Google’s Pixel 11 Makes the Most Compelling Case Yet to Switch From an iPhone

In a year in which so many phones have received barely noticeable improvements paired with higher prices, I initially thought Google’s $899 Pixel 11 would be more of the same. But over the course of a week, the Pixel 11 kept surprising me in so many ways.

When I took the Pixel 11 on photo walks around New York, the camera made everything look incredible. Whether it was a photo from the 5x telephoto camera showing individual water droplets spraying out of a sprinkler, an image with brick-filled views in Manhattan’s West Village where two rainbow flags a block away show up clear as day thanks to the 30x zoom or the way the Pixel 11 brightens up a nondescript Brooklyn building at evening for a lovely night mode pic, it’s hard to remember that this is just Google’s baseline flagship.

The surprises continue with how the phone responds to actions, such as the haptic motor. I’m delighted by the way it vibrates when I type – each letter press is incredibly satisfying. The Pixel 11 unlocks incredibly fast, whether I’m using the under-display fingerprint sensor or Face Unlock.

Even some of the new software features took me by surprise. I was ready to read the subtitles while watching a German-language video on YouTube when the phone’s Live Translate feature suddenly kicked on and dubbed the television show with an approximation of the actors’ voices. This feature’s admittedly glitchy (stray phrases found their way in), but it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen from a phone.

The refinements and new features, when combined with the Pixel 11’s substantially improved (albeit not perfect) method for transferring iPhone data, make it easy to recommend Google’s base phone. So much so that we’re giving it a CNET Editors’ Choice award because for most people, the Pixel 11 will be a delightful upgrade option as well as a fantastic way to bridge over to Android from an iPhone. 

Pixel 11 design

Google’s Pixel 11 looks a lot like the Pixel 10 — carrying over the pill-shaped camera bar and similar 6.3-inch screen. But when I hold the Pixel 11, it’s easier to notice a more substantial redesign. It weighs 9 grams less than the Pixel 10 (about the same weight as two sheets of regular printer paper) and has a camera bar that’s 40% slimmer. Shaving off weight without actually compromising features is a feat in itself, as more recent flagships like the iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S26 are slightly heavier than their predecessors.

I tested a Pixel 11 in Frost (light blue). I kept it in a matching PixelSnap case, which sits flush with the camera bar, allowing it to lie fully flat like the $499 Pixel 10A. The Pixel 11 is one of a handful of Android phones with built-in Qi2.2 magnets for magnetic accessories like wallets and portable chargers. That should appeal to iPhone owners making the jump, since they could still use most of their MagSafe accessories with the Pixel 11.

Pixel 11 software

The Pixel 11 runs Android 17. There’s a new Android Switch app that makes switching from an iPhone easier. The new setup process works directly with the iPhone’s Transfer to Android feature (iOS 26 and newer) and moves:

• Text messages and history
• Home screen layout
• Apple Notes to Google Keep app
• Apple Voice Memos to Google’s Recorder app
• My phone number from a physical SIM card to eSIM 

The updated Android Switch process alleviates many of the biggest pain points of moving from iPhone to Android. But there are still some bumps when it comes to leaving iMessage that Apple and Google need to work out. While my text history made the move, I was “no longer a member” of several group chats, even after running the setup process twice. A Google representative said these group chats can take time to fully sync over. 

Once past those hurdles, the Pixel 11 was so much fun to use. Pixel-specific features like Live Translate are jaw-dropping and show the lengths Google has gone to make accessibility a priority. When watching a drama originally spoken in German, I noticed that the live translation carries over the character’s tone and speaking style — almost like a professional dubbing. I recommend using subtitles, as there were moments where some phrases weren’t picked up.

The Pixel 11’s Rambler, a revamped voice dictation tool that follows your stream of thought, even if you change your mind or correct yourself, performs well. I used it to dictate a message to a friend that I needed to be back for a 3 p.m. appointment. Rambler initially wrote that as “3:00 p.m.” — which I don’t do. I changed it to just “3 p.m.” and moving forward, whenever I dictated the time, Rambler correctly formatted it without the zeros. It was also amusing to tell Rambler the phrase “Write in all caps what do you mean question mark, exclamation point” and then get “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!” written into the notes app. I don’t think it’s going to change how I use voice dictation — most of the time I’ll just speak the message the way I text it — but it’s a nice convenience.

Gemini features are front and center on the Pixel 11, and I find their usefulness to range from helpful to “I’ll never use this again.” I tried making the Gemini assistant take on basic tasks like making a brunch reservation or asking it to look up how long it will take me to transit between my two evening appointments, which are nice shortcuts as opposed to digging into OpenTable or copying over addresses from my calendar to Google Maps. I used Gemini Omni to create a stop motion-style video of the Pokemon character Psyduck walking along a beach — all cute stuff, but all of it is also available on other Android phones.

