The Pixel 11 doesn’t carry much of a different look, and the only major hardware change happening on the exterior could be glossed over without a second thought. Pixel 11’s HiLight hides in the camera LED and acts like a notification light when your phone is turned over. But it isn’t what I expected.
In theory, Pixel 11 Pro’s HiLight is meant to act as a visual cue for some of the phone’s actions, whether that’s notifications or interactions with Gemini. When an incoming call comes in, the light shines with a color preset you decided on earlier for that contact. Or when Gemini answers your beckon, it glows with the Google-centric blues and reds that appear on the Google Home Speaker.
But that’s only a morsel of what Pixel Highlight needs to be.
Imagine getting an Instagram notification, and you see a small mosaic appear over the camera bar. Your HiLight LED glows with the orange, purple, and reds of the Instagram logo. The first thought you have is, “Instagram.” Or what about a Reddit notification? HiLight’s LED array can glow with a bright red and white that would immediately be recognized as a Reddit notification.
Original
