Google Pixel 11 Pro review: Gemini joy

Believe it or not, Google has been making Pixel phones for almost a whole decade. The search giant's long-established hardware division has shown significant breakthroughs over the years, especially in computational photography skills for its camera setups.

Google's latest flagship hardware for 2026, however, doesn't break the mould for its now well-established features – such as those great cameras and distinctive design – but goes all-out with an increased focus on its AI agent, Google Gemini.

The Pro models in the Pixel 11 series house a new feature called HiLight, which is an illuminating area in the rear camera bar, designed to act as a visual indicator when you're conversing with Gemini – and not interacting with your phone's screen.

But is this one Google-centric feature enough to truly elevate the Pixel 11 Pro beyond its rivals? With battery tech that hasn't stepped up – something even Samsung has managed in its latest Z Fold 8 – and price rises in all regions except the UK, can Google win enough customers to continue with its Pixel legacy?

Price & Availability

For the UK, Google has bucked the common trend of price increases year on year, as the Pixel 11 Pro's £1,079 starting price is a neat £20 less than the previous 10 Pro model at its release.

That's not the case for other regions, mind, with the USA's $1,099, Australia's $1,849 and Europe's €1,219 starting prices all being more than last year's equivalents.

That pricing is for the base Pixel 11 Pro model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage – noting that last generation has 16GB minimum, so 'RAMgate' continues to strike in cut-backs here. However, you can pay extra for a 512GB variant with the higher 16GB RAM figure.

Features & What's New?

I've created a quick-glance table, above, to show the most obvious feature differences between the Google Pixel 10 Pro and 11 Pro, bolding out where the key improvements (or indeed, any downgrades) exist.

Visually, the most obvious point of distinction is that the Pixel 11 Pro series makes the rear camera bar completely black, encased in a metallic edging, unlike the exposed flash area of the previous model.

Part of the reason for this, of course, is that new HiLight feature. Pictured above when active, the blue-white glow and motion of the light area is a Pixel 11 Pro (and Pro XL and Pro Fold) exclusive feature – it's not present in the base Pixel 11 model.

The design is otherwise largely the same as the last generation: protective glass sandwiched between an aluminium frame that, as I've long pointed out with Pixel devices, will scuff after little use.

The newer model is the tiniest bit smaller, but I'm talking in decimals rather than anything you'll notice in person, which seems to have affected the battery capacity – as it's noted as being a mite less capacious than its predecessor (in reality the actual capacity is likely the same).

The addition of HiLight and that Google hasn't progressed to a silicon-carbon (Si-C) battery type as yet, compounds the Pro 11's longevity potential though – so do keep that in mind.

Elsewhere, the main differences can't be seen by eye. The cameras get a quiet glow-up, with a new 50MP sensor used for the main camera, plus a larger sensor for the 48MP telephoto zoom. There's no resolution increase, sure, but the size and nature of these new sensors is an improvement.

The display also gets a quiet boost in terms of brightness. Its peak HDR output is even bolder for peak whites, across a panel that's otherwise the same size, resolution and refresh.

Tensor G6, meanwhile, brings more CPU and GPU capability than last year's G5 – but with a lower RAM pairing for the base model (only the 512GB version gets 16GB).

So it's familiar territory, with the main difference being that camera bar's look – and, of course, the HiLight feature contained within that unit.

Design & Display

• Colours: Obsidian (matte), Fog, Canyon, Olive (pictured)
• Glass rear (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminium frame
• 6.3-inch OLED display
  • 1280 x 2856 pixels
  • 1-120Hz variable refresh
  • 2400-3600 nits brightness
  • Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

While I've long been a fan of the XL model in Google's series, having gotten used to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its wider-than-usual format, I was pleased to get a slightly smaller phone for this review – not that I'd call the 11 Pro outright 'small', though.

I've been saying it for years, but I'll say it again: I've no doubt this Pixel's design will divide opinion, just as much as any before it. The protruding 'camera bar' design is one reason for that, of course, but I do love that it doesn't rock around when using it flat on a desk, which Samsung's flagships (foldable and otherwise) haven't worked around just yet.

