Google Pixel 11/Pro Review: Poker Face | Marques Brownlee

The Gist

The Google Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro are great mainstream phones with strong software support and solid cameras, but they fail to justify their high prices due to lagging GPU hardware and average battery charging speeds.

Quick Overview

Google builds solid smartphones, but the Pixel 11 series suffers from a mismatch between high prices and mediocre underlying hardware specs like charging and graphics. Marques Brownlee reviews the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro after two weeks of international testing, breaking down their hardware performance, camera upgrades, pricing, and software features.

Key Points: Marques Brownlee tested the Pixel 11 Pro for two weeks across Spain, Ireland, and Wisconsin. The new Tensor G6 chip offers about a 20 percent CPU speed increase over the previous generation but lags far behind competitors in GPU benchmarks. Battery charging maxes out at a disappointing 30 to 35 watts, far slower than competitors like OnePlus that charge at 80 watts. The base Pixel 11 starts at 900 dollars, while the Pixel 11 Pro starts at 1100 dollars and ranges up to 1400 dollars for the 512 gigabyte model. Both the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro feature improved camera hardware, including larger primary sensors and a versatile 5x zoom camera. Android 17 runs exceptionally smoothly on the devices, featuring helpful UI touches like custom app icon tinting and quick sharing animations. Google provides seven years of software updates, making the base Pixel 11 the best value recommendation for buyers.

Context: Marques Brownlee reviews Google's latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro, evaluating whether their high price points match their hardware and software capabilities compared to competing flagships.

Detailed Analysis

Marques Brownlee shares his two-week experience reviewing the Google Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro, highlighting their strengths in software, design, and camera quality, balanced against weaknesses in hardware performance, charging speeds, and pricing. While the Tensor G6 chip delivers good CPU performance and Android 17 runs smoothly with seven years of software support, the phones lack high-end GPU power and fast charging capabilities. Marques concludes that the base Pixel 11 is a worthwhile purchase, but the high cost of the Pro models makes them hard to recommend given their hardware limitations.