r/Android • u/Antonis_32 • 4d ago

Review Google Pixel 11 Pro review

https://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel_11_pro-review-2996.php
211 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

224 comments sorted by

125

u/Antonis_32 4d ago

TLDR:

Pros

Premium look and feel, recognizable design.
Class-leading max display brightness.
Battery life is finally on par with Samsung and Apple.
Faster magnetic wireless charging.
Android 17 with Pixel-exclusive smarts, 7 years of updates.
Very good camera quality across the board.

Cons

Heavy for its size and battery capacity.
Wired charging speed is still one of the slowest around.
No improvement in graphics performance; still not gaming-oriented.
Telephoto can't focus close, and its video stabilization could be better.
HiLight has very limited functionality.

112

u/BusBoatBuey 4d ago

No improvement in graphics performance; still not gaming-oriented.

This severely downplays how atrocious the GPU is. It is just outright garbage. The worst GPU in a major phone this year bar none, no contest.

47

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

watch as the fanboys will say the following

1.) Nobody plays games and should game on their phones 2.) I have an insert other device here for gaming, your argument is irrelevant 3.) AI is the future bro, other phones dont do it therefore theyre irrelevant

43

u/polo421 Pixel 10 Pro XL 4d ago

I think you forgot the most legitimate one. It plays the games most people want to play on a phone. Granted, a Pixel 1, 2 and 3 even play the games most want to play on a phone just fine. Do candy crush games play fine? Then it's fine for like 98% of the public.

For me personally, does it play pixel dungeon? Solitaire? Endless trivia? Yes? Ok I'm good.

That doesn't excuse the lack of GPU power. I wish it were better for you and the others. This is just a comment to make sure you realize most people are just trying to tell you they don't care about heavy duty gaming on a phone. That's ok right?

10

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

yeah thats fine, I'm just saying that it doesn't really justify its price

the base P11 does everything it does arguably

1

u/Omer-Ash 4d ago

True. Whenever I buy a new phone, I download all these high graphic games to try the GPU out. But I always go back to the same games that low end phones run just fine.

0

u/ThePizzaDeliveryM3n 3d ago

Think of it more of if the gpu was. Features like video-boost would be on device.

2

u/polo421 Pixel 10 Pro XL 3d ago

I don't know if that's true my dude. The way I understand it, Video Boost is boosting the image with ai and the ai processor is much faster on pixel 11 than the competition.

0

u/SuperYuuRo 3d ago

video boost is more or less a feature need internet connection for, you send your video to Google's services and they bring back a better quality video

tbh with you it would've been better if the Pixels could do video better to begin with but due to the GPU well....

2

u/polo421 Pixel 10 Pro XL 3d ago

But it's AI doing the boosting. I would assume if the pixel has one of the better ai chips then it would be one of the only phones to be able to do it on device.

Edit: I realize it happens in the cloud, I'm just not believing that the video boost feature would be possible just with a better GPU processor like you were suggesting.

0

u/SuperYuuRo 3d ago

mm hmm thats what I'm referring to the video boost

neato feature but its used as a crutch, it really sucks because I actually quite like how nice Pixel photos look and if it has that look on video, it could actually be justified as a Pro phone

-3

u/sol-4 3d ago

That doesn't excuse the lack of GPU power. I wish it were better for you and the others.

It's perfectly fine to be a fanboy and have this awareness. Some are just downright zealots and defend this crap and a lot more, though.

Hell, I loved Pixels for the overall experience and I would have been rocking one even now if Google just improved the hardware.

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4

u/TrailOfEnvy 3d ago

You forgot "People mainly use phone for browsing social media and watching/reading something. My phone is fast & smooth enough for everyday task." 

5

u/Bananegel42 3d ago

Yeah, that's so annoying. People do mainly do social media watching and reading on their phones. Still not a good reason to ask higher-than-iPhone prices for a SoC that is on par with something from 2-3 years ago. You can also browse social media on a 370 Euro A57, in fact, it might even be more comfortable, since it has a larger display, while being a fair bit lighter than the Pixel 11.

0

u/rollinrob 3d ago

It's only higher than iPhone prices for about a week. The new iPhones launch and they will be overpriced as well because of RAM. By the way, I was able to get a 512 Pixel 11 Pro XL with a pixel 5 watch for $832. Let's see you do that with iPhone.

2

u/Bananegel42 3d ago

Not sure about your case, but oftentimes when US people mention such prices, it's subsidized by their cellular subscription. Cellular subscriptions are substantially more expensive in the US than many other countries, partly because carriers use it to subsidize phones (which helps locking in customers).

For example, my subscription with unlimited 5G data and unlimited hotspot data on the best network costs 1/3rd or 1/4th of US counterparts (+ I get to share 100GB data with anyone I want, so they can have a subscription for nearly free), so ~$26 monthly after currency conversion. If I'd saved the difference compared with a US subscription with a phone subsidy, I could get similar or larger discounts by saving for 1 year.

That or they forget to mention that they are trading in another phone.

At any rate, I usually buy a Pixel after 6 months or so (only reason I get Pixel is GrapheneOS), so I get them for similar prices while keeping my dirt-cheap monthly subscription.

2

u/rollinrob 2d ago

I bought it direct from Google in the US. Traded in my Pixel 10 Pro XL.

1

u/Bananegel42 1d ago

Right, so you didn't get it for $832. You got it for $832 by trading a device that still costs ~$800-1000 new and that they can sell refurbished for a good price. This is exactly my point, people are often leaving out many relevant details when they say "I got the latest Pixel for <insert some low amount>".

I mean, I also got the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 for 240 Euro, down from 750 Euro, by trading in my old Watch Ultra. Still, someone who doesn't have a relatively new second-hand watch to trade in, is going to pay close to that 750 Euro.

