Google's new compact flagship is undoubtedly a great phone. The problem? Last year's Pixel 10 Pro makes so much more sense
The Pixel 11 Pro is the most underwhelming phone I’ve tried in years.
Not because it’s a bad device – quite the opposite – but because it fails to justify any of the pre-launch hype.
There are new features here, of course, but I’d question whether it’s even an upgrade over last year’s Pixel 10 Pro. With a massive price differential, Google is pushing people towards the older phone, and I think that’s where you should be headed, too.
Here’s why I strongly believe that the Pixel 10 Pro is a better buy than the new 11 Pro.
HiLight is Google’s dumbest feature in years
The flagship feature on Google’s new Pixel 11 Pro phones is… a notification light. Seriously.
HiLight might’ve launched to much fanfare, but at launch, its scope is incredibly limited. It’ll flash when you receive an incoming call from a starred contact, or pulse depending on what Google’s Gemini AI assistant is doing. That’s literally it.
If you care about intentional smartphone use, HiLight is not a valid solution
To make matters worse, one of HiLight’s customisation features isn’t even available yet. Rather than being able to select specific colours for each contact, everyone pops up in a basic pale blue. What was Google thinking?!
It doesn’t look like HiLight will be getting much better, either. Google has committed to adding support for starred contact messages, but there’s no mention of support for third-party apps. It’s a genuinely baffling new feature, and the biggest gimmick I’ve seen on a Pixel phone in years.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Google says that HiLight will help you to “stay informed without having to look at your screen”. But multiple studies suggest that the mere presence of a smartphone next to you has a detrimental effect on cognitive performance, including concentration and attention. If you care about intentional smartphone use, HiLight is not a valid solution.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Of course, the feature can easily be turned off in Settings. But it defeats the point of having it in the first place, and means you’re left with a huge white blob on the back of your phone. Why not get the Pixel 10 Pro, which has a superior design and means you don’t have to deal with it?
RAM downgrade doesn’t matter… but neither do the ‘upgrades’
Much has been made of Google downgrading the base Pixel 11 Pro models from 16- to 12GB. RAMageddon is almost certainly to blame, but it’s still tough to take… until you start actually using it.
In my early experience, the 11 Pro is every bit as rapid as the Pixel 10 Pro XL I’ve used extensively. Rapid multitasking – something which puts a lot of strain on the RAM – has been practically flawless. With Android 17 highly optimised for Pixels, I don’t expect to run into any performance issues, even while gaming.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Unfortunately, there are also no new features that significantly improve the experience, either. The Tensor G6 and new MediaTek modem are nice additions, but there are no signs of them transforming performance or connectivity.
I fail to see a single upgrade that justifies buying the Pixel 11 Pro over the 10 Pro
The 50Mp main and 48Mp telephoto cameras are both new sensors, but early testing suggests results will be very similar to last year. Magic Capture, the big new AI camera addition this year, works better than expected, but I still wouldn’t trust it to effectively and consistently capture my best memories.
The only real camera feature that makes a difference is the dramatically reduced shutter lag, especially while using Night Sight in low light.
The photos I’ve taken so far (see a selection below) are undoubtedly very good. But are they noticeably better than the Pixel 10 Pro? I’d argue no.
All in all, I fail to see a single upgrade that justifies buying the Pixel 11 Pro over the 10 Pro.
The Pixel 10 Pro is hundreds cheaper (and looks better)
If the Pixel 11 Pro wasn’t already a tough sell, the current price of its predecessor significantly complicates matters.
At the time of writing, you can pick up the Pixel 10 Pro from Amazon in the UK for only £799 – that’s £200 off its £999 RRP. Compare that to the 11 Pro, which will set you back at least £1,079, and there’s no contest.
I’d argue that the Pixel 10 Pro actually looks better than its successor
Sure, you get double the storage on the new model, but that’s definitely not worth the extra £280. You could buy all of Google’s first-party Pixelsnap accessories and still have plenty of change to spare!
The current price isn’t quite as appealing in the US, where it’s only dropped from $999 to $914.99. But that’s still a significant saving compared to the $1,099 11 Pro.
It’s not as though you’ll have to put up with a design downgrade, either. I’d argue that the Pixel 10 Pro actually looks better than its successor, especially with a more discreet white blob on the back. Unlike HiLight, it can measure the temperature of all sorts of objects, so it’s actually useful.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
And the new ‘Olive’ colourway on my review sample is essentially a slightly more washed-out version of last year’s ‘Jade’. The old colour selection wins every time for me.
As you can tell, the Pixel 11 Pro hasn’t overly impressed me so far. I have no doubts that it’s an excellent phone, but so is the Pixel 10 Pro, and you can save a wad of cash by opting for the older model. It’s a no-brainer.
