The $899 Pixel 11’s Longer 30x Zoom and New Camera Bar Design Are Impressive

The new $899 Pixel 11, announced Wednesday ahead of the company’s Made by Google event, has a number of meaningful improvements, like a 30x zoom and faster wireless charging, while dancing around the $100 higher starting price than last year’s Pixel 10.

The Pixel 11 shares the same 6.3-inch screen size as the Pixel 10, shaves its camera bump and extends the camera’s digital zoom range, among a few other changes, such as an ever-so-slightly larger battery. While these iterative alterations don’t seem eye-catching, I appreciated a few of the Pixel 11’s redesigned features during my brief time trying them out.

Admittedly, some of my favorite improvements are to aesthetics. The slimmer camera bar is 40% thinner than the one on the Pixel 10, making it look like a slightly raised platform on the back of the phone. While it’s not flush, it is slim enough that using Google’s PixelSnap case helps the phone lie fully flat on a table.

While the Pixel 11 supports the same 30-watt wired charging as its predecessor, it now tops out at 25-watt Qi2 wireless charging, which should let it recharge faster than last year’s version. In my story exploring CNET Lab testing for the fastest-charging phones, the Pixel 10 (which only supports 15 watts) added only 27% in 30 minutes. The Pixel 11 has a baby battery bump in capacity to 4,985 mAh, up from the Pixel 10’s 4,970 mAh.

If you’re looking for areas of improvement, don’t look at the camera hardware, as the Pixel 11 has the same cameras as the Pixel 10. The upgrades lie, as they usually do with Google phones, in the software.

Pixel 11 cameras

Software gives the Pixel 11’s digital zoom range a boost, now maxing out at 30x, up from last year’s 20x. During my hands-on time with the Pixel 11, I spent most of it experimenting with the improved zoom. I was impressed with how I could zoom straight into various plants in the demo room at 30x and the resulting image had sharp details — such as visible strands inside of a flower — with limited artifacting. Normally, I don’t bother with digital zoom because the resulting photos look like a pixelated mess. I still have to put the phone through more testing for my review 

The Pixel 11 has Google’s new Tensor G6 processor and runs on Android 17, with a promised seven years of major OS and security updates. The Pixel 11 will also get the benefit of Google’s Pixel Feature drops that bring new functionality and refinements throughout the year between major Android overhauls.

Google is also making it easier for iPhone owners to switch to the Pixel 11 with an update to its Android Switch app. I first tested this tool using the updated Samsung Smart Switch on the Galaxy Z Flip 8, and the Pixel 11’s process is similar: You launch it from the Pixel 11’s settings menu, the phone generates a QR code to scan with your iPhone and then you follow prompts on both devices to start the transfer. 

But here’s where some of Google’s choices get messy. The barrier for entry is higher for potential Pixel buyers. Google did away with the $799 model with 128GB of storage. That means the Pixel 11 starts at $899 for 256GB, the same $899 price as last year’s 256GB Pixel 10. Even though this is a higher starting price, Google isn’t alone in raising the price of entry: Other 2026 phones like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Motorola’s Razr received $100 price increases over last year’s models without any storage bump. The Pixel 11 also now comes in a 512GB model for $1,019, which undercuts the $1,100 512GB Galaxy S26.

This sort of price comparison is important, as we continue to grapple with the overall rising cost of electronics during an ongoing RAM shortage. This situation affects the entire industry, Google said in a press briefing, and stated that the Pixel 11’s pricing reflects this new reality.

The Pixel 11 is now available for preorder in four colors: frost, pistachio, hibiscus and obsidian. I’m personally into the greener hue of the pistachio model, but the pinker hibiscus is a bolder look that I suspect plenty of people will like. 

The phone goes on sale Aug. 20, the same day as the Pixel 11 Pro and  11 Pro XL, Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Pixel Watch 5.

Mike Sorrentino

Senior Editor

Mike Sorrentino is a Senior Editor for Mobile, covering phones, texting apps and smartwatches — obsessing about how we can make the most of them. Mike also keeps an eye out on the movie and toy industry, and outside of work enjoys biking and pizza making.

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