This familiar Pixel design brings the same downsides as I've found with previous handsets for a few generations: the steep edge of the camera bar loves to collect dust and debris; and the metal edging of the unit is prone to scuffs and marks – with mine revealing scratches after just a matter of days (it adds character, I suppose, not that everyone will love that).

My main disappointment with my Pixel 11 Pro review sample? That I didn't get the Canyon (think: peachy-orange) colourway. I've got the Olive, which still looks nice, but it's more sombre than the punchier alternative. I'm yet to see the other handsets, but the black this year – Obsidian, if you want to follow the marketing – is now a matte finish in the Pro models.

The feel of the Pixel 11 Pro remains quality, although during heatwaves (as has been the case in the UK for many weeks) the metal finish doesn't feel ideal, while the thickness of the device is quite chunky when you park it in a protective case (sold separately – I didn't like it enough, so took it off).

One of the Pixel 11 Pro's star characteristics is its display. That's partly down to the quality of the visuals, the natural colours and the abundant brightness, but it's partly down to the software and how Android 17 permits you to arrange icons, adjust scale and sizing better than some other brands.

It's not quite perfect, though, on account of an ongoing choice to use a glossy coating that can't negate reflections as well as some competitors, while the choice for curved display edges can cut into your content – and it's a little annoying when the 'x' to close an in-game ad is teetering on the edge of being visible.

The benefit to a glossy coating, however, is the way in which images look almost more three-dimensional, as if they want to jump out of the panel. And the brightness capability here is so high that reflections can be offset to some degree. I would note that the auto-brightness can be a little keen to dip, instead of always taking advantage of its considerable reach.

Performance & Battery

• 4850mAh battery, 30W wired / 25W wireless charging (magnetic)
• Google Tensor G6 processor, 12GB RAM (16GB in 512GB variant)
• Google AI Pro free for 6 months
• Android 17 software

As said, I really love Google's early access to the latest Android software and the aesthetic options that brings. Android 17 has some visual bugs here and there – app icons flickering, for example – but from the colour palettes to font and scale choices, it's a very neat-looking system. The array of lock screens is wide and varied for this generation, too.

Sadly, Google's ongoing year of bundled AI Pro subscription has been trimmed down to just 6 months included with your purchase. I think that's bad business, as it effectively adds to a user's year-one cost by a big margin. I suspect it's Google's intent to slowly retract such offers until it's no longer a thing – you just pay for AI and Gemini and that's part of life (and likely a big reason that Google continues in its harware endeavours, to promote its bigger plan).

In theory, you'll want that subscription for all the Google Gemini interaction that you'll be doing – especially with that new HiLight feature, right? Right? Well, I've honestly not found it very useful in practice. Yes, it illuminates and sort of wiggles about a bit, but conversationality isn't improved from my perspective, so it feels a little lacking as it stands. I just haven't really used it much – and I'm not sure that'll change.

I've also watched the brand Nothing grow over the years, with similar kinds of visual ideas from its Glyph systems of lights and displays on its phones' rears. They're not always invaluable, but are at least fun – whereas Google's equivalent just feels quite serious. At launch HiLight also feels lacking, with the promise of more features to come, but nothing to write home about just yet.

HiLight also only works when the Pixel 11 Pro is face down. I rarely position it that way on a desk. When actively using the phone, you do get a little circular emblem within the software to make the whole experience more cohesive – but it's still just Gemini at the end of the day, the flashy lights didn't make me warm to it more, as I'd honestly expected.

From a raw performance perspective, the Pixel 11 Pro adds Google's latest and therefore advanced processor to date, the Tensor G6. It's a quality chip, which somehow manages to run fairly cool within this glass and metal design. It gets warm, sure, just not quite to searing levels.

Whether you're loading multiple apps, running some more hardcore games from the Play Store, or switching between the Camera app and everything else, the Pixel 11 Pro performs every bit the pro model (despite its effective RAM reduction). But all of this does affect the battery life a little more than I'd hoped, as it's okay at best – more borderline per day in my given use over the past working week for this review.

