Google Pixel 11 Pro vs. Pixel 11 Pro XL

The Pixel 11 series was announced back in August, and the dust has already settled. But if you're looking to get the latest and greatest hardware from Google, you're probably wondering which Pixel to get. The most common dilemma is between the Google Pixel 11 Pro and the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL. And aside from the obvious size difference, the two phones are more different than you might think.

So if size isn't a deciding factor for you, you may want to know which one has the better battery life, for example, or which one charges faster. And are there any other differences that aren't immediately obvious? Let's find out.

Table of Contents:

• Design
• Display
• Battery Life
• Charging
• Speaker Test
• Performance
• Cameras
• Verdict

For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor's assessment in the following text.

Size comparison

As the name implies, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is the extra-large version of the Pixel 11 Pro flagship, sporting a 6.8-inch display. The XL is considerably taller and wider, though not any thicker. It will be a challenge for many to operate with one hand, so if you're looking for something more manageable, the standard 11 Pro is the more sensible choice. Interestingly, though, the latter isn't much lighter than the XL despite the size difference.

There's no difference in build quality, however, as both handsets use Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for the front and back panels, along with aluminum frames. Both also carry an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

Display comparison

Beyond the obvious size difference, the two displays are pretty much identical in terms of features. Both support HDR10+, offer a 120Hz refresh rate and reach roughly the same peak brightness.

It all boils down to how big you want your screen to be.

Battery life

Initially, we were expecting a bigger gap in battery endurance, but the duo proved to be remarkably consistent. Sure, the Pixel 11 Pro XL comes out on top thanks to its larger 5,115 mAh battery (vs. 4,850 mAh), but it only has a meaningful advantage in our web browsing test. The other three tests return very similar results.

At the end of the day, the difference is quite negligible.

Charging speed

Our charging test is where the Pixel 11 Pro XL truly outshines the smaller Pro, which is hardly surprising given the difference in charging power. The regular Pixel 11 Pro supports up to 30W over Power Delivery, while the Pro XL goes up to 45W.

The XL is significantly ahead at both the 15-minute and 30-minute marks, and reaches a full charge 20 minutes sooner. That's a substantial difference.

Wireless charging is the same across the range, as all Pixels this year support 25W Qi2.2 magnetic wireless charging.

Speaker test

The loudspeaker tuning is another easy-to-miss advantage for the Pixel 11 Pro XL. While both handsets score similarly in terms of loudness, the Pro XL's tuning is noticeably better. Tracks generally sound fuller and clearer.

Performance

Since both devices belong to the same generation, they share the same Tensor G6 SoC, so there are no surprises here. Storage configurations are seemingly identical as well, so you can expect virtually identical performance.

You can get both phones in 12GB/256GB, 16GB/512GB or 16GB/1TB memory variations.

Benchmark performance

As you can see, there's not much of a difference between the two devices in synthetic benchmarks. There's no meaningful difference in our CPU and GPU stress tests either, with both phones throttling to a similar degree.

Camera comparison

The two Pixel 11 Pro models feature identical camera setups, so there's no difference between the regular Pro and the XL here. Both have a triple rear camera system with a wide main camera, a particularly wide ultrawide and a telephoto. The setup is almost unchanged from the previous generation, aside from the new, larger sensor used for the telephoto.

The main camera uses a 50MP 1/1.3" sensor paired with a roughly 24mm-equivalent lens. It's joined by a 12mm-equivalent ultrawide with a 50MP sensor (48MP according to Google's specs). At the same time, the new telephoto uses a 50MP 1/1.95" sensor (also listed as 48MP by Google) and offers roughly 5x optical zoom. Depending on the source, its equivalent focal length is listed as either 106mm or 111mm.

The selfie cameras are identical as well, pairing an ultrawide 17-18mm-equivalent lens with a 42MP sensor.

Image quality

Daylight

With identical camera hardware on both phones, it should come as no surprise that they produce largely identical photos. If you do happen to spot a difference, it's just as likely to be down to shot-to-shot variation as it is to the fact that one was taken on the Pro and the other on the Pro XL.