The Pixel 11 gets seven years of software and security updates, and Google often provides additional features through the Pixel Feature Drop program. Just in the last year, Apple AirDrop compatibility arrived through a feature drop rather than waiting for a major Android release.

Pixel 11 battery life

The phone’s battery life holds up very well — I easily ended each day with 40-50% charge, after starting with a full battery. In our 45-minute endurance test, the Pixel 11’s battery depleted from 100% to 95%. This included video streaming, texting, reading articles and playing games. That’s roughly equivalent to last year’s Pixel 10 and slightly better than Samsung’s Galaxy S26. During our 3-hour YouTube streaming test held at maximum display brightness, the Pixel 11 depleted from 100% to 81%, which is slightly more battery drain than the Galaxy S26 and iPhone 17.

While Google carries over the same 30-watt wired charging speed as last year’s Pixel 10, the phone’s wireless charging has been bumped up to 25-watt Qi2.2 speeds, making it equivalent to what Apple provides for all iPhone 17 phones, aside from the 17E. 

In our 30-minute wired and wireless charging tests, the drained Pixel 11 hit 52% and 29%, respectively, putting it in range but slightly slower than the Galaxy S26 and iPhone 17. During a day when the Pixel 11 started at 50%, I appreciated that I could use the phone’s “Extreme Charging Mode” to recharge the battery from 20% to 90% in 55 minutes.

Pixel 11 processor

Google’s Tensor G6 processor can handle plenty of everyday tasks, but it isn’t necessarily the most powerful chip on the market. 

In my use, I could zip in and out of many apps and services without issue. But for gaming, the Pixel 11 came up short compared to phones running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, like the Galaxy S26. Most $900 phones can easily run Fortnite at high graphics settings, but the Pixel 11 struggled running it on Low settings at 30 frames per second.

The Pixel 11 ran plenty of other games well, like Fall Guys at 60 frames per second (on “Best” graphics settings). Animation-heavy games and services like Duolingo and Sonic Mania also worked fine. If you’re hoping to run console-quality multiplayer games regularly on your phone, this is an area where Apple’s iPhone 17 series, Samsung’s Galaxy S26 or perhaps a gaming-specific phone will be a better fit.

Pixel 11 cameras, Magic Capture, Night Sight

The Pixel 11’s camera is the biggest reason to consider getting it over rival phones. The camera hardware is the same as the Pixel 10, but Google’s giving it plenty of juice to take colorful, clear images in nearly every lighting situation. And key this year is a longer 30x digital zoom range that captures detailed photos by taking a burst of images, and then uses software to stitch them together and sharpen the image. I suspect it’s good enough for most people that you’d need a compelling reason to upgrade further to a Pixel 11 Pro or 11 Pro XL, which have larger sensors and an even longer 120x zoom for those of you who obsess about image quality.

While walking around Manhattan, I took these photos of a fountain in a park with both the wide-angle 48-megapixel camera and the 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto. The telephoto image looks absolutely incredible — you can easily see the individual droplets flying through the air and the splashes that are hitting the ground.

I took the photos below, facing the waterfront on an overcast day at Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, Queens. At the orange park stand, I saw a historical photo that would be a perfect test for the telephoto camera. On the zoomed photo (at the max 30x), you can clearly see rain droplets on the historical black-and-white photo — it’s such a minuscule detail that you don’t normally get when using digital zoom.

On a brighter day in New York’s West Village, I took these photos of a streetscape at 1x and two small rainbow flags on someone’s balcony at 30x. Despite being quite a distance, you can still see the flag’s wrinkles and the balcony’s peeling paint in the zoomed-in shot.

The 10.5-megapixel selfie camera is the same as on the Pixel 10, but I like how it has a wider 0.7x magnification, which will be great for getting more people in the frame. Notice the details in my hair and face, as well as the grass and plants in the background.

While Google’s faster Night Sight for taking photos in dark environments is being reserved for the Pixel 11 Pro, the old reliable version still produces great results on the Pixel 11. On this dark street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the wide and ultrawide photos look much brighter than they did in real life. I think the ultrawide looks clearer since it captures more light sources along the street, although the trees and bricks in the background have a softer look.

Google put the biggest spotlight on the Pixel 11’s new AI-powered Magic Capture, which takes photos for you. The feature records a short video and picks the best moments to turn into photos. I’m not too impressed with it, especially compared with my colleague, CNET Principal Writer Andrew Lanxon, who liked the images he captured using it with the Pixel 11 Pro, including a skateboarder midair performing a trick.

