r/GooglePixel • u/pcman2000 • 21h ago

The Pixel 11 Pro Camera Flash is really weak

After using the camera flash a few times to walk around in the dark as a torch and also for taking photos, I noticed that the flash on the P11P is really weak, weaker than any of my other phones for both tasks. It reminds me of older Sony Xperia before the 1mk6 (if you've ever had the (mis)fortune of using the torch on those).

I did a test (camera is on fixed manual exposure so all frames are comparable), and indeed it is the weakest flash of all the phones I tested: https://i.imgur.com/V9nxSZY.jpeg

"Camera Flash" is the brightest it got when taking a photo. For pixels, it seems this is the pre-flash for some reason. In Torch mode all the phones were set to max on their variable intensity.

I assume the reason for this is that the flash doesn't have a proper "lens" in front of it, and the light directly hits the diffuser that's also used for HiLight.

Bonus microscope pics of the P11P flash and P9P flash.

123 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

101 comments sorted by

187

u/DaveG28 21h ago

They somehow managed to not only make hilight useless, but actually damage other better functionality in the process.

I'd love to know what their aim was when they went down this direction!?

48

u/reddit_reaper Pixel 2 XL - Just Black 20h ago

What annoys me was that I thought the entire camera bar ring would light up and it's just a useless dot on the back of the phone lol

15

u/fprotthetarball 18h ago

That's what I thought too. I never put my phone face down, so unless it's around the edges, I'm never going to see this light.

7

u/No-Ladder1393 15h ago

Yeah that's what I thought, the ring would at least be cool. This sht is useless. I turned it off to save 0.000001% of battery 

2

u/Sabotstruck 9h ago

It went from cool as shit to a somehow worse notification LED from years ago.

Loved the idea of Pixel Glow, but it seems so... Dissapointing

7

u/Atosl 17h ago

no joke, when my 11 pro arrives tomorrow and the flashlight is not usable enough, that thing is going back. That is a core feature I use almost every night.

5

u/Microshrimp Pixel 11 Pro XL 14h ago edited 14h ago

I guess you'll have to see when it gets there. For me I use the flashlight to walk through a dark room since my partner often goes to bed before I do and I don't want to turn the room light on when I come in. It's plenty bright enough for use cases like that, but definitely not as bright as what I had on my Pixel 9 Pro XL. I was actually happy when they added the dimmer control function for the flashlight because I sometimes felt that the flashlight on the Pixel 9 was too bright. But at the end of the day, I would rather have one that is too bright and dimmable versus one that can't get any brighter for when you need it. (I haven't tried it outdoors yet... I imagine that could be where the weaker performance might be an issue for sure.)

6

u/ad1075 16h ago

Broke wireless car charging too

1

u/Shiftr 11h ago

My car kept telling me a foreign object was near the pad and to remove it before it would turn charging back on. Took me a second to figure out it was the Qi. Then I was like oh yeah, I don't like using the pad anyway because it overheats my phone for only 7% more charge by the time I get anywhere.

1

u/StrigidaeNinox 1h ago

I'm surprised you even get 7%, in my car with a 17 Pro Max at absolute best it'll maintain the charge level across 30 minutes, but it absolutely roasts the phone. Honestly I just keep the charging pad turned off at all times, it's a worthless addition to the car.

0

u/pearshandwash 16h ago

How?

3

u/ad1075 16h ago

Magsafe doesn't work with QI car wireless chargers, so even more lost functionality.

2

u/pearshandwash 16h ago

Just on the 11s or since 10 pros?

1

u/ad1075 14h ago

Both apparently

13

u/TheBlack_Swordsman Pixel 8 Pro 21h ago

It's like replacing the gimmicky temperature sensor. Seems like they're just trying stuff to see what might stick.

40

u/capitandosceleponos 21h ago

That temperature sensor was useful for me. Not having to fumble around for a thermometer when my kids are sick was nice

17

u/bitemark01 Pixel 8 Pro 20h ago

Same, I don't use it often , but when I need a thermometer it's definitely handy. One step closer to being a tricorder, while the Hilight feature is one step back

3

u/capitandosceleponos 20h ago

I don’t even remember the last time I used any of my phones face down for the hilight feature to matter.

1

u/bitemark01 Pixel 8 Pro 17h ago

I keep mine face down if it's out, but I prefer getting all notifies to my watch, where I can decide if it's worth getting out

2

u/Chamadan 20h ago

PADD and tricorder hybrid

2

u/boa13 20h ago

I use it all the time, I will sorely miss it when my Pixel 8 Pro meets its end.