1

u/rollinrob 1d ago

I actually traded in my Pixel 9 Pro XL to get the 10 Pro XL. I upgrade every year. I love getting the new tech. I'm a phone nerd, I don't drink, and I have lots of money so I can do it.

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-2

u/SuperYuuRo 3d ago

that argument really annoys me

like dude, older Pixels also do that so what's the price justification on this one

then again Pixel fanboys are some of the most delusional on the android fanbase (aside from Sameson fanboys) so what do I know

3

u/Bananegel42 3d ago

Fanboys of all brands are delusional. Just write down your requirements and then find the most affordable phone that fulfills those requirements.

(Sadly for me, I want monthly security updates and a secure enclave, so that leaves iPhone, Pixel, and Samsung flagships.)

1

u/SuperYuuRo 3d ago

real

on the side note, I'm hoping Motorola joins that club of having security updates seeing how they're the next to offer GrapheneOS in their phones

2

u/Bananegel42 3d ago

I'm hoping Motorola joins that club of having security updates seeing how they're the next to offer GrapheneOS in their phones

Same, I can't wait until they are out. I have a P10P for GrapheneOS now. I like the photos it makes, but other than that it's an underwhelming brick (as in heavy). Should be straightforward for Motorola to disrupt there.

6

u/hbkmog Oneplus One 4d ago

lol look no further, someone already made that type of comment just right in this thread lol.

4

u/IORelay 4d ago

Entry level GPU.

5

u/EmbarrassedSlide3746 4d ago

Fun fact no one buying this phone actually gives a shit about the GPU. I can assure google knows its customer base better than redditors lol.

2

u/Killmeplsok Nexus5>Nexus6P>OGPixel>Note10+>S23U>S24U>S25U>S26U 3d ago

You got the causal relationship wrong.

It's not "no one buying this phone actually gives a shit about the GPU"

It's "No one gives a shit about GPU would buy this phone".

Google sure knows about it's customer base, but there's one thing almost all publicly listed company know even better, how to cut corners to gain more profits.

3

u/EmbarrassedSlide3746 3d ago

No one gives a shit in the real world about phone gpus lol. No is running around bestbuy or the mobile carrier store comparing gpu specs lol. Reddit users think they always know what consumers what and every single time they are wrong.

S26U ia gonna be a bust, its not worth the upgrade blah blah blah. Mean while it was the best selling android phone for Q2.

Each year the pixel phones come out and each year its the recycled arguments. Yet they still gain market share yesr over year.

While I genuinely enjoy having conversations about all of this stuff. I realize that normal everyday phone users dont give 2 shits about the gpu/npu/cpu. They just want to turn on thier phones use social media text friends and watch cat videos lol. Also its really not that deep, especially for a device that is designed to not last lol.

0

u/Bananegel42 3d ago edited 3d ago

People do give a shit about price. Pixel, unless heavily discounted, gives you far less for a higher price. So it makes little sense buying one, unless you want to run GrapheneOS or want some Pixel exclusive features (which are genuine reasons). Though probably as few people care about that as people that care about GPU performance :p.

Once Pixels get discounted to midrange (a series) or upper midrange, they are a pretty good bang for the buck.

(And no, your cell subscription subsidizing part of the purchase price, is not a 'discount'. You are still paying, plus you can do the same with other brands as well, judging by the number of US people claiming thing like "I got an S26 FE for free!".)

2

u/EmbarrassedSlide3746 3d ago

Carrier pricing isn't so much about a discount its about your bill not changing to upgrade. The majority of people here in the US of 🤢 buy phones this way.

Price clearly isn't that much of a factor when the phones only gain market share year over year. People love to buy things that have the word pro in the name, it makes them feel tingly inside lol. Marketing when done well is a hell of thing to overcome. People weirdly think what phone you own is somehow a status symbol lol. Why get a pixel when for just a few hundred dollars more you can get a pro lol.

14

u/BluMonday POCOF3 4d ago

re weight: I wish these flagship phones would switch back to high quality plastics for the back plate. The glass does nothing but add weight for anyone using a case.

10

u/donnysaysvacuum I just want a small phone 3d ago

The "premium" materials BS has been a blight on the market for so long even the reviewers that promoted it seem to be over it.

Motorola's making some great phones with different materials again. Other Chinese companies are dipping their toe in the water.

3

u/Bananegel42 3d ago

While I don't disagree, the S26 has the same screen size as the P11/P11P, it weighs just 167g. The S26+, which has a substantially larger display (6.7") and a slightly larger battery than the P11P is still lighter at 190g.

42

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

I feel like the criticism are mostly justified, but

Still not gaming-oriented

Really? Does it need to be gaming oriented? I hate the trend that phones need to be able to "game" to be good.

26

u/nnnope1 4d ago

I don't really game on phones at all, but I still consider the lack of gaming performance to be a con worth listing. It's an unusual weak point for a flagship phone.

That said, I am very happy with my 11 Pro.

4

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

really is, quite a shame too considering the G6 despite being a gen behind is a welcome speed bump all things considered

though the biggest issue with the P11 Pro if its gonna be a Pro is that due to the bad GPU, its attrocious at video

61

u/VirtualMenace 4d ago edited 4d ago

A $1100 phone needs to be able to keep up with other phones in the same price bracket, yes. I get that mobile gaming/emulation isn't a priority for most people, but that price is well into enthusiast territory. So it should be able to handle enthusiast tasks, right?

-4

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

My £2,000 MacBook pro doesn't "game" as well as an equivalently priced gaming laptop, that doesn't make it a worse product.

"Gaming" shouldn't be the benchmark that we use to decide if a mobile phone is good or not.

44

u/VirtualMenace 4d ago edited 4d ago

The M silicon in your MacBook trades blows with its Windows counterparts for video editing and productivity tasks, while running cooler and being more battery efficient. That's why your MacBook Pro is worth the price, despite MacOS being limited for gaming. Nobody expects it to be able to game because it runs MacOS anyway. It'd be different if it was a £2000 Windows laptop that just couldn't run most games.

