Five Features Coming to Every New Pixel 11 Device

Credit: René Ramos/CNET Group

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Hours before its big Made by Google event, Google officially unveiled the Pixel 11 series. The new line won't come as a surprise to anyone who follows Google tech: There's the new Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, as well as the Pixel 11 Pro Fold—for anyone who can get past the $1,899 starting price.

Each of these devices stands out in its own way: The Pixel 11 Pro XL is larger than the Pixel 11 and 11 Pro, while the Pixel 11 Pro Fold can open up to reveal one large inner display. Google has set up this series to allow customers to pick the phone that best aligns with their needs, but there are also features you get no matter which phone you go with. In fact, there seem to be five such upgrades each Pixel 11 device comes with. If you're looking for preorder deals, check out our guide here.

All Pixel 11 devices come with "HiLight"

HiLight is Google's flashiest (no pun intended) hardware upgrade this year. Each Pixel 11 device sports a new LED on its camera bar that can light up and glow. Google says you can rely on it to keep tabs on alerts while your Pixel is face down: You can set specific colors for individual contacts, so you know who's calling you without having to actually look at your phone first. HiLight will also glow when you use Gemini, and will have different light patterns to reflect Gemini's different states.

While HiLight's functionality is limited at launch, Google says that it has plans to expand it in the future. For example, HiLight will eventually support message notifications from your favorite contacts. That way, you can safely ignore your phone until HiLight starts glowing the color of your friend you're waiting for a text from.

Every Pixel 11 phone has improved cameras

Google's Pixel line might be best known for its cameras. As such, it only makes sense that the Pixel 11 series would ship with upgraded shooters. The Pixel 11 now has a 48MP main camera that Google says is 56% more sensitive to light. Plus, the 5x telephoto lens now supports Google's 30x "Super Zoom."

The Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL also get brand new sensors on the main cameras, while the telephoto camera gets bumped up to 48MP. Google says its new image sensor is 30% more light-sensitive than before. The Pros also support Portrait Mode at 5x zoom, and "Pro Zoom" at 120x. And when shooting in low-light conditions, Night Sight is now 4.5x faster than it was on Pixel 10 Pro. Finally, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold also comes with a new 48MP main camera that supports 30x Super Zoom.

Every Pixel 11 phone comes with upgraded charging

No matter which Pixel 11 device you choose, Google says you get upgraded charging over last year's Pixel 10. The Pixel 11 gets the fewest upgrades here, however: Google says it has the "fastest charging yet," using PixelSnap built-in, but that appears to be it.

All three "Pro" Pixel 11 devices, however, now support Qi 2.2, a faster wireless charging standard. If you use a 25W charger, you should notice quicker speeds when wirelessly charging. The Pixel 11 Pro XL might be the phone to get if charging speeds are your thing, however. With a 45W USB-C charger, Google says you can get 15 hours of use with 15 minutes of charging.

All Pixel 11 devices come with the Tensor G6

As with most smartphone upgrades, this year's series gets Google's latest chip: the Tensor G6. The company says Tensor G6 is the "fastest, most powerful" Google chip yet, and features a CPU that supports 25% faster web browsing and 15% faster app launches. The company claims the new chip can power on-device AI tasks 3.5x faster than Tensor G5, while at the same time being 3.5x more efficient than before. That should help power all of the AI features Google continues to push.

Every Pixel 11 device now start at 256GB

Say goodbye to 128GB of storage. Starting with the Pixel 11 series, all of Google's phones now start at 256GB. That news isn't as good as it sounds, though: While your base model Pixel 11 will have double the storage of a base model Pixel 10, Google still charges the same for 256GB as it did last year. That means the company effectively raised the entry price for each Pixel 11 device.