I found that the photos Magic Capture chooses are OK, but I’m glad that there’s also the option to pick another still from the video file if it doesn’t get what you want. Also, you can’t choose the settings that the video outputs at (1,080p at 24 frames per second), and I noticed the resulting clip has substantially less stabilization. The Pixel 11 Pro can use video boost to clear some of this up, but that option isn’t available on the Pixel 11. Clearly, this is geared toward use cases like parents who want photos of their kids but don’t want to worry about whether they’re taking the photo at the perfect moment. But having it be one tool that can record a higher-quality video clip, in addition to letting me select frames to turn into photos, would be better.

I tried Magic Capture on my friend’s dog, Mavis. These dogs at the cafe are fast, making them particularly challenging to photograph — even for Magic Capture.

Mavis walked forward when I recorded the video clip, and you can see motion blur artifacts on her head. When jumping up against another dog, Magic Capture did get the best possible moment — but again, I don’t think it’s pulling any miracle shots from its video sample here. 

I appreciate that Google is leaning into an AI-assisted feature that isn’t about erasing people or changing faces to make sure everyone is smiling. But I feel like Magic Capture is currently a “nice to have” rather than a tool that I’d want to rely on. 

Google Pixel 11: The bottom line

Google’s Pixel 11 is the most iPhone-friendly Android phone I’ve tested, and it’s priced competitively, especially if the camera is important to you. For $899, you can get a phone that has excellent image processing and a telephoto camera with impressive zoom. It’s $200 less than an iPhone 17 Pro or a Google Pixel 11 Pro, but it can do nearly everything those phones can. Want more storage than 256GB? Google has a 512GB model for $1,019.

The Pixel also compares closely with the $900 Galaxy S26, with Samsung’s phone being a better pick if you want a more powerful processor for gaming. But I feel like Google’s efforts to ease the transition from an iPhone, with the updated Android Switch app and built-in PixelSnap magnets, give it wider appeal.

For most casual use, Google’s Pixel 11 packs quite a bit of that “Pro” feeling, like the new Live Translate for media, Rambler voice dictation, 30x Super Zoom and Gemini-powered assistant. The Pixel 11 Pro does have a more impressive camera setup with faster lowlight photography and a 120x zoom, along with a HiLight call notification light — but you’ll have to decide if those features are worth the extra money.

Everything the Pixel 11 does makes it an easy upgrade option if coming from a Pixel 8 or earlier, or even from Apple’s iPhone 14 series if you’re considering a switch from iOS. Since rumors suggest that Apple’s base iPhone 18 isn’t coming until spring of 2027, perhaps that leaves the door open for Google’s Pixel 11 to get more attention going into the holiday shopping season.

Google Pixel 11 vs. Samsung Galaxy S26, Apple iPhone 17

	Google Pixel 11	Samsung Galaxy S26	Apple iPhone 17
Display size, resolution	6.3-inch OLED, 2,424×1,080 pixels, 60 to120 Hz variable refresh rate	6.3-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate	6.3-inch OLED; 2,622 x 1,206 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate
Pixel density	422 ppi	411 ppi	460ppi
Dimensions (inches)	6.0×2.8×0.3in	5.89×2.82×0.28in	5.89 x 2.81 x 0.31in
Dimensions (millimeters)	152.4×71.1×7.6mm	149.6×71.7×7.2mm	149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95mm
Weight (ounces, grams)	195 g (6.9 oz)	167 g (5.89 oz.)	177 g (6.24 oz)
Mobile software	Android 17	Android 16	iOS 26
Camera	48-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultrawide), 10.8-megapixel (5x telephoto)	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto)	48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide)
Front-facing camera	10.5-megapixel	12-megapixel	18-megapixel
Video capture	4K at 60fps	8K	4K
Processor	Tensor G6	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy	Apple A19
RAM/Storage	12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB	12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB
Expandable storage	None	None	None
Battery/Charger	4,985 mAh	4,300 mAh	3,692 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Under display	Under display	None (Face ID)
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None	None
Special features	30W wired charging, 25W Qi 2.2 wireless charging, Gemini, Magic Capture, Creator Suite Rambler, Live Translate with American Sign Language, IP68 dust and water resistance, 7 years of software and security updates	2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; 25W wired charging (charger not included); 15W wireless charging; lacks built-in magnets; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover screen; Galaxy AI	Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range. IP68 resistance. Colors: black, white, mist blue, sage, lavender. Fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger.
Price (USD)	$899 (256GB), $1,019 (512GB)	$900 (256GB), $1,100 (512GB)	$829 (256GB), $1,029 (512GB)

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Every phone tested by CNET’s reviews team was actually used in the real world. We test a phone’s features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it’s bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s performance to its limits using standardized benchmark tools such as GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.

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