Made by Google officially kicked off last August 12, bringing its usual slew of announcements and model releases for us to look at. And for us at Kimstore, the biggest draw would be the Pixel 11 lineup of phones. Like the Pixel 10s that came last year, there’s four models ranging from the base Pixel 11 to the bigger Pixel 11 Pro XL and the foldable Pixel Pro Fold.
And while last year’s Pixel family saw the base model catch up to its more expensive siblings, this time, it’s the Pro models which receive the extra attention.
More RAM, More Storage…Higher Price
Let’s address the elephant in the room first because there’s good and bad news regarding these components. The Pixel 11 finally ditches 128GB of storage, making 256GB their default option which is good. The bad news however, is that the phones are also starting at a much higher price.
Starting RAM for all models is 12GB, with 16GB only being available on the 512GB and 1TB models at least for the Pro models. Base Pixel 11 has no option for more RAM, which could introduce some bottlenecks when using their much-advertised AI features. It does maintain 7 years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates for all three.
Definitely an odd choice considering the Pixel 10 Pro XL starts with 16GB of RAM. However, it is to be expected given the ongoing memory crisis affecting electronics and parts. But anyway. Now we can get to the good parts.
Pixel Pro HiLights and New Camera Features
Last time, the base Pixel 10 took the spotlight with the addition of the telephoto camera. This time, it’s the Pro models that have something new to show off. To start, there’s the new HiLights, formerly Pixel Glow. Kind of like Nothing’s Glyph system, it’s a series of notification lights that take on different patterns depending on what Gemini is doing or when you’re taking a call. Just a little novelty to add to your next Android.
The Pro phones also get exclusive camera features such as Magic Capture, which allows the phone to take a short video before picking out five “HDR+” photos to show you. And yes, you can manually pick out which photos you want.
There’s also Creator Suite which offers functions like a Teleprompter, Project Folders, and an improved way to rearrange and organize your clips. We could see this being perfect for anyone looking to level up their vlogging game.
Pro Stable Video and Instant Night Sight mode round out the list of camera features the Pixel 11 is packing and they’re pretty self-explanatory. The former comes as part of Video Boost, which instantly kicks in when shooting a rather shaky scene while the latter is just an improved version of the original Night Sight for brightening up darker scenes.
Google’s Tensor G6 on All Models
Powering the entire lineup is Google’s new Tensor G6, the second of their TSMC-produced chipset. Google promises the new phone to be much faster across the board, citing figures like 25% faster web browsing and roughly 20% better power efficiency. Something to keep in mind once we get to the battery figures later on.
This is paired with Gemini Nano as well as an upgraded ISP that enables 4K Portrait Video on all three phones. There’s also the new Titan M3 security chip to help with safe boot protection, albeit once again, exclusive to the Pro models.
As for its GPU, Google seems to have opted for another PowerVR model like the Pixel 10 series. Plenty powerful for most basic tasks but might struggle a bit in more intensive games and applications.
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Battery and Charging
There are no significant battery upgrades with the Pixel 11, at least not when it comes to the physical battery itself. The base Pixel 11 got a tiny bump from 4,970 to 4,985mAh but both the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL actually got slightly smaller batteries compared to their Pixel 10 counterparts. And no, they haven’t switched to silicon-carbon batteries like Samsung did for their new Galaxy Z Fold8.
So any efficiency gains will come from its Tensor G6 and other software and display optimizations.
Charging speeds haven’t improved either. 45W is still reserved for the Pixel 11 Pro XL while the standard Pixel 11 Pro and the base Pixel 11 are stuck with 30W. Google does claim that this is enough to take phones from 0 to 50% in just 30 minutes or 75% when it comes to the Pro XL so a good 30W or more charger should be sufficient.
Familiar Design, Brand New Colors
We’ve left talks of the design for last because…there isn’t anything new to talk about. The trademark camera bar is now 40% thinner and has been changed to an all-glass surface. Aluminum frame sandwiched between Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Size-wise, they remain the same as their Pixel 10 counterparts.
There’s some new color options though. The base Pixel 10 will be available in Frost (Lavender), Hibiscus (Magenta), Obsidian (Black), and Pistachio (Green). Meanwhile, the Pro models get Canyon (Pink), Fog (Light Green), Olive (Green), and Obsidian (Black) color schemes with a matte frame.
The Pixel 11 starts at $899 or approximately ₱55,100. The Pro models start at $1,099 or approximately ₱67,350 and $1,299 or ₱79,600 for the Pro XL. Make sure to follow Kimstore for more updates on when these Androids hit our shelves.
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