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

I'm an android user and I'm using a pixel for the 1st time. I love how seamless the UI and navigation works. I love the size and user experience offered. The smooth performance is really commendable. I'm really fascinated by the Magic capture feature but I did find the video rather blurry and out of focus while using the magic capture feature. I still think the camera can be improved as this is not yet comparable with the iPhone camera which is in the same price range. IPhone (even Vivo and Oppo) adds more color and captures cleaner and brighter images/videos as opposed to pixel which I did find taken rather dull pictures at low light. With good lighting the camera is really great though. I also feel that the AI enhancement could be improved. I think we should give at least one physical sim slot which is convenient while you travel internationally.

This is my fourth generation of Pixel and my second of the Pro version. I find the customization of the navigation screens, quality of the camera, and the performance as my reasons for brand loyalty. In addition to that, I have had no issues with my previous Pixel phones.

The Pixel 11 Pro from Google is the first Android phone I have used in many years, and I have to say that I have been blown away with the features and performance. Upon opening the plastic-free box, I was greeted with my “Fog” colored Pixel 11 Pro, which also ships with a charging cable, and not much else. The set-up process was very straightforward, just requiring me to sign in with my Google account to get things going. I was also able to get my phone running on my Mint cellular service very quickly, which was awesome. Overall, from the time I opened the package, it took maybe 30-45 minutes to have my phone completely set-up and ready to use. Since this is the first Android phone I’ve used in a while, it did take me some time to get used to the operating system. That being said, the Pixel 11 Pro’s OS is so smooth and easy to understand. I realize that there can be different versions of Android, but Google has made the process of coming over to an Android phone a simple and painless process. Mastering the gesture controls is relatively intuitive, and I only make a *few* mistakes as I navigate my phone’s apps and screens now. Starting with durability, the Pixel 11 Pro feels extremely well built, and I love that they are using “Gorilla Glass Victus 2” for the display. I’m usually pretty careful with my phones, but anything that reduces scratches on the screen is a plus in my book. The sides of and back of the Pixel are different textures/materials, but everything screams quality. The camera plateau is large and prominent on the backside, and houses some absolutely incredible cameras. Some things I love about the display: First, the refresh rate is AMAZING. Usually, I really can’t tell when a phone claims to have 120Hz refresh rate, but I can definitely notice it with the Pixel 11 Pro. Even when doing something as scrolling through my feed on YouTube, this small detail is very prominent- motion and action scenes are simply smooth, and the clarity of the 6.3” “Super Actua Display” is incredible. Google notes that it can reach 3600 nits of brightness (!), and this means I never struggled to see content on my phone, even when outdoors in bright sunlight. I also love that the Pixel 11 Pro has both a face unlock feature, and a fingerprint reader underneath the display. I found that they were blazing fast, and it even says that the fingerprint reader will continue to get faster the more it is used. Now on to cameras, which are HUGE features with the Pixel 11 Pro. In the front, you have a 42 MP camera used for things like selfies and face unlock. While I primarily use the rear cameras on my phones, this front facing one here is pretty incredible. On the back, you have a 50 MP main, a 48 MP ultrawide, and a 48 MP 5x telephoto with up to 120x Pro Zoom. And, you have your light/flash, which includes the “HiLight” feature. To quickly address the HiLight feature, I have it set to light up when my “favorites” in my contact call me. You can also set it to light up when using Gemini. Now, this is a cool feature, as in it looks neat, but I don’t really notice it in my day-to-day use. And to address Google’s Gemini AI features, I am just not that big into using AI stuff. I will say, if you ARE into it, the Pixel 11 Pro seems to be ready to go to be used with Gemini. Again, this just isn’t my cup of tea at this point, but I realize that every manufacturer has to incorporate AI, so this is to be expected. Back to the cameras. These rear cameras are stunning in what they are able to capture. Now, I