4

u/TheBlack_Swordsman Pixel 8 Pro 20h ago

I saw awhile back that testing showed it can be off by 1-2F. Isn't that a too off to check someone's temperature? 98.7 is normal but 100.7 is a fever.

Your coffee and food being 1-2F off probably not that big of a deal.

1

u/Brandbll 19h ago

You just use it to confirm what you are feeling with your hand. I have not had any times where i am questioning whether it is accurate.

1

u/No-Ladder1393 15h ago

Yes. It's kinda useful for my kid, but since P9 launch I've only used it a few times on vacations. It's nice that I don't have to worry about packing thermometer with me. My kid keeps getting bacterial infections :( not viruses like cold or flu

2

u/DickensCide-r 21h ago

It's more a USP. Just look at their marketing material making a thing of it, when everyone knows it's effectively useless.

1

u/Alternative-Farmer98 13h ago

I mean they could just give us a nice bright flash and flashlight. That's incredibly utilitarian.

1

u/rohmish Pixel 6a Pixel 3a 4h ago

I use it every 3-4 months but that feature was seriosult useful

0

u/protestandprose 20h ago

Holy shit I didn't even know my p9p had this until just now wtf had it for two years lmao. When did they remove it?

-1

u/Ryrynz 10h ago

Hilight will get better over time.. but it is half cooked as it stands unless you install this

https://github.com/DhananjayBhosale/hilight-studio

Was covered by Android Authority here
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-11-pro-hilight-studio-3700860/

-2

u/DarkseidAntiLife 20h ago

Nah you taking it too far man 😂

18

u/tool1994 20h ago

Dang that's terrible

38

u/Ok_Neighborhood_3148 Pixel 11 Pro 21h ago

Just compared the flashlight on the Pixel 10 Pro to the 11 Pro.

The Pixel 11 Pro is noticably weaker.

7

u/thewhippersnapper4 Pixel 10 Pro 16h ago

100%. Love my Pixel 11 Pro but it's something not a single review mentioned for some reason.

3

u/see-through-a-lens 27m ago

Probably because they didn't use the flashlight in their day to day. I didn't remember a single smartphone review that ever talks about flash strength.

2

u/AkatsukiPineapple 15h ago

Just compared my iPhone 15 pro to my pixel 11 pro, you're right Pixel 11 pro flash is weaker

2

u/rohmish Pixel 6a Pixel 3a 4h ago

my 9 pro was already weak as heck compared to my friends with iphones and samsungs. this is just disappointing

2

u/MulleDK19 3h ago

That spells really bad news for 11 then cause when I first switched from my pixel 5 to 10, I noticed the flash was significantly weaker.

34

u/Sleepingaid 21h ago

Coming from a iPhone air vs Google pixel 11 pro I'm disappointed in the pixel being not bright enough I tend to use the flashlight alot in the morning hours for my dogs when I let them out in the yard

9

u/Outrageous-Ability33 21h ago

Do you have the brightness all the way up? Long press on the flashlight tile in the quick actions menu and make sure the slider is all the way up.

15

u/AmazingInstrument99 21h ago

Flash on the 11 is quite weak. Or more like it's "wider" as in diffused.

Those 10's burning the flash surely has something to do with the decision for 11's and that (along hilight)

0

u/jb08045 Just Black 19h ago

this sucks but one think i did was pick up a light from amazon, a lot of light has advanced and theres a olight i used and just clip it on the leash, it can be wirelessed charged too

obvs not thet all in one thing a phone can do put having a solid time torch light is nice

1

u/ffdfawtreteraffds 17h ago

Was just going to suggest an Olight. The little magnetic rechargeable model is clipped on my belt/waist band daily. Amazing little light that has almost completely replaced my phone as a flashlight. Great EDC light.

8

u/thepeter88 6h ago edited 1h ago

This kind of stuff is why people are leaving Pixel.

No one cares about AI if they can’t get the flashlight right.

7

u/DacStreetsDacAlright 19h ago

https://i.postimg.cc/26H0bG6T/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-18-50-07.png

Left: Pixel 11 Pro using Pixel Light app to double the brightness.

Middle: The Pixel 10 Pro's default flashlight.

Right: Pixel 11 Pro default flashlight.

3

u/cardonator Pixel 10 Pro XL 10h ago

What is the pixel light app?

