little) new feature: HiLight
Good news – the Pixel 11 series isn’t just about new colours. Google has chosen a bunch of new features (some hardware, some software) to make your new phone feel even fresher.
The first one is HiLight. This is available on the 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold, and it essentially turns the camera flash on the rear of the device into a notification beacon.
Don’t worry – it still acts as your flashlight, too.
The idea is that it forces you to pick up your phone less. By assigning HiLight to specific notifications and people, you need only grab that slab of metal and glass when your attention is absolutely required. It acts as Gemini, too, enabling you to interact with Google’s AI assistant without picking up your device.
We’ve seen this before. Nothing is perhaps best known for adding flashing lights to the back of its smartphones, although it’s telling that it has reduced them from something Pink Floyd would see as overkill to a tiny circle of LEDs.
Curious how Nothing approaches its back-panel LEDs? Read our Nothing Phone (4a) review for a closer look.
Google has gone even further. HiLight is literally just the camera flashlight with some additional colours thrown in. I doubt we’ll see it grow any bigger from there in future iterations, to be honest.
When I spoke to Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem at Google, a few weeks back, he made it clear that Google is working hard to keep us away from our phones and in tune with real life as much as they are keeping us engaged with them. HiLight appears to be one tiny step forward in that journey.
Does it work? I’ll let you know.
The cameras
With every new phone launch comes a new set of lenses, sensors, and AI-powered camera features. In my opinion, Google has long sat at the top of the tree with their approach to this, having favoured software tuning over continually micro-improving the optics. Remember – we’re paying for the R&D effort here as consumers, and I’d rather that money went towards stuff we actually see after pressing the shutter button.
Despite this, there is some new camera hardware in the Pixel 11 series. The regular Pixel 11 has a 48MP main camera with 56% more light sensitivity than before. The 13MP ultra-wide and 5x telephoto cameras are the same as last year.
The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL have a new 50MP main sensor and a new 48MP telephoto with 30% better light sensitivity. The latter is also capable of up to 120x Pro Zoom (the previous generation could ‘only’ manage 100x). The examples we saw of that in the demo room were good, but I need to get full hands-on to give you my definitive opinion.
This means the camera hardware gap between the regular Pixel and its more expensive Pro versions has got much wider in 2026, which is absolutely fair, in my opinion. We need that differentiation within one of the most important smartphone features for people.
Pixel 11 Camera Specs Summary
The standard Pixel 11 gets a 48MP main camera with 56% more light sensitivity. The Pro models step up to a 50MP main sensor and a 48MP telephoto capable of 120x Pro Zoom – up from 100x on the previous generation.
Software-wise, we now have something called Magic Capture, which automatically grabs a selection of what Google believes to be the best frames for you. Handy if you want to get some snaps of your kids playing football without constantly hitting the shutter button yourself. There’s also Instant Night Sight for up to 4.5x faster capture in low light, and Camera Looks, which offer specific colour profiles at the point of capture.
The specs you need to know about
As is always the case with new Pixel releases, we have a new chip – the Tensor G6. Google tells us it offers 50% more TPU compute, 25% speedier browsing, 15% faster app loading, and 20% improved efficiency. The G6 also has twice the memory bandwidth of the previous generation.
I’ve never had an issue with Google’s mobile chips. I’m not the sort of person to push my smartphones, because I have absolutely no idea how to (or the inclination). I’m aware, however, that others have had issues with the performance of G-series chips, and therefore defer to the reviewers out there who will doubtless push Google’s latest chip to its limits to see what it’s really made of.
At the time of writing, Google hasn’t confirmed, either publicly or during the briefings I attended, whether or not the batteries in the new phones are larger. They last longer, though, according to Google. The Pixel 11 and both Pros get 30+ hours of mixed usage, which is around six hours more than before. The 11 Pro Fold is unchanged at 24 hours.
Some other notable updates. There’s now Qi2.2 25W wireless charging across the whole lineup via Pixelsnap (Google’s take on MagSafe), 3,600 nits of peak brightness (the brightest ever on a Pixel), improved and more scratch-resistant displays (handy for all that face-down HiLight shenanigans), and the Fold is now three times more durable than the last version.
Want to see how the Pixel line holds up over time? Read our Google Pixel 10 review six months on.
Final thought (for now)
This isn’t a huge update for the Google Pixel lineup. It’s iterative. There are new colours, marginal camera improvements, better battery, and new performance promises.
This is what we expect. I’m just glad Google knows how to turn our heads with those colours.
Full reviews will follow. Stay tuned.
2 Comments
The Pixel 11 looks like a solid refinement, especially with the brighter display, improved cameras, and longer battery life. I like how Google is focusing on practical details rather than making changes just for the sake of it, much like the simple but effective design of Among Us.
The breakdown of the Pixel 11’s new features alongside its pricing and colour options is especially useful for comparing it with the previous generation. I’m also curious how Hyper3d AI could complement the phone’s upgraded imaging capabilities.