haven’t yet found a reason to use the 120x Zoom, so I will get that out of the way and say it sounds VERY cool, but I personally am not sure what to use it with. For taking amazing and breathtaking everyday photos, the Pixel 11 Pro is more than capable. The detail and clarity is spectacular, and you can zoom in a picture you’ve taken and see the incredible amount of detail it has captured. I took a photo of my dog sitting on the sofa, and as I zoomed in on the photo, I realized that I could see my hand holding the phone in the reflection on his eye. I know that phone cameras have been in a race to see who can be the best on the market, but honestly, I can’t really imagine them being much better than what Google has offered here. As for processors, the Google Pixel 11 Pro is using the Tensor G6 chip, with a Titan M3 security chip. It also has 12 gigs of RAM and 256 gigs of internal storage. From what I understand, the Titan M3 helps to ensure that I am safe when browsing the web, using apps, opening emails, etc. I cannot compare the Tensor G6 to previous iterations, but this phone is FAST. From watching streaming content in high quality to playing mobile games, I never noticed slow down, as this phone feels very powerful and very capable. Sound quality is also excellent. The stereo speakers get LOUD for a phone, to the point where I rarely ever turned them even close to full volume. With 3 microphones, call quality is also excellent, and no one ever complained about being unable to hear me on a call. Some other things I really love about the Pixel 11 Pro: - Google promises 7 years of OS support for this phone, which means I can keep it longer, and that is always a good thing. - A built in VPN! This is a no extra cost feature, which is pretty incredible, and exceptionally useful in today’s world. - Satellite SOS features for when you need help, and have no service. - Theft protection features, which means I can lock down my phone if it ever goes missing. Overall, there are A LOT of things I have not mentioned with this review. Google has packed so many amazing features into the Pixel 11 Pro, that I would have to write a short novel to cover them all. At the end of the day, I can say that as someone who is now using an Android phone for the first time in over 15 years, the Pixel 11 Pro has been a joy to use. I really can’t think of much I would change. If I had to nitpick, I might make the HiLight feature more customizable, like for different uses? Still, that is the ONLY thing I can think of, and even the inclusion of the HiLight feature itself is a pro, and not a con. To wrap things up, the Google Pixel 11 Pro is a stunning piece of technology, and I have only scratched the surface for what it is capable of. If this is your first Android, I wouldn’t worry too much, as I was able to switch easily and painlessly. And if you are looking for a new phone, and would like to use the best mobile cameras on the market, then the Pixel 11 Pro should be at the top of your list! Rating: A solid 5 stars!

The Pixel 11 Pro is an incredibly capable device, pairing a top tier hardware design with equally capable system and application software. Setup The Pixel 11 Pro includes a 3 meter USB-C cable, and a small booklet with the usual safety and compliance information and a link to the Google support website. If you don't already have a charger and USB-C cable that supports full speed charging, the Pixel 11 Pro requires a USB-C Power Delivery (USB-PD) charger supporting Programmable Power Supply (PPS) at 30W or higher and up to 45W for maximum wired fast-charging speeds. It was incredibly easy to transition from a Samsung Galaxy S10 to the Pixel 11 Pro. With both phones fully charged and sitting next to each other with the S10 powered up, the Pixel 11 Pro guided me through the setup process when it was powered on. It quickly found and connected to the S10 and automatically migrated all data and files, including phone logs, text messages, carrier SIM data and WiFi passwords. The only default behavior I changed was to disable automatic backup to my Google account. Apps were automatically installed from the Google Play Store, and the eSIM was set up and activated without a trip to the local phone store. This took about 30 minutes, at which point I was left with face and fingerprint enrollment, and restoring my home screen application icon layout. Hardware The The Pixel 11 Pro uses Google's new Tensor G6, an SoC that integrates seven core processors, an AI tensor processor to enable on-device AI processing and learning, camera and image signal processing, graphics processing, and more. There are 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage