Google Pixel 11 Pro review: A smarter, more refined experience
Google Pixel 11 Pro's new camera bar and edge-to-edge glass create a premium look.
I have spent a couple of weeks using the Google Pixel 11 Pro, specifically the 512GB model with 16GB of RAM. At first glance, the handset appears nearly identical to the previous generation, but when you dig a little deeper and live with it longer than a week’s review, subtle changes start to surface.
I think it’s fair to say Google has not reinvented the design language on the new Pixel 11 lineup, but subtle changes make a difference in hand. The camera bar feels more integrated and creates a cleaner, more premium aesthetic. Although subtle at a glance, I think the new design is much sleeker than the previous versions.
The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover has a new anti-scratch coating, which Google claims is 2x more scratch-resistant. I used it without a screen protector for a couple of weeks, and so far, no scratches have appeared.
Google also moved the NFC chip to the top of the phone. This improves contactless payments by making the contact point feel more natural and enables Tap to Share.
The 6.3-inch Super Actua display has a peak brightness of 3,600 nits, a boost over the 10 Pro's 3,000 nits. In my real-world testing, this extra brightness only becomes obvious under extreme direct sunlight. During standard indoor use, the difference between this and the previous model was hard to spot.
The 1-120Hz variable refresh rate keeps scrolling smooth, but this is a given for a flagship. I also enjoyed the new screen saver functionality. When you dock the phone on a charger, you can swipe through multiple screen savers, including weather updates and various clock styles. This turns the device into a useful desk companion while charging.
While I have been loving the upgrades to the display, what I don’t like is the massive rounding on the corners. They are similar to the iPhone and many other handsets, but I prefer a smaller radius.
The Tensor G6 is Google’s in-house chipset that powers the new Pixel 11 lineup. If you enjoy checking benchmark scores, you might find the numbers disappointing. The Tensor G6 falls behind the top chips from Apple and Qualcomm. However, benchmarks rarely reflect my actual daily experience. For standard tasks like navigation, social media, and multitasking, the phone feels just as responsive as any other flagship. But with Google’s promise of seven years of support, will the Tensor G6 struggle more than its competition in years to come?
In my experience, the efficiency of the Tensor G6 has been slightly better than the G5. Even though the physical battery capacity is slightly smaller than last year, my battery life has been excellent. I regularly finished my day with plenty of charge left. This suggests Google has optimised the synergy between software and hardware well.
However, the device is not a gaming powerhouse. In more graphically heavy games, I noticed significant frame rate drops during intense battles, and there’s no support for ray tracing. If your primary goal is mobile gaming, this is not the right device for you.
The Pixel 11 Pro supports the Qi 2.2 standard, allowing for 25W wireless charging with a compatible stand. Wired charging stays at 30W, but Google introduced an Extreme Charging mode. If your battery is below 50%, this mode diverts resources to speed up the process. I wish the Pro model supported 45W wired charging like the Pro XL, but the software-driven speed boost helps mitigate the delay.
While the selfie and ultrawide sensors are unchanged, the camera system remains the main reason to buy a Pixel. The new telephoto sensor is much larger, which helps capture more light. Zoomed images showed much better texture detail, such as fabric or hair, compared to last year.
Of the hundreds of photos I took, most were shot using the main and telephoto lenses. While you can reach up to 120x, you enter AI territory. Although that number looks great in marketing materials, I found the results to be mixed, ranging from impressive to quite poor.
The telephoto camera is my favourite and is a significant improvement over the 10 Pro. It has a closer focusing distance, making it better for close-ups or macro shots. Comparing the 10 Pro XL with the 11 Pro at 10x, you can clearly see that it captures much more detail, handles auto white balance much better, and produces more natural colours.
Night Mode is now faster, captures more light, delivers cleaner results, and greatly improves detail.
Magic Capture is a fun camera setting that lets you record a video and automatically extracts high-quality photos from the footage. The AI looks for smiles, movement, and photogenic moments. Of course, it’s not without limitations: video is capped at 1080p, and clips must be under eight minutes.
The new Camera Looks are not simple filters, but rather settings that change how the entire imaging pipeline works. You can choose between Original, Natural, Shadows, or Vanilla. There are also more dramatic options like Black Tie for monochrome shots or Minimal for an untouched look. You must select your look before taking the photo. This level of control is a significant departure from Google's previous approach of total computational processing, and I, for one, am fully on board. I prefer the less processed look and feel of the images, where photos don’t look oversharpened and the contrast is stronger. The end results look more natural to my eye.
The Creator Suite adds more professional tools, like a teleprompter, which is useful for social media creators, and a social media grid that helps keep subjects in frame for apps like TikTok. However, the lack of Log video support might be frustrating for serious creators who require a more professional workflow.
The new Rambler feature is a major addition to Gboard. It can turn natural speech into structured text. Even when I mumble, correct myself, or add filler words, Rambler still managed to clean the text into a concise message. This is far superior to standard voice typing. Note that the online version is faster but might have usage limits depending on your Google AI subscription.
Live Translate for Media lets you use the 11 Pro to auto-translate videos into your language while preserving the original speaker's voice.
The HiLight is a circular light located in the rear camera bar. It provides subtle visual feedback when the phone is face down and doubles as the flash. It can also glow, similar to the Gemini light on a Google Home speaker, to signal a call from a favourite contact or a Gemini interaction. While the concept is sound, the implementation feels limited. It does not currently signal messages, which would be a logical use. It blinks when you use the camera's self-timer, but it doesn’t light up when you are recording video, which would be useful too.
The Google Pixel 11 Pro is refined, and the sum of its improvements makes for a really nice phone. For those who love the Google ecosystem and want it in its purest form, the Pixel 11 Pro is a great choice, especially if you’re on a phone a few years old.
If you are looking to buy, avoid the 256GB model. The 12GB of RAM in that tier will likely struggle as AI features become more demanding. The 512GB or 1TB models with 16GB of RAM are the better long-term choice.
Google Pixel 11 Pro from €1,219
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