As soon as I picked up the Google Pixel 11 for the first time, I knew I wanted to love it. The slimmer, all-glass camera bar spoke to me as the perfect blend between the Pixel 10a’s flat back and the Pixel 11 Pro’s thicker camera housing. My favorite Android 17 perks, like the Pixel-exclusive Magic Capture and Creator Suite, still made the cut for Google’s cheapest flagship. And the missing features aren’t significant enough to notice they’re gone on the $899 Pixel 11.
Unfortunately, after actually getting my hands on one, I found the Pixel 11 hard to love. The Tensor G6 chip isn’t the upgrade I hoped for, and without the vapor chamber found on the Pro phones, the Pixel 11 does genuinely overheat and stutter in everyday use. It’s harder than ever to choose between the Pixel 11 and, say, the Samsung Galaxy S26. I’ve tested both, and they each come with brutal compromises I’d rather not make.
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