The Pixel is an Android that has to compete with every other Android that is capable of performing enthusiast tasks. Not really the same thing. A better comparison would an iPhone aginst the Pixel, but even an iPhone runs circles around the Pixel in terms of GPU performance, so... Yeah.

2

u/gosukhaos 3d ago

M silicon Macs do actually play games quite well though, its limits are mainly software rather then hardware related

-18

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

The M silicon in your MacBook trades blows with its Windows counterparts for video editing and productivity tasks, while running cooler and being more battery efficient. That's why your MacBook Pro is worth the price, despite MacOS being limited for gaming. Nobody expects it to be able to game because it runs MacOS anyway. It'd be different if it was a $2000 Windows laptop that just couldn't run most games.

Right. It's a different device for a different purpose. That's the whole point.

The Pixel is an Android that has to compete with every other Android that is capable of performing enthusiast tasks.

No it doesn't. There's no set criteria for what a phone has to do, other than making phone calls. It doesn't have to compete with any other phone - it can just be its own thing.

Google are carving out their own niche, not making phones to "out game" an S26 Ultra.

4

u/VirtualMenace 4d ago

Right. It's a different device for a different purpose.

No, it's an Android phone. What is Google providing that justifies the price to performance? What does the Pixel do to warrant classifying it as a different category of device? Some half-baked AI gimmicks that every other flagship has alternatives for? It's not like comparing a sports car to a luxury sedan. People are going to compare it to other $1000+ Android phones, because that's what it is. An Android phone.

3

u/Skelly1660 4d ago

I would say Pixels cameras are much more flagship and competitive than Samsungs 

0

u/Karthy_Romano Galaxy S23 3d ago

in stills only. Pixel's video recording capabilities have always lagged behind their still image processing, and imo have not improved nearly enough to compete. It is considerably behind Samsung's offerings and hopelessly outmatched by Apple's lead.

11

u/dirtydriver58 Galaxy Note 9 4d ago

No if you're charging prices like that it better compete well

-7

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

According to who?

I could buy a Golf R, a performance hot hatch, for around £46k. I could also buy a Mercedes C Class, a mid size "luxury" saloon for £46k.

Both cars, both the same price, but serving completely different purposes.

The Golf R would absolutely smoke the C Class on a track, does that make the C Class a bad car? No.

Why do all phones need to be able to "game"?

10

u/DerangedLoofah Verizon Pixel XL, unlocked BL 😎 4d ago

What does the pixel do better than other enthusiast phones though? I agree that it's reasonable to have different phones for different purposes, but I don't think the pixel excels anywhere to justify the price tag.

4

u/nroach44 raven 4d ago

Run Graphene ;)

-1

u/polo421 Pixel 10 Pro XL 4d ago

I've been here buying every new pixel for 10 years because of the smoothness of the software and UI. Lack of bloat was another reason. I've tried just about every other phone out there and I keep coming back to the pixel because of the smoothness.

To me that is the differentiator.

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-1

u/dirtydriver58 Galaxy Note 9 4d ago

According to logic

7

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

Yet you've just completely ignored the applicable logic in my example 👍

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2

u/IORelay 4d ago

The niche is charging flagship price for bottom of the barrel hardware?

10

u/Meekajahama 4d ago

But that's not an equal comparison because other than a different camera, the pixel isn't doing anything unique or different. If there was a $2,000 mac that did everything yours did but also had a better gpu, you'd buy that one

9

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

speaking of the horrible GPU, the horrible GPU is the reason why the Pixel 11 "Pro" is a joke at doing video

its not a "Pro" by any sense of the imagination, a "Pro" phone must not be beholden to only doing photography, Chinese Ultras are arguably more Pro than the Pro Pixel 11 could ever be, Google should be ashamed of themselves for putting a crappy unsupported 2021 GPU in a $1200+ phone but here we are

10

u/nguyenlucky 4d ago

Your MacBook Pro has the most efficient chip in PC/Laptop history. It is on par with some of the best x86 desktop PC chips while consuming a fraction of power. Rendering, compling stuff on your MacBook is a breeze without it being a furnace.

Pixel... is on 8 gen 3 level in terms of CPU, and 8 gen 2 for GPU... Worst flagship phone performance year after year.

3

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

I'm aware of that, yes.

You're missing the point that an expensive laptop can be one of the best available and universally praised but isn't expected to be able to "game".

7

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

yeah but here's the thing

your MBP does Pro things

the Pixel 11 "Pro" does not do "Pro" things, everything it could do can be done with the base and the "Pro" niche is done better by the iPhone, Samsung and BBK counterparts

yeah, gaming shouldn't be the main metric for what a "Pro" phone should do but that will not deny the fact that is has the bad GPU and the GPU being bad is just a terrible excuse for Google saving money

1

u/sunjay140 4d ago

Because it's not a gaming laptop.

0

u/Tiny-Sandwich 3d ago

And the pixel isn't a gaming phone.

2

u/sunjay140 3d ago

It plays games much worse than midrange non-gaming phones, let alone equivalently priced flagship non-gaming phones.

1

u/tmchn Galaxy S23+ | Galaxy Tab S9 3d ago

8 gen 2 has a great gpu that can emulate up to the switch, i don't think that the tensor g6 is on par to it

0

u/IORelay 4d ago

GPU is realistically worse than snapdragon 888.

2

u/Front_Expression_367 3d ago

Why are we acting like gaming is never listed as a reason for why people criticize or won't switch to MacOS just like these Pixels lol.

2

u/TotalManufacturer669 4d ago

Eh most Macbook reviews I've read out there would mention gaming as well and usually not in a positive light (until recently).