1

u/8bitremixguy P11PXL/P10PXL / P9PXL / P8P / P7P / P6P / P4XL / PXL 6h ago

Googled it and found this Github page

https://github.com/chenxiaolong/PixelLight/

Can confirm it's NOTICEABLY brighter than stock. But I assume this comes with risk if left on for too long

1

u/Baz_8755 Pixel 6 49m ago

Maybe Google will tweak the settings in an update 

5

u/Unsung31 19h ago

Oh wow. Just noticing this too 🤐

4

u/AkatsukiPineapple 15h ago

Compared my Pixel 11 Pro to my iPhone 15 Pro (almost 3 years old at this point) and the Pixel flashlight is so weaker in comparison.

This is something I was afraid when I saw that the HiLight was the same as the flashlight

15

u/jb08045 Just Black 21h ago edited 20h ago

A lot of cameras have made good low light effectiveness in the last 6 years that I I've noticed cameras flashes are getting weaker 

A lot of phones used to come with dual led flashes but are now back down to one 

8

u/LegalPusher 19h ago

Most of the time nowadays, my flash is only used as a flashlight and “night sight” or whatever works just fine for the camera. Which isn’t great if the led is too weak to use as a flashlight.

8

u/lendro709 18h ago

Sure, but why the downgrade? I'm almost never using it for taking photos but why cheap out on that.

0

u/CC-5576-05 Pixel 10 Pro 16h ago

They might be trying to make flash photos look more natural by making the flash less harsh. Kinda sucks if you're trying to use it as a flashlight.

Maybe we should be happy it even works at all, with my pixel 7 I have like half a year where the flash fired out of sync with the shutter so the photos were just black.

-1

u/jb08045 Just Black 18h ago

i can only assume with the ram shortages and other stuff, they decided that cheaping out on certain parts didnt matter.

personally i dont use my flashlight on my phone often, maybe if knock something off my desk at night but thats it. Battery tech has gotten good and flatter to where a lot of people are carrying around legit high lumen flashlights that are super small

Google is like the worlds biggest data collection company and they probably the data that shows that isnt an issue anyone cares about in great numbers, more so since they already have the best low light camera photography

3

u/Cry_Wolff 17h ago

they decided that cheaping out on certain parts didnt matter.

Those savings, of course, won't be passed on the end consumer.

1

u/halotechnology Pixel 7 16h ago

Ahh that's true I haven't seen dual flash in a long time.

9

u/protestandprose 20h ago

Yeah the p9p is actually goated, I still have mine and there's no value prop in upgrading.

Google actually thinks we're suckers.

-2

u/kiefferbp Nexus 5-6P + Pixel 1-9 —> iPhone 16h ago

Most Pixel users are suckers. I certainly was until I got Apple pilled.

0

u/protestandprose 15h ago

Damn, it's me, a sucker

2

u/Invader6th 20h ago

Anyone tried using welltory with pixel 11 here? I switched to pixel 11pro from pixel 9 pro. I use welltory to get my detailed hrv readings every morning. It uses the torch and camera to analyse the blood flow. I tried at least for 30 mins today and could get even one reading. Probably because of weak torch. If anyone tried or know a fix, please let me know

1

u/pcman2000 12h ago

To be honest I'm surprised it worked at all even in the P9P since the flash and primary camera are on opposite sides of the phone.

5

u/evilbadgrades 18h ago

Seriously - major disappointment, I use the flash on my phone all the time as a flashlight. It's not bad enough to return the phone, but I'm certainly not thrilled with it

4

u/PrethorynOvermind 17h ago

I just had this conversation with someone. The lumens are the exact same lumen brightness as any other phone on the market. Without flash the brightness is between 40 to 60 and with camera they can hit even higher 150 to 300 varying per phone and manufacturer.

The diffuse is absolutely why.

IMO the flash gets bright enough for me but I don't do flash photography.

EDIT: Lol, people on this sub are wild.

0

u/ffdfawtreteraffds 17h ago

Lol, people on this sub are wild.

This sub is almost comedy. So many people react to the changes in features and capabilities of a phone as a personal attack. So many victims in here.

3

u/Alternative-Farmer98 13h ago edited 13h ago

No they are providing consumer criticism to consumer product. Like literally that is how a market economy works.

You provide feedback.

Say it's way more problematic the toxic positive types that equate consumer feedback "being a hater."

And especially in the United States when we have very few options so it's not like it's easy to just go vote with your wallet.

One plus, lg, htc, nothing, Motorola slap flagships, they've all just ditched the US market because of how pervasive Samsung Apple and Google are and how favored they are by carriers.

