Google Pixel 11 series hands-on: Thinner bars, matte frames, and a $100 price jump

Pixel 11 prices rise as 128GB disappears — Google Pixel 11 series hands-on

Google just made its next big move. The Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold are now official. You can pre-order them right now, and they will start shipping on August 20th. If you have been waiting to see what the fuss is about, this year is more about small hardware touches and a heavy dose of new software tricks. But here is the first thing you need to know: the starting price has gone up by $100 across the board.

The base Pixel 11 now starts at $899. That is not a small jump. Google dropped the 128GB storage option entirely, so every phone now comes with at least 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. The company says the higher cost is due to rising memory prices across the industry. For the Pro models, the starting price is $1,099. If you want 16GB of RAM in a Pro, you have to buy the 512GB or 1TB version. It is a tough pill to swallow, but there are new features that might make it worth the extra cash.

Let us break down exactly what you are getting for your money this year.

A thinner camera bar and better light for the Pixel 11 — Google Pixel 11 series hands-on

What this means for Google Pixel 11 series hands-on

The standard Pixel 11 gets the biggest physical change. Its camera bar is now over 40 percent thinner than last year's model. It is made from a single piece of glass, which makes the phone feel more premium and less bulky in your hand. If you put one of Google's official cases on it, the camera bar sits completely flush with the case. That is a nice touch for people who hate how cameras wobble on a table.

Under that thinner bar, the Pixel 11 has a new 48MP main camera sensor. Google says this sensor gathers 56 percent more light than the one it replaces. That should mean better photos in low light without having to use a special night mode every time. The 5x telephoto lens is still there, and it can now digitally zoom up to 30x. Google says that extra zoom range comes from the new image signal processor inside the Tensor G6 chip, not just from cropping the photo.

The Tensor G6 is also said to be up to 20 percent more efficient than last year's chip. Google is promising up to 30-plus hours of battery life on a single charge for the whole lineup. We will need to test that in real life, but it sounds promising.

Matte finish comes to the Pro models — Google Pixel 11 series hands-on

If you buy a Pixel 11 Pro or Pixel 11 Pro XL in the Obsidian color, you get something entirely new for Google: a completely matte finish. The back glass, the frame, and even the accent around the camera bar are all matte black. It feels great in the hand and does not show fingerprints like the shiny frames of previous years. It is a small detail, but it makes the phone look and feel much more polished.

Unfortunately, this all-matte treatment is only available in the Obsidian color. If you pick a brighter shade like the new blue or pistachio green, you get the normal glossy frame. It is nice to see Google trying out a matte option, but it would have been even better to have it in more than one color.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold also gets a design refresh. It is about 1mm thinner and 10 percent lighter than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. That might not sound like a lot, but in the hand it makes a noticeable difference. Google also used a new glass-fiber composite material on the back that it says is virtually impossible to crack. The camera bump on the Fold is smaller and more refined this year, too.

HiLight is a cool idea that falls short — Google Pixel 11 series hands-on

One of the most talked-about new features is HiLight. This is a glowing LED on the back of the Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL, and Pro Fold. It was first leaked under the name Pixel Glow. The idea is that it lights up to give you a visual notification without needing to turn on the screen. In theory, it sounds like a fun throwback to the notification lights of older phones.

In practice, it is a bit disappointing. The LED is not very bright, and the colors look muted. There are only five color options to choose from. More importantly, HiLight only works for a very small number of things. It glows when Gemini is answering a voice command. You can set a specific color for incoming calls from your favorite contacts. But that is it. You cannot assign it to text messages, emails, or any other app. Google says more functionality will come later, but right now it feels like a feature that should have waited until it was more useful.

On a brighter note, the display on the Pixel 11 Pro gets much brighter this year. Google says it can reach up to 3,600 nits of peak brightness. That is a huge jump and should make the screen much easier to see in direct sunlight.

Qi2 wireless charging for every Pixel 11 — Google Pixel 11 series hands-on

Last year, only the Pixel 10 Pro XL could do 25W wireless charging. The rest of the lineup was stuck at 15W. This year, that changes. Every single Pixel 11 model supports 25W wireless charging using the Qi2.2 standard. That means you can use Google's own Pixelsnap charger and get the fastest possible speed no matter which phone you buy.

The Pixelsnap charger itself is not new. It has been available since the Pixel 10 series launched. But now it actually works at full speed with all four phones. If you want to pick one up, the Pixelsnap charger is currently on sale for $34.99, down from its usual $70 price. That is a worthwhile deal if you are pre-ordering a Pixel 11.

Google also refreshed its official case lineup with new colors like Hibiscus, Canyon, and Pistachio. If you prefer a more neutral look, the light color options are still available.

Software tricks: Camera Looks and Magic Capture — Google Pixel 11 series hands-on

Google is leaning hard into software this year. The biggest new feature inside the camera is called Camera Looks. Think of it like film recipes on a Fujifilm camera. You can choose a preset like Natural or Minimal, and the phone will process the photo completely differently from the ground up. It is not just a filter applied after the fact. The phone uses less sharpening and less frame stacking to create a more true-to-life image. Early impressions suggest this works really well, especially the Natural mode.

Another new mode is Magic Capture. This is a hybrid of photo and video. You hit record, and the phone automatically picks out short clips and still images for you to share. During early testing, it only pulled one clip and one photo from a 15-second recording. Google says it is meant for longer events like birthday parties, so we will have to see how it works in real-world use.

There is also a new Creator Suite inside the camera app. It gives you tools like social media framing guides, a teleprompter, speech enhancement, and automatic folder structures for your videos. It is clear Google wants the Pixel to be a serious tool for small creators and social media users.

Should you pre-order or wait for the Pixel 11? — Google Pixel 11 series hands-on

Pre-orders are open now. The phones start at $899 for the Pixel 11, $1,099 for the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL, and $1,899 for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Google is running a fairly aggressive pre-order deal that makes the price jump a little easier to swallow, but the details of that deal will depend on your carrier and region.

If you are coming from a Pixel 10 or older, the bigger cameras, the brighter display, the full-speed wireless charging, and the new software modes are all solid upgrades. But if you were hoping for a budget-friendly option, the $899 starting price is a tough sell. You can use our phone finder tool to see how the Pixel 11 compares to other flagships at this price point.

For a deeper look at how these phones stack up against the competition, check out our list of the best phones available right now. And if you are on the fence about which model to pick, our phone comparison tool can help you see the differences side by side. We will also have full reviews of every Pixel 11 model soon, so stay tuned.

The Pixel 11 series is a refined, more capable lineup. It fixes some of our biggest complaints from last year, like the uneven wireless charging speeds and the glossy fingerprint-magnet frames. But the higher price and the limited usefulness of HiLight are real downsides. If you can afford the jump, the Pixel 11 Pro in Obsidian matte is the most polished phone Google has ever made.

For more tips on getting the most out of your new phone, browse our mobile guides.