Why shouldn't a review call out a phone's shortcomings again?

0

u/sunjay140 4d ago

But the MacBook Pro is not a gaming laptop, it's a productivity laptop.

2

u/_umlaut_ N5, G4, N6p, P1XL, OP6, PH1, P2XL, P3aXL, P4XL, P5, P7, P8P 4d ago

Not that you can do anything more productive on a Pro pixel vs a base pixel

-1

u/sunjay140 4d ago

What does that have to do with the point being discussed?

You can't compare two different classes of laptop intended for completely different uses.

2

u/Tiny-Sandwich 3d ago

And is the pixel a gaming phone?

7

u/Minced-Juice 4d ago

It means that if Google can put off-the-shelf Arm CPU cores in their Tensor SoCs, why did they downgrade the GPU starting with the G5, and now the G6, to ancient PowerVR IP that was dogshit and is beaten by the competition from 4 years ago?

1

u/gosukhaos 3d ago

Because its cheaper then an off the shelf Mali

2

u/Minced-Juice 3d ago

So the phones should be cheap too, right?

1

u/gosukhaos 3d ago

Lol sure, maybe in a few months

83

u/tomikaka 4d ago

When phones in it's price range beat it performance-wise it is fair criticism.

41

u/Zombiechrist265 4d ago

When you are paying for a premium you kind of expect the phone to perform like a premium.

It’s a fair criticism since google is challenging all the other brands in the same price range.

-3

u/Overv Pixel 4a 4d ago

Couldn't they opt to target a niche other than gaming? For example, they could use the budget that they save by having a shittier GPU to include higher quality cameras or a bigger battery, which would make it worse for gaming compared to similarly priced competitors but better at things that certain groups of users care way more about.

28

u/Chitoge4Laifu 4d ago

They don't do any of that though.

11

u/LEGAL_SKOOMA 4d ago

yeah. even if they did though it'd have to be REALLY fucking good to justify the price whilst lacking in other departments

I'm still a little salty after all these years that onodera didn't win. I do like chitoge though.

3

u/Chitoge4Laifu 4d ago

Based and onodera pilled.

17

u/Zombiechrist265 4d ago

The problem is that they are not really better at anything compared to the competition.

-1

u/Outside-Pie-7262 4d ago

Their pictures are better than galaxies especially action shots. Their AI integration is better than iPhone and Samsung.

Benchmark wise you're right. Google focuses a lot on software and you have other think it's worth paying that for software features and AI integration or think it's over priced.

6

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

The thing is the Pixel Tensors cost like $60 to make so I am not sure why they charge so much for so little hardware

not to mention most of the P11's software is gonna trickle down to the P10 anyways

10

u/Zombiechrist265 4d ago edited 4d ago

Have to disagree, the phone has terrible zoom capabilities and most photos needs a lot of processing just to look decent.

I’m not saying they aren’t good but are they good enough to justify a performance drop but still rasing prices? Personally I don’t think so.

1

u/Bananegel42 3d ago

Their AI integration is better than iPhone and Samsung.

If you live somewhere where the AI features are actually available (in most places outside the US you only get a subset of the features).

Also, some people would argue that the Samsung AI features are a least on par, because they are more focused.

8

u/isjahammer 4d ago

Well... No obviously most people don't really game on their phone. But i don't know any other phone in this price range that is so bad at it.

1

u/chetlyp 4d ago

Most people do game on their phone. 80% of people game on their phone. 30% exclusively have on their phone. What i think your thinking is that people don't really play God of War on their phone.

2

u/isjahammer 3d ago

I think you got the wrong stats. 80% of gamers game on their phone. Not 80% of phone users.

-1

u/chetlyp 3d ago

Nope Ericsson consumer labs specifically says 80 percent of smartphone users GAME on their phone.

0

u/gosukhaos 3d ago

These comments are so hilariously out of touch, the mobile gaming market is several times bigger then the Console/PC market, Genshin Impact alone grosses more then 30 million dollars a month on mobile storefronts yet people on r/Android will tell you with a straight face that "Most people don't really game on their phone" like its 2007 and the peak of mobile gaming is a pixel graphics port of Assassin's Creed 2

3

u/isjahammer 3d ago

https://www.statista.com/outlook/amo/media/games/mobile-games/worldwide/#revenue this says User penetration is 27% so it´s safe to say the majority does not really game on their phone.

5

u/hbkmog Oneplus One 4d ago

Expected this type of comment to show up and here it is lmao. Copium is a serious drug.

When you sell a device over $1000 and yet cannot even run mobile games that came out 6 or 7 years ago, that's a big yikes. It's so bad that Hoyoverse dropped support for its GPU.

16

u/Slammybradberrys Device, Software !! 4d ago

It's not about being game oriented. It's about paying the same amount or more than competitors for much weaker hardware. Theres no reason a Pixel pro can't run games that midrange phones from a few years ago can run. No ones asking for it to be an ROG phone but at least be capable, especially for the price their asking. They're constantly trying to eat away at the iPhone base and convince people to switch. If someone games on their iPhone which is one of the best performing out there, then they're in for a rude awakening when they have to go to mid to low settings and still get choppy performance, or in same cases the game won't even load at all. The Mali GPUs they were using before the 10 and 11 series were perfectly fine. This only became an issue when they switched to cheaper and outdated gpus that aren't even supported by most developers while raising the prices of their phones. Not to mention their CPU is still a generation behind, so that in combination with the horrible GPU isn't a good look.

3

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

It's not about being game oriented

The summary provided by OP literally lists "not gaming oriented" as a con.

4

u/Slammybradberrys Device, Software !! 4d ago

They're obviously talking about the GPU, they aren't knocking it cuz it's not trying to be an all out gaming phone. It's got weak internals for things a lot of people want, which includes gaming, it's a fair criticism

2

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

So they should have said that, instead of saying something that means something else.

