Google Pixel 11 — everything we know so far

Google Pixel 10 in the hand. — (Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)

Jump to:

Release & price
Design
Cameras
Performance
Battery
Outlook

Google Pixel phones are among the best Android phones you can buy, and showcase how much Android is capable of — in terms of both hardware and software. It's the closest thing we have to a Google-made iPhone, and the Google Pixel 11 is likely to be no exception to that when it arrives later this year.

The pressure is on for Google after offering a very mixed set of upgrades with the Pixel 10 series. The Pixel 10 itself was leaps and bounds ahead of the Pixel 9, thanks to a bunch of Pro-level hardware, but the Pixel 10 Pro was barely a step up from its predecessor. Google needs to make sure not to fall into that trap with the Pixel 11, and offer something substantial, even if it isn't groundbreaking.

Article continues below

Google Pixel 11: Rumored release date & price

Following two consecutive years of August Pixel releases, Google will likely stick to that timeline once again. Late August is that perfect sweet spot between the release of Galaxy Z Fold 8 and iPhone 18, which makes it the perfect time to launch a brand new Pixel phone.

The Pixel 9 was released on August 22, while the Pixel 10 arrived a little later on August 29, so we should probably expect something in the last week of the month.

Pricing is still a huge unknown at this point, but it's possible that we'll see some kind of price increase. Not only has the cost of RAM and storage gone through the roof, but I'd also be surprised (and disappointed) if we didn't see the base storage increase from 128GB to 256GB.

Google already did it with the Pixel 10 Pro XL last year, and the change is long overdue, especially after Apple decided to make 256GB storage standard on every iPhone 17 model. Unfortunately, I don't see that change happening without some sort of price increase to go with it.

Google Pixel 11: Design & Display

We're not expecting major design changes with the Pixel 11 this year, and leaked CAD renders from OnLeaks suggest that the basic design will remain the same for the next year. However, there appear to be a few small changes, including slimmer bezels and an all-glass camera bar.

Google has previously said that Pixel phones will undergo a redesign every two to three years. While those renders suggest there are no major changes, other rumors claim that Google will add a new feature called "Pixel Glow," which is expected to be similar to Nothing's Glyph lights. The feature has shown up in code from the Android 17 beta, but other than the name, we don't know a great deal about it.

It's unclear what sort of display upgrades we can expect as of yet, but if recent Pixel upgrades are anything to go by, we'll likely see some sort of boost to screen brightness. I'd also like to see the Pixel 10 adopt a true LTPO display panel, too, which would allow for the same 1-120Hz refresh rate as the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL.

Google Pixel 11: Cameras

There haven't been any leaks about the Pixel 11's camera upgrades, and following the addition of a telephoto lens on the Pixel 10 I would be surprised if there were any major upgrades for a second year in a row.

That said, there's a lot more to camera performance than hardware specs, and there's a very good chance that Google will include a bunch of camera features and upgrades — enhanced by the Tensor G6 chipset.

It's currently unclear what those features might be, but there is speculation that Google could include a new infrared under-display camera to power an advanced facial recognition system similar to Apple's Face ID.

Google has attempted such a thing before, notably on Pixel 4, but this would be the first time it included an iPhone-style infrared camera. That should offer better security than camera-based face unlock systems, but we'll have to wait and see how such a feature would hold up to scrutiny.

Google Pixel 11: Performance

Pixel chips are not known for being particularly powerful, and the Tensor chips haven't really made much headway in that department. Google may say that they're better suited for AI processing and other software enhancements, but it doesn't change the fact that Pixel phones have been lagging as a result of Tensor's weak performance.

Sadly, the Tensor G6 isn't expected to make many improvements, especially in the graphics department. According to leaker Mystic Leaks, the Tensor G6 will utilize a Power VR CXTP-48-1536 GPU — which first released back in 2021. That's right, Google could be using a five-year-old graphics processor in the Pixel 11, and that doesn't bode well for its performance.

The good news is that the same leak suggests the G6 chip will use a 4.11 GHz Arm C1 Ultra core, which is the best core Arm produces — and bodes well for computational performance at the very least. It will be joined by four C1 Pro cores running at 3.38 GHz and two slightly slower C1 Pro cores that clock in at 2.65 GHz. However, the leak suggests that the G6 will also drop to seven cores, compared to the eight-core CPU in the Tensor G5.

Google Pixel 11: Battery & charging

Pixelsnap accessories on Pixel 10. — (Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)

We haven't heard anything about the Pixel 11's battery just yet, but I wouldn't hold my breath for any major changes this year. — especially where battery capacity is concerned. Since the Pixel 10 already offers a substantial 4,970 mAh of power, there isn't a lot of room for the Pixel 11 to add more.

Pixel battery life has improved over the past few years, but it's still quite far behind the likes of Apple and OnePlus. We'd like to see some improvements to efficiency and better overall battery life as a result, even if the battery itself doesn't change that much.

Of course, we did see some major charging upgrades on the Pixel 10 Pro XL last year, with 45W wired charging and 25W Qi2 wireless charging. It would be nice to see some of those speeds make their way to smaller models, including Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro. We also expect that Google will keep Qi2 charging, with Pixelsnap's magnetic connectivity around for the foreseeable future.

Google Pixel 11: Outlook

There are still a lot of unknowns where the Pixel 11 is concerned, which is actually quite surprising. Google is not known for keeping on top of leaks, and it's rare that we don't know everything about the newest Pixel before it actually launches. There's still time, though, and we're likely to hear something before the launch date rolls around.

We're not expecting a major upgrade this year, and while disappointing, that's to be expected considering the sheer amount of changes made to the Pixel 10. Of course, some of what we have heard does sound promising, GPU aside, and that gives us some hope that the Pixel 11 will be a little more impressive than these early leaks have let on.

We'll just have to wait and see what leaks in the coming months before we make up our mind, and failing that, see what Google has in store at the launch event. Hopefully, Jimmy Fallon isn't there this year.

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok.

More from Tom's Guide

TOPICS

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.