The main camera's 1x photos are pretty great, with some of that characteristic Pixel grittiness, but also plenty of detail. Dynamic range is excellent, colors are superb, and overall, there's very little to complain about.

Things are a little less impressive at 2x, where Google's phones haven't exactly been at the cutting edge. The 11 Pros, whether regular or XL, are merely alright here.

Daylight comparison, main camera (1x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

Daylight comparison, main camera (2x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

The telephoto camera photos are, once again, essentially identical regardless of which Pixel Pro size you choose. The 5x shots are very good, both overall and on a pixel level, with solid detail and sharpness. The 10x shots are more average, with noticeably softer detail.

Daylight comparison, telephoto camera (5x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

Daylight comparison, telephoto camera (10x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

The story continues on the ultrawide end, where you can expect the same results from both the Pixel 11 Pro and the Pro XL.

Daylight comparison, ultrawide camera (0.5x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

Low light

Both phones will get you excellent low-light photos at 1x. The 2x results aren't quite at the level the Pixel phones aspire to be, though.

Low-light comparison, main camera (1x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

Low-light comparison, main camera (2x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

The telephoto cameras will also return more or less the same results between the two phones, though we did get some outliers here with the white balance and we're not entirely sure why. Someone somewhere didn't migrate all of the code from one build to the other? Either way, the images are very good, all things considered, if not necessarily the sharpest in the industry at 5x, and the 10x shots also hold up well.

Low-light comparison, telephoto camera (5x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

Low-light comparison, telephoto camera (10x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

There were no outliers on the ultrawide, where both phones capture the same photos - solid, without really impressing.

Low-light comparison, ultrawide camera (0.5x): Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

Selfies

We are rather liking the Pixel Pros' selfie camera for its ultrawide coverage and AF capability. The daytime shots are pretty great too, but the low-light results aren't nearly good enough. Still, no difference between the two models.

Selfies comparison: Pixel 11 Pro • Pixel 11 Pro XL

Video quality

Below, we have a few frame grabs from videos recorded by the two phones at each focal length to make direct comparison easier.

Video recording capabilities are identical as well, with up to 4K60 available across all cameras, complete with 10-bit HDR support and Google's somewhat unusual cloud-based 8K mode.

Both Pixels capture very good daytime video, with attractive and consistent overall rendering across all three cameras. Pixel-peeping may leave you a little disappointed, though, as the footage isn't among the sharpest around. Still, there's nothing here to set the two phones apart.

Daylight video screengrabs, Pixel 11 Pro: 0.5x • 1x • 5x

Daylight video screengrabs, Pixel 11 Pro XL: 0.5x • 2x • 5x

At night, the yardsticks change a little, and the main cameras fare pretty well even when it comes to sharpness, the telephotos are alright, but the ultrawides are best avoided.

Low-light video screengrabs, Pixel 11 Pro: 0.5x • 1x • 5x

Low-light video screengrabs, Pixel 11 Pro XL: 0.5x • 1x • 5x

Verdict

The easiest way to look at it is this: if you're after a big-screen experience, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is the obvious choice, while the regular Pixel 11 Pro makes more sense if you want something more compact. Since the two phones share most of their hardware, you'd expect there to be very little separating them beyond size.

Look a little closer, though, and the Pixel 11 Pro XL's higher price - a $180 premium in the US and €200 in Europe - starts to make more sense. The XL offers slightly better battery life in web browsing, better-sounding speakers and considerably faster charging. Whether those advantages are worth the extra money is ultimately up to you.

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

256GB 12GB RAM	$ 1,064.89	£ 879.00
512GB 16GB RAM	$ 1,219.00	£ 1,199.00
Show all prices

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

256GB 12GB RAM	$ 1,299.00	£ 1,079.00
512GB 16GB RAM	$ 1,419.00	£ 1,399.00
Show all prices