Google’s next generation of Pixel phones run on the company’s newest version of Android, yes, but they also pack an outfit of smart features that Google says make the Pixel 11 Pro a more useful tool than any model before it. The kicker is that it starts at a higher price than we’re used to, because of one big change to storage.
Of the four models, the Pixel 11 Pro sits in the middle of the slab pack, but doesn’t necessarily get the middle-child treatment. The Pixel 11 Pro XL, on the other hand, brings all of Google’s best features in a much larger package.
Pixel 11 Pro carries a nearly unchanged design apart from several new colors. The camera bar spanning the back of the phones is significantly shallower on the base model, but the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL retain most of its dimensions, to a tee. During our hands-on time before launch, the jump in camera bar size is noticeable. With a case, the Pixel 11’s camera hub disappears like the camera notch on the Pixel 10a, but the camera’s design on the Pixel 11 Pro models gets no such downsize.
The real attraction sits over the flash LED with something Google calls “HiLight.”
Google’s HiLight changes the color of the rear LED based on incoming notifications with a beautiful diffusion effect. It won’t work for everything in the state it’s in, but incoming calls from favorite contacts and Gemini callups will summon the tiny ring light with a “gentle glow,” as Google puts it. Google also confirmed the feature will eventually work for Messages, but can’t say whether it will expand beyond. It’s reminiscent of the way the Google Gemini Speaker lights up while the LLM listens and responds.