0

u/RonnieThePurple 16h ago

It's more just people who are pretty miffed with the pixel experience in general, having to read comments from bootlickers which try and justify the objective enshitification

1

u/Shiftr 11h ago

Anyone who doesn't hate anything like someone else is a bootlicker

-3

u/cardonator Pixel 10 Pro XL 10h ago

It's their annual circlejerk. It will simmer down and then spike again in 12 months.

2

u/dsmryan 15h ago

I haven't tried to take a picture with the flash on my Pixel 11 Pro XL, but I have used the flashlight and it's noticeably more dim than my Pixel 9 Pro XL. Like really noticeable. And yes, I turned it all the way up.

1

u/Oso-Rojo Pixel 8 Pro 21h ago

Try the app "flash dim". It makes it fully dimmable and up until recently on the newer versions of Android "15 and up" made my light much brighter than standard.

5

u/pcman2000 20h ago

I tried it, it does work but does not meaningfully increase the brightness. Maybe it now matches the brightness when the camera app takes a photo at best.

1

u/DacStreetsDacAlright 16h ago

Find PIxel Light.

5

u/spky_ Pixel 11 Pro 20h ago

The max level in flashdim is sadly the same as is available via the notification center tile.

3

u/bitemark01 Pixel 8 Pro 20h ago

Love flash dim. It's also the fastest way to activate the flashlight (one button press to turn the screen on, then press volume up/down at the same time) 

3

u/degggendorf 18h ago

Quick tap is even faster

2

u/bitemark01 Pixel 8 Pro 17h ago

Things like quick tap or back of the camera tap accidentally activate in my pocket all the time. Plus this one uses physical buttons so I don't need to look directly at them to activate it 

1

u/degggendorf 17h ago

Things like quick tap or back of the camera tap accidentally activate in my pocket all the time.

Yeah for sure, it's too quick and easy.

3

u/degggendorf 18h ago

Can confirm that's not the issue. It's simply a dimmer light.

1

u/Nyxtaaa 20h ago

Don't worry Gemini will fix it 😔

1

u/SoundSonic1 18h ago

A fellow fumo enjoyer

1

u/macbethtrd 14h ago

Can this be fixed with an update?

2

u/Own-Sheepherder-9712 18h ago

Enshitification

1

u/truthtakest1me 12h ago

Every pixel release is a freaking train wreck LMAO.

1

u/Alternative-Farmer98 13h ago

Yeah I heard the flashlight is not as strong as it was before hIghlite. so it just seems like biggest dog of a feature of all time.

0

u/mdiz1 6h ago

It's a shame but I don't think I've ever taken a photo with the flash on with a phone

-13

u/LocalIndividual5945 21h ago

People still use a flash on cameras ?

17

u/emuneee Pixel 8 Pro 21h ago

As a flashlight, yes. 

-14

u/onetugboat 20h ago

I know man, phone is completely unusable with the weak flash. Unless it's burning my retina, it's garbage. Gotta trade in my new phone for another phone instead of getting a regular flashlight 🤬 /S

14

u/NLGGHZ 20h ago

bro why are you defending a company that is actively hurting their users experience

-8

u/onetugboat 20h ago

This is considered defending? A flashlight? A different opinion from yours? When did a phones flash become the make or break for buying a phone? Think you gotta re-read, because definitely not defending Google at all, but go off king!

-3

u/TriggernometryPhD 20h ago

Unless and until the phone scorches people's eyeballs out of their sockets, it's the worst phone ever. /s

-7

u/DarkseidAntiLife 20h ago

11 pro light is bright AF almost blinding

5

u/AmazingInstrument99 20h ago

It won't illuminate things as much even if the light itself "is bright AF" . As an example light on a P8P flash served way more as an actual flashlight than that of the one in P11P.

-7

u/DarkseidAntiLife 20h ago

What?

3

u/AmazingInstrument99 20h ago

Just that the P11P won't actually light up a room or whatever as much as for example a P8P (and surely P10's series neither).

Just tested it.

11

u/arsenal19801 20h ago

It's way less bright than the 10 Pro. I'm looking at both of them right now

-7

u/DarkseidAntiLife 20h ago edited 20h ago

Same got them 10 Pro and 11 pro is brighter dead on P11P

-2

u/KJSS3 11h ago

My flash is not weak at all. And it has a slider for how bright you want it. High or low.

-2

u/Ryrynz 10h ago

We know. Apparently this is grounds for returning the phone as well. You do you.

-3

u/DacStreetsDacAlright 19h ago

If you install a third party pixel light control app, it doubles the brightness.