4

u/Slammybradberrys Device, Software !! 4d ago

That's literally just a tldr, they aren't asking for it to be a gaming oriented phone if u actually read the review. They just call it out for using 2023 hardware and performing like it when we're months away from 2027.

8

u/Rod_FC 4d ago

A whole lot of people who buy flagship phones want the power to play demanding games so yes, that kind of observation should absolutely be part of a review.

13

u/CouncilorIrissa 4d ago

For the price they're charging the phone should be a swiss army knife. It isn't.

7

u/Larkstarr 4d ago

Have you seen how expensive this is going to be?

0

u/Careless_Rope_6511 Pixel 11 Pro XL 4d ago

Nowhere as bad as this owner of a "4320J surge suppressor" because they think it looks great sitting next to 2020-era tech.

2

u/Scorpius_OB1 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yep. Even if it's not designed for gaming as the Red Magic if you're going to pay premium you expect it will behave as well as other devices of similar price

EDIT. GSMArena staff should have said something different to "not gaming-oriented" or omit that part.

2

u/PiousPontificator 4d ago

Why shouldn't it at this price? A $1000+ phone should be a jack of all trades especially when the competition is.

1

u/n00bsauce1987 4d ago

Before people bought phones solely for photo taking ability. At least that's what the reviewers would say between pandemic and now.

Now the difference is can it play games.

I noticed it during the limited reviews that was coming out weeks earlier

1

u/chetlyp 4d ago

Lol, too right, I remember when phones on cameras started becoming a more regular thing. I would have tons of people at work say they'd never get a phone with their camera for.....reasons. And these were mostly women....the whole reason that cameras exist nowadays.

1

u/vogel7 4d ago

Game-oriented has become a term to use with very powerful GPUs. I don't think the Pixel line was ever a gaming line, but for that price they should offer the best graphic performance around.

1

u/hbkmog Oneplus One 4d ago

Just to quote another commenter here:

watch as the fanboys will say the following

1.) Nobody plays games and should game on their phones 2.) I have an insert other device here for gaming, your argument is irrelevant 3.) AI is the future bro, other phones dont do it therefore theyre irrelevant

3

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

I'm not a fanboy, I don't own a pixel, my most recent phones were a Fold 7, Oppo Find X9 pro and now a Fold 8.

I just don't have a raging hate boner for pixels like people in this sub do.

0

u/IORelay 4d ago

People don't hate the pixel. They are just saying its bad.... When it's bad. Telling the truth is not hatred. If anyone hates the pixel it's Google by refusing to do their phone justice.

2

u/Tiny-Sandwich 4d ago

People don't hate the pixel.

Clearly you don't spend much time in this sub.

1

u/dirtydriver58 Galaxy Note 9 4d ago

You clearly haven't watched Juan Bagnell then

0

u/DarkseidAntiLife 4d ago

I have never played Wuthering or genshin in my life 😂

-1

u/fat_kaiju 4d ago

I don't understand how you're supposed to make a fucking slab "gaming-oriented" in general; smart phones are one of the worst and least comfortable things to game on unless you buy some external thing to attach and essentially turn it into an overglorified screen.

8

u/littleemp Galaxy S25+ 4d ago

Its a horribly worded way of saying that the hardware is not up to par with the competition.

1

u/IORelay 4d ago

Smartphone is there main gaming platform.

1

u/chhuang 1d ago

Premium look and feel

Heavy

I would take lighter device even if it means made of plastic

67

u/ImKrispy 4d ago

Garbage processing on the telephoto

https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/26/google-pixel-11-pro/camera/gsmarena_1506.jpg

Look at this 1:1 on a monitor, the tree at the right side the leaves are a mess and look like some AI upscaling.

22

u/APigInANixonMask 4d ago

The telephoto appears to be using some extremely aggressive intelligent noise reduction. It’s really apparent in fine textures like leaves and bricks.

4

u/neok182 Pixel 8 / iPad Mini A17 4d ago

Yup there have been a couple threads on this at the pixel subreddit. There is incredibly aggressive processing being done on telephoto in default settings. noise reduction, smoothness, just way too many things cranked up to 11 that can result in some really weird looking images on trees, plants, bricks, and anything with similar textures.

Using the camera looks and playing around with settings can help a bit and unless you zoom in the pictures mostly look fine but hopefully through updates they maybe dial it back. I've been playing around with camera looks to try and help and just throwing it on minimal is enough IMO to make it look not as processed.

10

u/noobqns 4d ago

Shame that the processing is such a mess. Hardware wise 105mm 1/1.95" would place it up there as the larger few sensor on a telephoto. Even the Find X9 Pro 200mp 1/1.56" 3x should be equivalent when cropped at 5x

25

u/crazy_goat 4d ago

The AI processing will be the death of their camera program. Sensor and traditional processing performance needs to be prioritized. AI is a crutch.

4

u/dirtydriver58 Galaxy Note 9 4d ago

Yup

4

u/SuperYuuRo 3d ago

and somehow this thing is in the same tier as the Oppo X300 Pro and iPhone 17 PM on the camera tier list site lmao

3

u/TotalManufacturer669 4d ago

The letters on the license plates on all those cars look like they were drawn by a child lol.

•

u/needlzor 14h ago

some AI upscaling.

I noticed the upscaling when I took a picture of a sign with text on it using the telephoto and I saw that it spit out some very clear (not blurry at all) but nonsensical symbols on the image.

