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Review: Google Pixel 11 – slightly cheaper, slightly more compact

Google's base model cuts costs mainly where it does not show.

Published 1 October 2026 - 10:20

Google launched the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro at the same time. The differences between them are subtle. The Pixel 11 starts at SEK 12,000, while the Pixel 11 Pro costs SEK 2,500 more, both with 256 GB of storage. However, the Pixel 11 Pro includes six months of Google One, worth SEK 1,500. If you already use Google for cloud storage and pay for it, the price difference in practice is therefore reduced to SEK 1,000.

One advantage the Pixel 11 has over the Pixel 11 Pro is that its camera island is considerably less protruding and bulky. The phone is also slightly lighter, although the difference is small; it is still a fairly heavy and compact phone for its relatively handy size.

The smaller camera island is, of course, also because the cameras are worse. Although both models have the same setup of a main camera, ultra-wide camera and telephoto camera with 5x zoom, all three cameras have smaller sensors on the Pixel 11 than on the Pixel 11 Pro.

Not noticeably worse

On the main camera, which is the one you use most, this is surprisingly hard to notice. Images from the Pixel 11 are above average in colour reproduction and sharpness, even compared with other flagship models. The difference compared with the Pixel 11 Pro is difficult to discern, and the Pixel 11 also performs well in the dark. The main difference here is that the Pixel 11 Pro takes its low-light images with less delay.

For the ultra-wide camera, the difference in image results is slightly greater, but it is most noticeable when you shoot zoomed in. The telephoto camera in the Pixel 11 Pro does have 5x magnification, but it is not particularly good, and images barely feel sharp even at that zoom level. If you zoom in further, the quality quickly deteriorates.

Google talks a lot about computational photography and has previously boasted that it uses all the cameras simultaneously to create seamless zoom between the different cameras. This is not really noticeable in the image results, and if I shoot with 2x zoom, it is barely better than shooting without zoom and enlarging the image to 200 per cent on a computer.

Google has not included a case with our review unit, which means I notice how slippery the phone is while testing it. It slips out of hands and pockets and off flat surfaces. A protective case is really essential here.

The Pixel 11 is cheaper but not cheap, and its materials are glass and aluminium. Wireless charging is available, along with a magnetic attachment that Google calls Pixelsnap. However, the Hilight notification light found on the Pixel 11 Pro is absent here.

Thicker bezels

Looking at the front of the phone, you can see that the display has slightly thicker black bezels around it. This is one way to tell that the Pixel 11 has a slightly cheaper display than the 11 Pro. The slightly lower resolution is not something I notice, nor is the fact that the display cannot continuously adjust its refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz, instead only switching between 60 and 120 Hz. The phone still supports an always-on display. However, I do notice some difference in maximum brightness in sunlight, although the Pixel 11 performs reasonably well in the sun, better than Samsung's equivalent, the Galaxy S26.

Both phones have Google's latest chipset, Tensor G6, and are equally fast. Not particularly fast, if we are to believe benchmark tests. Google claims that benchmark tests are irrelevant; what matters is being able to tailor the user experience to Google's system. And they are right about that, because the phones certainly do not feel slow in everyday use. However, I do notice that Google is not particularly good at battery life. This is evident in our battery test, and in use, where the phone loses battery rather quickly while on standby.

Naturally, the Pixel 11 comes with the latest operating system version, Android 17, and Google promises seven years of operating system updates, security updates and the special feature updates known as Pixel Drops, which gradually add new features to the phones. Fans particularly appreciate the latter.

No bloatware

Those who like Pixel phones also tend to appreciate that they offer the pure, unadulterated version of Android. I am not quite as sold on that idea. Of course, it is positive that you do not get a host of pre-installed apps you do not want. On the other hand, I think that most user interface changes made by, for example, Samsung are actually improvements.

For Google, Pixel phones are also a test bed for new features, and what Google is most interested in right now is AI. The AI features, in turn, often target specific user scenarios that can be very American in nature (letting AI book you into your spinning class, for example). We have therefore had to get used to the Pixel we get in Sweden having a reduced set of features, and that also applies to the Pixel 11.

If we focus on the AI features that are actually available to us in Sweden, we have

for example, Magic Moment. Instead of taking a still image, you record a short video, and Google then uses AI to select the best moment to turn into a still image. The image is also sharpened and cropped if necessary.

Another feature, which we will probably see in other phones eventually but which debuts on the Pixel 11, is Rambler. When entering text, you can choose to dictate using the microphone, and you can hesitate, say um and like, and change your mind, and the result is a correct and polished version of what you meant.

Overall, the Pixel 11 is a pleasant phone, especially if you like more compact handsets. Its main strength is that the camera is above average and that the phone is promised seven years of system updates. Its main weakness is mediocre battery life.

Questions & answers

How is the speaker sound? Good stereo sound with richness and plenty of detail.

Is the Pixel 11 better value than the Pixel 11 Pro? Yes and no. If you do not use cloud storage with Google One and do not take many zoomed-in photos, it is.

How does the Pixel 11 differ from the Pixel 10? The wireless charging speed has been increased, the main camera has a larger sensor and the camera bump protrudes less.