Google Pixel 11 Pro

While many will see the Pixel 11 Pro models as a source of Gemini joy, I've found the biggest new feature, HiLight, to be mostly passable. It's an interesting first step in creating the ultimate 'AI Agent' phone, though. Beyond that, it's the majority of the Pixel 11 Pro's features that are so very on point – from design distinction to camera upgrades and Android 17's software customisations – that maintain Google's hardware worthiness. However, the so-so battery life compared to today's flagship competition and reduction in Google AI Pro subscription (it's now 6 months, not 12 anymore) see this year's flagship held back from a full 5-star score.

The Google Pixel 11 Pro family gives you a true choice of size without any compromise between the models. Camera hardware improvements are notable over the Pixel 10 Pro, and Magic Capture is one of the best camera features I've used on any phone to date. New Gemini features like Rambler are truly wonderful additions to the Android experience, and several other standout features mark a solid software release. But Pixel phones have been too expensive lately, and this year's $100+ price increase makes that worse. With less RAM than last year, a GPU that still doesn't support the latest Vulkan APIs, and a poor PWM rate on the display, this one's hard to recommend.

The Pixel 11 Pro is a mixed bag, but still a good Android phone who want a smaller device. The design and camera are good, while the software has plenty of benefits. It’s just a shame the Tensor chip is undercooked in many instances.

All in all, the Pixel 11 Pro models are yet another strong entry that deliver the camera prowess expected of a Pixel and the software smarts. There are still some areas where Google needs to catch up with its competitors, namely graphical performance and battery life, especially if it's going to charge this much.

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.

The Pixel 11 Pro continues the recent trend of Pixel phones setting a bar for Android phones with a balance of respectable performance, great cameras, a quality display, and overall simple utility. What it’s not doing is setting the high bar for the Android market.