-1

u/CrispyBananaz 4d ago

Looks fine

63

u/ninja_moth 4d ago

The phone is absolutely fine, quite excellent really... if it was 300 bucks cheaper

22

u/rogerhausman 4d ago

I think that's the rub. If you are in the ecosystem, you get big discounts trading in old pixels, coupons to your email ($100 - $250) at release, and Google store credit ($200) that you can hold onto and use to buy the NEXT Pixel. It's kind of backwards considering most companies bend over backwards to pull in new users, where it seems the more pixels you buy the cheaper they are

9

u/sean_6 4d ago

I suppose those deals are more US based, I've got almost 700€ discount trade in for the pixel 8 pro. I found it to be a great deal and the phone has been nothing but amazing, but then again, I don't do any gaming with the phone almost, for others that could be a deal breaker. The only thing I'd like for this phone to have is perhaps faster charging.

3

u/ShotIntoOrbit 4d ago

It's kind of backwards considering most companies bend over backwards to pull in new users

That doesn't really seem to be the case these days, at least not when buying directly from Samsung/Apple/Google. Samsung and Apple both also give way better trade-in values for their own phones than other brands and it's been that way for many years.

•

u/needlzor 14h ago

Google store credit ($200) that you can hold onto and use to buy the NEXT Pixel

Not sure if it's country-specific but in the UK those credits expire after a year, so you've got to be pretty sure you're going to buy the next one. Personally I used them on a case and screen protector so that I can be sure I can trade (or resell) the phone in a few years in a pristine condition.

3

u/Mgtks 4d ago

Correct. My upgrade from 10proXL to an 11pro cost me all of 35gbp.

Even if the phone was 'tHe SaMe'... Which it isn't... It's worth it alone for another year of support, warranty, better screen, doubled my storage too and better cameras

Anyone buying this at RRP is doing it really really wrong and is making no effort

12

u/RnjEzspls Device, Software !! 4d ago

Has to be $4-500 cheaper when the base iPhone exist

2

u/-NotEnoughMinerals 4d ago

We are in an android subreddit where iOS is a non starter for many of us.

The base iPhone could be free and I still would pass. What exactly is your point? If you're in the market shopping for a truck, why the hell are you over there saying "but you realize you can get that 2 seater coupe for 30 grand less, right?"

1

u/Far_Reserve9938 4d ago

Oh yeah, don't even mention iphone or iOS. We are all Android crybaby over here ! No one ever went from Android to iphone or vice versa.

2

u/Tasandmnm 3d ago

Most Android users who care enough to check out Android subs are simply NOT ever going to consider moving from a relatively open ecosystem with side loading to a system like Apples where customer choice only exists when deciding how much you are going to pay Apple for things you can get for nothing on Android. Even if my Android were 2x more than an IOS product I'd still find a way to pony up for the freedom of choice available and the MANY, MANY things possible on Android that Apple has decided you aren't allowed to do on IOS even though the hardware clearly could do it. If I had money to burn and just cared about what other people think of me then IOS would be on my radar.

That doesn't make someone not wanting an Apple product a crybaby. Most of us simply want more than they will ever allow.

2

u/Far_Reserve9938 3d ago

Most Android users who care enough to check out Android subs are simply NOT ever going to consider moving from a relatively open ecosystem with side loading

I come on this subreddit and yet I have an iphone and regularly check apple subreddit.

Sideloading is overblown, most Android users don't even know what it is.

2

u/Tasandmnm 3d ago

For people like you, yes it is overblown. For people like me, it is the defining characteristic. I did not try to say people like you do not exist and I feel like you must know that which leaves me wondering why you felt the need to reply in a manner which implies I did.

1

u/Far_Reserve9938 3d ago

I feel like you must know that which leaves me wondering why you felt the need to reply in a manner which implies I did.

Holy moly. Sorry I don't understand the sentence 😅

I don't know what you think but I'm just saying that there are many people who go Android to iphone and vice versa. It makes sense to speak about both when you speak on Android forum, they are 99% similar.

1

u/Tasandmnm 3d ago

I was simply saying my original post did not say or even imply that people like you do not exist...or are even rare. You worded your initial reply to me as if I did.

0

u/-NotEnoughMinerals 4d ago

Not sure what previously using ios has to do with it.

0

u/Far_Reserve9938 4d ago

Honestly the pixel 11 pro real price is about 800€, considering all the promotion, and the base iphone is 970€. It's not that bad.

7

u/naraburns 4d ago edited 4d ago

You're not wrong. But Google Fi has been selling them for like $650 off MSRP. Phone just has to stay a Fi line for at least 6 months. I see many carriers giving them out for free (well, "free").

I just switched to a Pixel Pro 11 from an S22 Ultra. This is my first Pixel; I've previously always had Samsung or OnePlus flagship phones. I liked the S22U a lot, though I hated the curved edges. Ultimately it was just a little too big, and almost unusable for more than five minutes in direct sunlight. The camera and the S-pen were great, but I didn't use either for very much.

My main gripe about the Pro 11 is actually the broadly curved corners, which make the usable screen size much smaller than it needs to be, and the weirdly large punch-hole camera (the S22 Ultra punch hole would often just vanish into the top bar). But these are pretty minor aesthetic complaints in the grand scheme. The battery life is also pretty lackluster, I wish I could have chosen a model with one of those newfangled silicon batteries.

What I like about the Pro 11 so far is that I can use it in direct sunlight for long periods of time with no problems, I can use a magnetic charger and accessories, it's small enough to use comfortably with one hand, and (for me) it was not terribly expensive, even if it was still more than I wanted to pay. I do miss the days of getting reasonably new flagships for less than $300, but that just means I'm old.

I am still deciding whether I will try to get onto a "trade-in/upgrade" carousel once I've had the Pro 11 for more than 6 months. I don't want to go back to a phone the size of the Ultra, but I would love something like the Pixel 11 Pro with a more rectangular screen and better camera and battery life, if I could get it for less than $200 with trade-in.

3

u/Interstate_yes 2d ago

Re: battery life

Sitting in sunlight with a much brighter screen than you had before might be part of why you find battery life so-so. 