options, with 12GB RAM in the 256GB model and 16GB RAM in the other two models. The performance is stellar. The phone is very responsive, and nothing has felt in any way sluggish. The Pixel 11 Pro also uses a Titan M3 security chip that works with the Tensor G6 to support post-quantum cryptography and secure boot. The phone has a 42MP front camera, and a triple rear camera system with a 50MP main camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera and a 48MP 5x telephoto camera with 120x pro zoom through image signal and AI processing. Without enabling 120x pro zoom which requires local AI processing, the telephoto camera is limited to 30x super res zoom based on image signal processing. Going past 30x zoom requires the Pro Zoom generative AI package, which the camera app will prompt you to download and install when you first go past 30x zoom. The AI package require a little over 1GB storage, and consumes RAM resources only when it is actively being used past 30x zoom in the camera app. The Pixel 10 Pro supports standard 5G, 5G mmWave, and 4G LTE network bands, with legacy support for UMTS (3G) and GSM bands. It also supports WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6 and NFC. Its WiFi 7 interface easy delivers the 500Mbps supported by my internet service. The 6.3" screen is extremely sharp and bright at 3600 peak nits, and includes an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. It's nice to not have difficulty seeing the screen when outdoors in daylight. The fingerprint sensor and facial recognition through the front camera have both worked reliably. There are three built-in microphones located at the device bottom, top, and rear, which support stereo audio recording. Considering the size limitations and the absence of any kind of a resonant cavity for bass response, the Pixel 11 Pro's stereo speakers sound very good. Google specifies 30+ hours of battery life (4850/5115 mAh) for the Pixel 11 Pro with charging up to 75% in 30 minutes, and support for 25W Pixelsnap charging. Software The quality and quantity of software for the Pixel 11 Pro is remarkable. The Android operating system and Google applications are great. Applications such as Camera, Photos, Messages and Phone are a bit more complicated and much more capable than their counterparts on other platforms I've used. My one and only gripe so far is that the Google Files app doesn't support creation of custom home screen shortcuts for individual local files. Happily there are other file manager apps that do. The low level software supporting hardware features like advanced image processing is phenomenal. Magic Capture mode allows a video and photos to be captured simultaneously. The camera app appearance and controls can be customized. The 30x and 120x zoom modes are very impressive, as are the video image stabilization and low light capabilities. With the Tensor G6 there is support for Gemini Nano, allowing AI processing to run locally on the Pixel 11 Pro. Features like audio transcription and text summarizing work without an internet connection and without sending data to a cloud-based AI server. The list of AI-based features and capabilities is impressive, from things like proactive assistance and automation to using the Pixel 11 Pro as a personal AI assistant. The Pixel 11 Pro supports Quickshare/AirDrop compatibility allowing file transfers to/from an iPhone, and supports tap to share allowing contacts, photos, videos and more to be shared with nearby Android devices. It also includes personal safety features such as VPN by Google, theft protection, satellite SOS and car crash detection. If you tend to keep your phone at least 4 or 5 years, you'll appreciate that the Pixel 11 Pro comes with 7 years of OS, Pixel Drop and security updates. Summary My overall impression of the Pixel 11 Pro is incredibly positive and I don't have anything very negative to say about it. I've aired my one small grievance with the Files app. I wish it were less expensive including storage upgrades and that all models came with 16GB of RAM, but unfortunately today's RAM and SSD supply/demand situation are strong drivers of pricing. So far I have not seen any indications that 12GB RAM is a performance limiter or forces apps to be closed. The Pixel 11 Pro has been a complete pleasure to use and I don't see how I could be much happier with it. It is solid, stable and responsive, with a rich, capable and useful set of features to explore. This particular phone in the canyon color with gold trim seems to appear frequently in ads and is really beautiful. If you're considering a phone in this class, the Pixel 11 Pro will not disappoint and should definitely make your short list.

