The hot pink Hibiscus color is dazzling, but is Google’s 11th-generation Pixel just another iterative upgrade, or does it dial things up to 11? Diving beneath the surface, we find a slightly better chipset and camera, faster wireless charging, a fresh batch of AI features, and not much else. Don’t get me wrong: This is a slick smartphone, perhaps the best Android phone for folks who are comfortable with Google and Gemini AI, but it’s only a very slight improvement over last year’s Pixel 10.
Although it lands alongside the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL, the Pixel 11 shares more in common with the new Pro Fold (review coming soon). The Pro models' more powerful camera system, with the gimmicky, glowing HiLight LED, is what sets them apart. The base model storage has finally jumped up to a more practical 256 GB, but that means the starting price of the Pixel 11 is $100 more than the 10 at $899 (not technically a price bump since the 256 GB model of the Pixel 10 was the same price).
Refinement has been the pattern in smartphones for the last few years, and the Pixel 11 does nothing to buck that trend. If you’ve got a 3-year-old handset and you’re in the market for a new phone, the Pixel 11 should be in the conversation, but if you’re looking for a justification to upgrade from last year’s Pixel 10, you won’t find it here.
Minor Makeover #
The instantly recognizable design has been slightly refined; most notably, the pill-shaped camera bump is thinner and all-glass. Stick a case on the Pixel 11, and it will lie flat on a desk. It sports the same satin finish on the recycled aluminum frame and gloss finish on the glass back as last year’s phone, but with some fun new colors.