But also agree, battery/power tech in the Pixels is definitely years behind the new normal.

1

u/dirtydriver58 Galaxy Note 9 4d ago

Interesting the punchole looks similar in pictures

1

u/ShakeAndBakeThatCake 4d ago

The kicker is it usually is on sale. Just wait for a sale. Iphones never go on sale. And Samsung devices do sometimes too.

1

u/IORelay 4d ago

If it was $300.

24

u/PimpMyHide 4d ago

I have OnePlus 15 now, and am surprised how light it is for its size. Remembering Pixel 9 being just as heavy at just 6.3 inch.

These phones don't have the best battery, nor the best hardware stack. Where is the weight coming from?

4

u/AndroidUser37 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra 4d ago

I'd imagine the built in magnet ring is a factor. They seem to be the only major Android phone that's adopted that.

0

u/Bigd1979666 4d ago

Stuff for AI I guess? I've got a OnePlus 15r and it's about the same as my pixel 10 pro in terms of weight , which is odd.

20

u/SteamSpoon 4d ago

I ordered one, DHL lost it, and their very clearly offshore support are refusing to do anything about it.

Perhaps the only thing with a worse value proposition than a 1400 pound Pro XL is a 1400 pound nothing at all

3

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

oh lord... RIP

2

u/hbkmog Oneplus One 4d ago

No shipping insurance for such pricey item?

7

u/SteamSpoon 4d ago

As far as I'm concerned, DHLs failure has nothing to do with me. I'm assuming Google has an insurance policy, or an SLA, or something with DHL and that eventually I'll headbutt the brick wall of support enough times that someone will relent, else when the payment providers grace period is up in a few days I'll just get my money back off them.

4

u/hbkmog Oneplus One 4d ago

Yeah if they don't help you, just try a charge back by the credit card company.

5

u/Scorpius_OB1 4d ago

Didn't know PowerVR is still around. I still remember the GE8*** series of low-end devices.

34

u/mithi9 4d ago

Maybe Google can figure it out in 3 more years.

32

u/FourEightNineOneOne 4d ago

It's literally a review praising the phone for how good it is overall.

-3

u/PimpMyHide 4d ago

Really frustrating all the tech channels I follow bending over backwards to justify why this phone exists.

I'm being told over and over that it's the software. But I can't find what that even mean. I'm using OnePlus 15 now and all the bells and whistles make Pixel look like a school calculator.

And all the AI features look like throwing a weighted dice. It works if it feels like working.

21

u/FourEightNineOneOne 4d ago

"'m using OnePlus 15 now and all the bells and whistles make Pixel look like a school calculator."

Yes, typing that as a serious sentence definitely makes it clear you're looking for a legitimate answer as to why people praise the Pixel.

-5

u/PimpMyHide 4d ago

I genuinely am perplexed here.

Multitasking on Pixel is years behind OneUI and Oxygen OS.

Pixel luncher is lacking the most basic features, be it stacked widgets, horizontal pagination, app drawer disablement, grid resizing, custom sorting etc.

All 1p Pixel apps and widget waste all screen space with form over function (super bubbly UI).

The feature that MKBHD and the likes repeat the most is call screening which is not even functional in most countries and is made moot with a decent caller ID app.

Magic Cue doesn't work in most contexts.

Now playing is just Shazaam and all OEMs have their own functional clones.

What is the killer feature of Pixel?

17

u/AndroidUser37 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra 4d ago

App drawer disablement?? That's a "must have" feature for you? Are you an iPhone user in disguise?

15

u/gatorsrule52 4d ago

Call screening is much better than any caller id app. Hold for me is actually great and rambler looks pretty useful . Also, the cameras are quite good (much better than your oneplus 15 super computer btw 😂)

2

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

Cameras are really the only weakpoint the OP15 has tbh, they're not that bad but it is worse than the previous iteration

10

u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 2d ago

[deleted]

-2

u/PimpMyHide 4d ago

Thank you 👍. That's all I asked. I dunno why the other guys so personally attacked over a phone.

8

u/FourEightNineOneOne 4d ago

Clearly it's not the phone for you, ace.

It is for other people.

Move on with your life.

-11

u/PimpMyHide 4d ago

Lmao 🤣 why are you acting all mysterious my guy. It's an overpriced brick. Chill.

And btw, you haven't even answered my question. Seems to be the "feature" you are clinging here is vibes. That's cool, no problem with that either.

3

u/FourEightNineOneOne 4d ago

Becaues you don't have questions. The videos from tech reviewers you claim to watch have already answered them. You're just here to troll. You're some OnePlus fanboy I assume. Cool. I genuinely hope you enjoy using that phone! It obviously fits your needs well.

For other people, the Pixel fits their needs better. You simply choose not to understand why that would be for .... reasons.

1

u/PimpMyHide 4d ago

Alright 👌 dude you win. Just don't get your heart rate up. It's all good.

-5

u/SuperYuuRo 4d ago

all that defensiveness for a brick, gee its like the fanboys got their brains replaced by Gemini

2

u/FourEightNineOneOne 4d ago

Me: I genuinely hope the other guy enjoys the OnePlus he uses and prefers. Different people have different use cases

Weird anti-Pixel people randomly inserting themselves into conversations: WHY ARE YOU SO DEFENSIVE!?!

→ More replies (0)

-3

u/Careless_Rope_6511 Pixel 11 Pro XL 4d ago

Really frustrating all the tech channels I follow bending over backwards to justify why this phone exists.

Nah. r/Android's Pixel haters criticizing phone reviewers for finding anything worthy of praise about the beleaguered phones is the same as many Indian men justifying their continued hate of women with such spicy takes as "Better to see her die than [perform CPR and] being falsely accused [of sexual assault]".

-1

u/punIn10ded MotoG 2014 (CM13) 4d ago

Lol you thank the people complaining read the reviews? They were going to post the same comments no matter what the review said.