📦 UNBOXING: Inside the box, you’ll find the Pixel 11 Pro, a USB-C to C cable, and some basic documentation. No wall adapter is included, and since it’s eSIM only in the US, there is no sim ejector tool. Like Pixel releases of the past couple years, the box is very small with a lot of recyclable packaging which is great. 💪 BUILD: The Pixel 11 Pro retains much of the same design language as the Pixel 9 and 10 Pro. It has an aluminum housing with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the display and the back of the phone. Interestingly, the Obsidian version (which I have) is the only version of the phone with a matte finish aluminum frame, while the other models have a polished finish aluminum frame. If you prefer not to use a case, then I would be cautious about the Obsidian model because the matte finish can cause the phone to slide right out of your hand compared to the polished aluminum finish on the other models. At the bottom, you have a USB-C port that supports USB 3.2 gen 2 capabilities, a speaker grill on the right, and a microphone grill on the left. Long gone is the sim tray with only eSIM support for the US model. On the back of the phone is the camera bump that lets the phone lay on its back without rocking. Hidden under the back glass is support for 25W Qi 2.2 magnetic wireless charging. Lastly, the 6.3” Super Actua Display uses an OLED panel that is even brighter, leverages 2x scratch resistant display coatings, and remains fast and responsive. Like previous years, it also has a pinhole cutout selfie camera which can also be used for face unlock, and there’s an ultrasonic sensor under the display for fingerprint unlocking which I found to be much more reliable than the Pixel 9 Pro regardless of whether I had a screen protector installed. 📱 DISPLAY: The Pixel 11 Pro continues to use a 6.3” LTPO OLED panel with a resolution of 1280 x 2856 for a crisp 495 PPI. It reaches 2,400 nits for HDR brightness and 3,600 nits peak brightness while continuing to support a variable refresh rate window of 1Hz - 120Hz. It’s incredibly bright, making it very easy to see in outdoor conditions, but running it near maximum brightness will take a hit on battery life. Out of the box, Pixel 11 Pro still is configured to run in High Resolution mode at 1080 x 2410 instead of the native 1280 x 2856, but it is already so incredibly sharp that there isn’t a need to run at the native resolution since that can negatively impact battery life and performance. Throughout my use, animations were responsive and motion was fluid. It’s what we expect out of high-end flagship phones, and the Pixel does not disappoint. 📷 CAMERA QUALITY: Pixel 11 Pro continues to have a great camera system, even if it’s just an incremental advancement from the prior generation. The camera bar houses a 50MP 1/1.3” Main, a 48MP 123 degree Ultrawide, and a 48MP 1/2" 5x Telephoto. The front camera is a 42MP autofocus camera with a 103 degree FOV. As has been the case for recent Pixel phones, images are sharp, vibrant, and deliver excellent contrast. And with the newer Tensor G6 silicon, the image processing pipeline is faster than the previous generation, so you won’t be waiting a ton of time to view those fully processed high resolution stills. The optical zoom telephoto camera kicks in when you select 5x zoom in the camera app, and the 10x zoom will use a crop of the 48MP sensor. However, between 10x and 30x zoom, the Pixel uses a digital crop of the image leading to more noise and less detail. Under great lighting conditions, the resulting image may still be quite usable. Beyond 30x, you can download the “Pro Zoom” AI model which unlocks support for up to 120x zoom, but will use generative AI processing on a highly digitally cropped image to try producing something usable. This isn’t enabled by default, and it falls apart with smaller details like text and faces at such a distance, but it could be useful for capturing a photo from a utility perspective. From a photography or artistic perspective, the 120x zoom doesn’t yield a “photograph” but instead a generative AI interpretation of a collection of noisy pixels. Instant Night Sight is a new addition to the Pixel 11 Pro which allows you to capture low light photos without having to hold still for very long. You do have to enable Night Sight in the camera app, and also limit your image to a 12MP resolution to use “Instant” Night Sight, but this can be really valuable if you find yourself needing to take many photos in a low-light environment. It reduces the friction of having to wait, especially if what you’re trying to capture in low light is also in motion. 