Google - Pixel 11 Pro XL 256GB (Unlocked) - Obsidian

Google's newest Pixel 11 Pro XL is a solid choice for those wanting to break away from the big two. I'll start with pros and get to the cons. The screen is a nice 6.8" Super Actua display QHD+ (1344 x 2992) resolution with a variable refresh rate (1-120Hz). It's also made from Gorilla Glass Victus 2 so it's pretty durable and scratch resistant. The picture is very vivid and colorful. Under the hood the Pixel 11 Pro XL has 256Gb of storage, 12Gb of RAM, Google's newest Tensor G6 processor, and their new Titan M3 security chip. The Tensor G6 and Titan M3 are what gonna really make the Pixel shine, as the new processor will power all the Ai technology and photography packed into the phone and the Titan will keep your phone secure from suspicious or risky data threats. Speaking of photography the Pro XL has triple cameras (50MP main, 48MP Ultrawide, 48 MP telephoto) and photo editing technology are top notch letting even the most amature shutterbug get some great pictures like a pro. One of my favorite features was the Ai upscaling and enhancing which simplifies the process of improving photos, this is great for anyone that is unsure on how to adjust all those specific settings when editing photos, and I've gotta admit after taking a few pictures of my cat I don't think I've ever gotten as good of a photo of her as I did with the Pixel 11. My other favorite feature was the Gemini Ai improvements that make it a great tool for everyday use. My favorites were Gemini Flash and Rambler. Flash is a limited version of their Ai tool Pro membership which is great to get you started into Ai tools and really does make you want to upgrade to the Pro after playing with it for a while. I had so much fun just editing pictures with prompts, most of them being just me imagining my cat into crazy characters or situations, I know I could definitely use it for more with time. Rambler is their new text-to-speech technology with Ai enhancement, a neat feature that I ended up finding useful for making my communication a bit more polished. It takes your spoken message and dictates it into text but sorta paraphrases it by taking out unnecessary fillers (uhs, umms, like, etc...) or pauses, organizing lists, and adding punctuation, structuring your message into a more clean and beautifully structed text, it really makes you sound more verbose and erudite. Now for the cons, and despite how great this phone is there was only two things I found in my experience to be worth noting. This first one is kinda minor and more an annoyance than an actual issue. The gallery system for Pixel is more complicated than it needs to be. On my previous Samsung phones I could organize pictures on my phone and create Collections/Folders easily and send photos to them and then pull them up quickly. However on Pixel, Collections and Folders are made complicated by making Collections an entirely separate thing from Folders and that gets automatically uploaded to the cloud even if you disable cloud backup, which then prompts a pop-up to buy upgraded Cloud storage. This is needlessly overcomplicating something that was never difficult. The second issue is the Pixel not being able to handle moderate to higher end mobile gaming. This was something that actually upset me because I play CoD and Delta Force on mobile. When trying to play these games they were locked to the lowest performance settings, touchscreen controls weren't syncing with the aspect ratio, and even when trying to play it was lagging and struggling to run smoothly. When researching the issue it's the possible reasons were the Battery Throttle limits were locking my games to lower specs to save battery life/longevity or the Tensor chip isn't designed for gaming and more focused on Ai processes. If you don't really play mobile games then this will be a non-issue for you. Overall, I really liked the new Pixel 11 Pro XL I had a lot of fun playing with the camera and Gemini and I would say its a good choice when looking to get a new phone.

A year has passed and another iteration of Google’s Pixel phone is released. This latest Pixel 11 Pro XL brings along a few changes, some more noticeable than others compared to the last generation. As tech hardware continues to become more expensive, this Pixel is no exception at a $100 price increase compared to last year’s release. Let’s see if this is a worthy upgrade or maybe wait for the next generation. For starters, here are some of the changes compared to the Pixel 10 Pro XL (256gb): - New processor, geekbench puts it at roughly 10-20% better - Only 12gb memory compared to 16gb - Slightly brighter screen - Slightly smaller better (although opposite effect on battery life) - 20x more digital zoom for camera So at a glance, nothing too pressing. If you were to buy one of these phones brand new at MSRP, it may be worth the extra hundred dollars, but to upgrade to it for a cost of four to five hundred dollars if you sell the old phone is definitely a tough ask. One of the primary features of a phone for me is the camera, and the newest Pixel has essentially no changes outside of some more AI features inside the app. While it is a faster phone, you really have to consider your use case for this as I have not experienced any lag on the Pixel 10 XL. However, the loss in 4gb of ram at the starting model can be felt and fewer apps can stay alive in memory. Perhaps one of the most surprising and best change is that even though the battery is slightly smaller, the battery life is actually better by at least a couple of hours. This puts it on par with the iPhone and Galaxy. You can really see this when using the camera. For whatever reason, the Pixel 10 absolutely drains the battery, at least 5x faster than the Pixel 11 does. While this sounds like a great update, you’ll soon realize that they are really cutting costs as much as possible when keeping the original battery size or even increasing it would have made this phone exceptional. Overall, this newest Pixel is another small update to the previous generation and not quite worth it in my opinion to upgrade from the Pixel 10. With all the inflation that tech is experiencing and more useless AI features added while the cost is passed on to the consumers, you have to be smarter with what you spend your money on.

After years exclusively in the Apple ecosystem, I was definitely hesitant to pull the trigger on switching to Android. Leaving iMessage and familiar muscle memory is always daunting, but the transition process has come a long way—moving data over was straightforward, painless, and nowhere near the headache it used to be. A few weeks in, and this phone has completely won me over: ⚬ Hardware & Build: Google knocked it out of the park here. The build quality feels dense, premium, and every bit as flagship-level as what I was used to carrying. The display is gorgeous and the overall in-hand feel is top-tier. ⚬ Performance in the Real World: Online tech forums love to obsess over benchmark numbers and nitpick Tensor chips, but for standard everyday tasks—multitasking, browsing, camera work, streaming, and daily apps—the phone is buttery smooth, snappy, and responsive. For the average user, it delivers more than enough power without missing a beat. ⚬ Overall Experience: The clean software experience, smart everyday features, and stellar cameras make it a joy to use. If you are on the fence about leaving iOS, don't let old horror stories hold you back. It’s a fantastic device and an easy recommendation.

As a life long android fan this is my first pixel phone, as a former Samsung Note fan, and my previous phone being the Sony Xperia 1 III. Waiting on Sony to release a new Xperia here in the states so I held off getting a new phone for way too long. I decided on the pixel 11 pro XL due to being used to the larger Sony Xperia 1 III screen and size. The most surprisingly important feature to me was the camera on the 11 pro XL, which is wonderful for day/night and long shots as well. Functionally it's the most updated Android I have had in a while and it works perfectly (biometrics, display, and of course the battery). Apps work great and if you haven't had a new phone in a few years like me, the process has been simplified to switch phones, and this was literally done phone to phone, automatically through the android system. Only needed to attach the cable for the large items like pictures going over. Overall a great purchase and I am so happy with the phone.

I must say I am extremely happy with my purchase of the Pixel 11 Pro XL. The display is bright, crisp text, and very responsive to my touch. I am particularly impressed with the ultrasound fingerprint reader since my 8 Pro was optical and had iffy reliability. I had to go to T-Mobile to get the eSIM working as it just didn't setup correctly using the online method but the store had it functioning in 5 minutes. Waiting for a Pixel case from Google as couldn't find one at Best Buy. The one I bought at the store is acceptable but I find it too slippery. Very happy overall and recommend the product if you like larger display formats.