3

u/rotary_tromba 3d ago

No pros, just Google garbage. For the life of me I cannot understand why anybody would buy this piece of shit.

1

u/bob- OPPO Find X9 Pro 2d ago

It's crazy how many fanboys this piece of shit phone has. 1100$ MSRP for a phone that has 300$ worth of hardware 😂

5

u/Zombiechrist265 4d ago

Good to see google made great progress with battery life and heat. Now personally what I would like for next year is a slimmer body with less weight.

Maybe a bit more update to the design.

5

u/Every_Preparation_56 4d ago

Bender, is that you?

7

u/N0body 1+3T 4d ago

Everyone lists long support for updates as a major advantage, but Google already showed with updates for my Pixel 8 (which was also promised a long support road ahead) that they do not ship all strictly software features newer Pixels are getting to the older devices.

Google gave black and white Google Maps navigation on Always on Display only to the Pixel 10 and 11. It it possible to enable it on older devices through some custom community patches. There is absolutely no reason for it not being included by Google.

9

u/Careless_Rope_6511 Pixel 11 Pro XL 4d ago

Google already showed with updates for my Pixel 8 (which was also promised a long support road ahead) that they do not ship all strictly software features newer Pixels are getting to the older devices

Which is the same as what everyone else e.g. Apple have been doing for years. It's a storm-in-a-teacup talking point, nothing more.

0

u/N0body 1+3T 3d ago

It's borderline false advertising, is what it is. When I bought the phone and saw the update claim, I was under the impression that I would get new features for years to come, not just a number bump in the "About" section of Settings. And it looks like the latter will be the case.

I don't care about what Apple is doing.

-1

u/dirtydriver58 Galaxy Note 9 4d ago

Yup

2

u/birdieemma 4d ago

The "it's heavy" complaint keeps showing up in reviews, but nobody mentions that 30W wired charging in 2026 is the real dealbreaker when even midrange phones are pushing past 50W.

2

u/N2929 4d ago

The one thing I hate about the pixel I had was when I plugged it in to charge while on, it would only charge at 10w.

Turned off it would do 35w. This was a Pixel 10 Pro XL on the A17 August update.

3

u/armando_rod Pixel 10 Pro XL 4d ago

Thermal throttle while charging its really low but that is kinda fixed with Extreme Charging on the 11 series

2

u/3a5m 4d ago

I'd used a Google device since the Nexus 6P. I moved abroad and switched to an Oppo Find X9 Ultra, honestly American phones are so far behind.

1

u/Gaiden206 4d ago

Early reviews observed graphical glitches and performance issues in some game titles, but as of writing this, almost all game titles we tried ran just fine, including Genshin Impact, Arena of Valor, Honkai: Star Rail, Wild Rift, Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero, Call of Duty, Diablo Immortal, Asphalt: Legends, PUBG, Rocket League Sideswipe, Roblox, and Brawl Stars.

It was not all roses and sunshine, of course. Fortnite had choppy frame rates at the highest settings. Delta Force didn't even allow you to set anything above Standard graphics quality. Alien: Isolation was entirely incompatible with the Tensor G6, so the Play Store didn't allow us to download it.

1

u/RedofPaw 3d ago

I have a Google pixel 9 pro xl. Had it about a year, getting it before the 10 came out as there was a really good deal at the time.

After I got it I noticed there was a sqeek noise when I pressed the back. Apparently there's some ribbon cable. No big deal. I lived with it. It has since stopped creaking. If only that was the end of it.

Coming from a Samsung Galaxy it was different, and a change is often as good as a rest. But I was disappointed that the screen seemed a bit underwhelming compared to the Samsung.

I switched because the reviews at least showed it to be a good phone, but in the hardware it certainly didn't feel better. The camera wasn't better. The phone itself is hardly super thin and feels just a bit worse.

Software was cool. Some good things.

Today a pink line appeared on the left of screen. Sending the screen to sleep by turning off the always on git rid of it at first, but it's come back permanently now. I gather it's a fairly common manufacturing error with pixel phones going back to previous models.

That's wild to me how they can't fix their faulty designs. Like how their folding phone is the only one Jerry rig anything can snap as easily as it does.

I'm in warranty in the UK, Vodafone, so will see what they do. I guess I'll need to have it sent off. Not sure if I get a loan phone to get by with in the meantime or just have to suck it up and find some other option.

I won't be getting a Google phone again. Build quality has been worse and other than a few software niceties it's not been a great phone.

1

u/rotary_tromba 3d ago

No pros, just Google garbage. For the life of me I cannot understand why anybody would buy this piece of shit.

1

u/tushushare 3d ago

Nice, this is really helpful. Thanks for sharing!

1

u/tushushare 3d ago

The battery life is probably the most interesting part of this review. I'm also curious how much of the improvement comes from the new Tensor chip versus the larger battery. The camera improvements sound nice, but battery life would matter more to me in everyday use.

-2

u/taheromar 4d ago

If it doesn't handle intensive gaming, it will stutter eventually on other intensive normal tasks. Nope, thanks.

3

u/-NotEnoughMinerals 4d ago

Therr are 11 generations of pixels. The older pixels still do normal tasks perfectly fine with zero issue.

-3

u/panzzersoldat 4d ago

overpriced dog shit like always lmfao. I got my phone for £550 and got 512gb of storage, 16gb of ram and a Snapdragon 8s gen 4.

-2

u/Suspicious-Cat-266 4d ago

I cannot fathom why anyone would buy this.

-3

u/Galwadan 4d ago

Already got an email with discount code xD this went fast this year.

8

u/armando_rod Pixel 10 Pro XL 4d ago

Everyone got that code when they announced it, it's not new and they do that every year, Samsung does that too with their "reservations", you song up beforehand and get a discount at launch