It makes sense that Google's auto-brightness preference tends to dim a bit more than I'd like, therefore, in an effort to save the battery. I've been reaching the end of a day with the battery about to die, after 16 hours of use and plenty of screen time. Like I say, that's okay, but only just – especially now even Samsung's foldable can outlast it. Charging could be quicker, too, as 30W wired is behind the flagship norm now.

Cameras

• Triple rear:
  • Main (25mm): 50-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture, OIS
  • Wide (13mm): 48MP, f/1.7 + macro focus
  • Tele (115mm): 48MP, f/2.8, OIS
• Selfie: 42MP, f/2.2, autofocus

But while the battery life and HiLight features have given me moments of muse, flipping into the Pixel 11 Pro's Camera app opens the gates to one of the best experiences in any current Android phone. It's a simple, effective, yet powerful package.

While the core of the Pixel 11 Pro's triple camera offering doesn't appear to have changed much – in that it delivers a 50-megapixel main, 48MP ultra-wide, and 48MP 5x optical zoom – there have been fundamental changes to two of those three sensors.

That sees the Pixel 11 Pro's main camera get an uplift in capability, but it's the telephoto that really gains a bigger advantage – as that sensor is 30% larger than the previous model's was, which helps in light-gathering and overall quality potential. It's Google's best camera setup yet.

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And it's just abundantly usable. Having recently had to forego the zoom camera in Samsung's latest foldable, moving into this Pixel has made me realise just how much I miss that zoom option. It's so easy to dive into 5x or a digitally-optimised 10x, with great results all round.

The optical stabilisation is great to help negate handshake, the whole trio of lenses look consistent across the full package, and the Night Sight mode for long-exposure low-light shooting – which you can adjust in Settings as to when/how it activates – is truly brilliant for handheld low-light or night shots beyond what your eyes can even see.

Sometimes the default functionality might not do quite what you want – subject-tracking going awry, or face detection superseding anything else you might want to shoot, as two prime examples – but you can dig into settings to get everything set up in a more personal fashion to suit.

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The only other downside is that the system isn't very good at telling you when something isn't quite in focus when in the Macro close-up mode. But get it right and, as you can see in the gallery of images above, the Pixel can deliver delightfully sharp shots.

Google's AI features are also worth a shout out, with well-established Magic Eraser and Magic Editor bringing the magic once again. Whether you need to spot-remove a photobomber, or drag a subject elsewhere within the frame, these staples have now become part of the computational photography expectation. Google pretty much started this – and continues to lead the pack.

What the Pixel 11 Pro gets so right is the completeness and simplicity of its camera package. It's consistent, full of features and modes, and delivers great results across all of its lenses and in majority of conditions. It's ahead of Samsung's offering – which is one of the key reasons to consider spending a little more on this phone than an S26 Ultra.

Google Pixel 11 Pro review: Verdict

While many will see the Pixel 11 Pro models as a source of Gemini joy, I've found the big new feature, HiLight, to be mostly bypassable. It's an interesting first step in creating the ultimate 'AI Agent' phone, though.

For me, however, it's just the majority of everything else about the Pixel 11 Pro that's so on point – and proves that Google's decade-long venture in the Android hardware space still proves its worth.

From the overall design, to the camera suite's upgraded capabilities, and the latest Android 17 software and customisation options, it's the little details where the Pixel 11 Pro wins.

That said, the so-so battery life and reduction in Google AI Pro subscription with purchase (down to 6 months) see this year's flagship held back from a full 5-star score.. The higher price in all regions bar the UK may also cause pause for thought.

Also Consider

Don't care for HiLight feature? Look at the Pixel 10 Pro, which is ultimately a similar package for less money – and, if you're quick, you'll still get the full 12 months of Google AI Pro (for purchases before October 2026, according to the Ts&Cs).

Outside of that option, however, Oppo's Find X9 Pro delivers an arguably even better zoom camera quality, plus undeniably better battery life, albeit all wrapped into a quirkier overall software setup. It'll cost you less right now, too.

Or you can skip Android altogether and slide over to Apple town, where the iPhone 17 Pro is the closest equivalent. That ought to further dip when the iPhone 18 and Ultra is revealed in mid-September.