Google Pixel 11 Review: Minor Upgrade

Google's Pixel 11, starting at $899 with 256 GB storage, offers only minor upgrades over the Pixel 10, including a slightly better chipset and camera, faster wireless charging, and new AI features, according to a Wired review. The base model's storage increase to 256 GB comes with a $100 price increase over the Pixel 10's base model, though it matches the Pixel 10's 256 GB price. The review concludes the Pixel 11 is a slick smartphone but not a compelling upgrade for Pixel 10 owners.

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 https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-android-phones/ for folks who are comfortable with Google and Gemini AI, but it’s only a very slight improvement over last year’s Pixel 10 https://www.wired.com/review/google-pixel-10-pixel-10-pro-and-pixel-10-pro-xl/ . Although it lands alongside the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL https://www.wired.com/review/google-pixel-11-pro-and-pixel-11-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.