🎥 NOTABLE CAMERA FEATURES: Google has been leaning into generative AI much more in recent years with their magic eraser tool and the ability to “reimagine” photos. But the Pixel 11 Pro’s camera app doesn’t make AI features egregiously prominent, but they are generally useful. However, if you want to lean into generative AI, you can now edit photos through a prompt to Gemini in the cloud right from the Google Photos app. In my experience though, most edits I tried to make via prompting yielded pretty lackluster results. Thankfully, all the traditional offline editing features still remain available in the app as prominent features. A notable feature on Pixel 11 Pro is Magic Capture. It allows you to basically record a video at 1080p@30fps and will use AI to automatically capture key moments into photos. And if you turn on Video Boost before recording, you can record 4K 10-bit HDR quality for the video. During the recording process, you can manually capture moments with the press of a button, and even capture moments later by pausing the video and selecting “save as photo”. How this differs from just saving a photo from a normal video is that Magic Capture can use adjacent frames from key moments to reduce motion blur, combine exposures, determine the best framing, and reconstruct detail to produce a still image. In my experience, the stills produced by Magic Capture were higher resolution, while the ones created by “save as photo” were not nearly as crisp. I think this feature could be great for those who prefer to live in the moment and still get photos. Video creators also get new features like an auto-teleprompter that progresses as you speak, “projects” which organize your recorded videos into project directories and edit/combine them, a “social media grid” for the optimal framing for recording vertical format video, and speech enhancement to cut out unwanted background noise. Most casual Pixel users probably won’t make much use of these features, but several of these features can be quite useful for personal projects that never reach social media. And last but not least, Pixel 11 Pro introduces “Looks” which allow you to stylize your personal photo aesthetic to be consistent across all of your captures. There are 4 base looks to choose from which change how light is collected from the sensor and processed, and another 6 creative styles that you can apply on top of your selected Look. While I appreciate the artistic expression available in this feature, how to use it is poorly explained in the Pixel Camera app. 🔋 BATTERY: Pixel 11 Pro has a 4,850 mAh battery that Google claims can reach 30+ hours. It will of course depend on how you use it, but my experience has been great thus far with mostly mixed use of web browsing, email, chat apps, social media, YouTube, and the camera app. I’m able to get a full day of use, and charging overnight is all I need to get the most out of it during the day. In a pinch, it can charge to 55% in about 30 minutes when using a 30W USB-C PPS adapter. And for those who prefer wireless charging, Pixel 11 Pro supports 25W Qi 2.2 charging, so existing Qi 2 accessories should work at 15W while newer Qi 2.2 accessories should charge at a full 25W. 🧠 SOFTWARE / PERFORMANCE: The Pixel 11 Pro has remained very responsive during my testing. I didn’t experience any stutter, lag, or crashing. It takes much of what I liked about the Pixel 9 Pro and made some iterative improvements. However, there is a hidden caveat for this year’s base model—RAM. In addition to completely omitting a 128GB model altogether, this year’s 256GB model of the Pixel 11 Pro comes with only 12GB of RAM—down from the 16GB found on even the 128GB base models of the 9 Pro and 10 Pro. This means it may be less future-proof in some ways than its predecessor unless AI models become significantly more efficient on existing hardware. But compared to the prior 2 generations, it is certainly possible that you’ll experience more apps being killed in the background. But my experience thus far has been great, even with the 12GB of RAM. On performance—one thing that’s worth mentioning is that Google’s new Tensor G6 focuses on AI performance improvements and better efficiency. Google’s own marketing makes almost no mention of mobile gaming; rather, they sweep it under the rug. So if you want to play graphically intense games on Android, then the Pixel will likely disappoint as its graphics capabilities are significantly behind its competitors. 🧐 CONCLUSION: The Pixel 11 Pro is a great Android phone, but it arrives at a bit of a strange time. Sentiment around AI is declining, the RAM shortage is causing “shrinkflation” for the Pixel 11 Pro, and the improvements this year are largely incremental. If you’re coming from a much older phone, then it’s undoubtedly an awkward time to buy a Pixel phone. But if you don’t mind losing some RAM and not having a cheaper 128GB model, then there still is a lot to really like about the Pixel 11 Pro. But if you’re coming from a more recent Pixel 9 series phone, then my recommendation is to wait.