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Google has a lot of ground to make up with the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL. Last year’s Pixel 10 series fell rather flat in my testing, with the battery life in particular being quite far behind the competition. At the time, I chalked this up to poor power efficiency from the processor, so the Pixel 11 series and its updated Tensor G6 chipset has plenty of potential to stage a comeback.
A lot is riding on the strength of that chipset, however, because there are barely any other improvements on either phone. The new HiLight notification feature is nifty enough but it’s disappointing to see the design so stagnated in almost every other area.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Specifications
- Google Tensor G6 processor
- 12GB or 16GB of RAM
- 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage
- 6.3in, 2,856 x 1,280, 120Hz LTPO OLED Actua display
- 4,850mAh battery
- 30W wired charging
- 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging
- IP68 dust and water resistance
- Rear cameras: 50MP (f/1.7), 48MP (f/1.7) ultrawide, 48MP (f/2.8) 5x telephoto
- 42MP (f/2.2) selfie camera
- Dimensions: 72 x 8.5 x 153mm (WDH)
- Weight: 204g
- Colours: Canyon, Olive, Fog, Obsidian (matte)
- UK price: From £1,079
- UK release date: 19 August 2026; Preorder now from Google
Google Pixel 11 Pro XL: Specifications
- Google Tensor G6 processor
- 12GB or 16GB of RAM
- 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage
- 6.8in, 2,992 x 1,344, 120Hz LTPO OLED Actua display
- 5,115mAh battery
- 45W wired charging
- 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging
- IP68 dust and water resistance
- Rear cameras: 50MP (f/1.7), 48MP (f/1.7) ultrawide, 48MP (f/2.8) 5x telephoto
- 42MP (f/2.2) selfie camera
- Dimensions: 77 x 8.5 x 163mm (WDH)
- Weight: 226g
- Colours: Canyon, Olive, Fog, Obsidian (matte)
- UK price: From £1,279
- UK release date: 19 August 2026; Preorder now from Google
Google Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL: Key new features and first impressions
As you can see, the two Pixel 11 Pros share most of their features, with only the screen size and resolution, battery capacity, wired charging speed and dimensions being different across the two. In both cases, these are almost exactly the same as last year’s Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL, with the exception of weight; both are a smidge lighter than their predecessors.
In fact, the Pixel 11 Pro is even closer to its big brother this year. The wireless charging has been upped to the same Qi2.2 standard, allowing for speeds up to 25W, and the 128GB capacity model is no more, so it now starts from £1,079 for the 256GB model, and a 1TB version has been added to the lineup.
That starting price is the same price as the 256GB version last year, but the XL model is £100 more expensive, now starting at £1,279. Also worth noting is that, while the 512GB and 1TB versions get the same 16GB of RAM as last year, the 256GB model only comes with 12GB of RAM this year – a downgrade related to the ongoing RAM supply issues, no doubt.
The colours are naturally a fresh new selection: it’s available in striking orange Canyon, gentle green Olive, minty Fog and standard black Obsidian. The camera bar is slightly changed, too, dropping the metal plate around the flash in favour of a completely glass covering. I don’t love this design – it makes the camera bar look more tacked on with all the colours except Obsidian – but it’s minor enough to not be too offputting.
Part of the inspiration behind this change could well be to do with the new feature that the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL pack back here: HiLight. Originally rumoured to be called Pixel Glow (neither name is great, to be honest) this is an array of LEDs surrounding the camera’s flash that illuminate to convey certain information, essentially bringing back the notification LED.
At launch, there are only two uses for HiLight that Google is… highlighting. You can set it up to flash certain colours when you receive a call from favourite contacts, with integration across calls and Whatsapp, allowing for colour consistency no matter what call method the person is using. The other is that it displays visual cues that Gemini is listening, thinking and responding to you, in the same way that the edges of the display glows different colours when engaging with Google’s AI.
To my mind, this isn’t a particularly interesting or revelatory inclusion. Nothing phones have already explored this area rather thoroughly, with the recent Nothing Phone (3) and Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. Both phones have a small dot-matrix panel on the rear capable of displaying a wide array of images and notifications that far eclipse what Google is offering. HiLight is fine but, for the time being, it’s definitely not a must-have feature.
As mentioned, the processor gets a standard generational upgrade with the Tensor G6 said to offer up to 25% faster web browsing and 15% faster app loading. Crucially, it’s also apparently 20% more power efficient, so the Pixel 11 series could well deliver better battery life when it comes time for my in-depth testing.
The Tensor G6 also has a new TPU that is apparently 50% more powerful than on last year’s G5 and there’s an upgraded Image Signal Processor (ISP), which should result in improved photography. Upgrades here include more efficient night shots, digital zoom of up to 120x and the new Magic Capture mode. The latter takes a video and intelligently pulls stills from it, allowing you to set it and forget it to capture a special moment without having to hit the shutter over and over, or focus on your phone the whole time waiting for the perfect shot.
Google Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL: Early verdict
Unfortunately, that’s about it in terms of tangible upgrades. Now granted, the Pixel 10 series was quite unimpressive, so there’s plenty of room to grow for the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL – even with a short list of upgrades, nailing my battery testing and delivering superior photos could be enough to earn a positive reception.
I’ll be putting both through my rigorous testing procedure in the very near future to find out, though, so be sure to check back in to see how both fare. Based on this first look, however, I remain unconvinced that the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL are enough of an advancement on what’s come before.
