Here's How the Cameras on Google's New Pixel 11 Phones Compare to the iPhone

Credit: Google

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Ahead of its annual Made by Google event in New York City, Google revealed the details of its upcoming line of Pixel 11 phones, including specs of their all-important cameras. Pixel 11 phones will come in three versions: the base Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro, and the Pixel 11 Pro XL. The Pro and Pro XL cameras have the same features, while the base model sports a slightly scaled-down photographic system.

Pixel 11 base model camera features

The standard Pixel 11's camera setup is a step up from the Pixel 10, but not a gigantic leap. The main improvement is the brighter main sensor; the lenses are close to last year's hardware. Here's how it breaks down:

Main: 48MP wide camera (rear) with a 1/1.56" sensor (larger than last year's model) to improve light input.

Ultrawide: 13MP, which is identical to the Pixel 10's ultrawide camera specs.

Telephoto: 10.8MP telephoto with 5X optical zoom and a 30x digital zoom. Also the same as the Pixel 10.

Front camera: 10.5MP, also identical to the Pixel 10.

Pixel 11 Pro tier camera features

Google is throwing the heavy hardware improvements into its pro-level phones, bumping up both the resolution and sensor sizes across almost every lens.

Main: 50MP wide camera, with a 1/1.3" sensor for improved light-gathering.

Ultrawide: 48MP ultrawide camera, a big leap from the 13MP ultrawide of the base model.

Telephoto: 48MP telephoto with 5X optical zoom and an "AI-powered" 120x Pro Zoom.

Front camera: The Pro's 42MP selfie camera is a big step up from the 10.5MP camera on the base Pixel 11.

How does the latest Pixel compare to the newest iPhone 17 Pro?

With Apple's iPhones holding down over 50% of the U.S. smart phone market compared to Pixel's 3%, Google faces a real battle to win over buyers. Camera quality is a powerful weapon in its arsenal. Most consumers consider the camera an important choice when choosing between cell phones, and it's the most important feature for about half of younger users. Here's how Pixel 11's pro tier camera stacks up against the iPhone 17 Pro's best camera offerings.

Main sensor: The Pixel 11 Pro edges out Apple slightly with a 50MP lens compared to the iPhone 17 Pro's 48MP, but megapixels are more complex than just "more is better." Apple's main sensor is 1/1.28," which is slightly larger than the Pixel's 1/1.3" sensor, and sensor size is more important to low-light performance and dynamic range than raw pixels. So this one's closer to a wash than the megapixel numbers suggest.

Ultrawide: It's dead even. Both phones feature 48-megapixel ultrawide lenses.

Telephoto: When it comes to zooming, Google is slightly ahead, offering 5x zoom to Apple's 4x, but in terms of digital zoom, the Pixel 11 Pro's 120x zoom towers over Apple's 40x zoom—in a way. Google's "pro zoom" is built on generative AI, producing plausible details for things it can't see, leading to a realistic-looking photo. Apple's approach uses AI more modestly, focusing on stacking multiple exposures to reduce noise and fill in details. The end result: Apple's extreme zoom is more grainy and noisy, but also more real.

Front camera: The Pixel has a real advantage here with a 42MP sensor compared to Apple's 18MP selfie camera.

The bottom line: it's a draw

Both lines of smart phone cameras are roughly equal in terms of raw power. The main difference is largely a philosophical one. Apple might be losing the extreme magnification fight by capping its digital zoom to a relatively modest 40x, but it's also avoiding producing photos that are largely a product of artificial intelligence. If you want to push the boundaries of what a lens can capture with the help of generative AI, and you're not overly concerned about verisimilitude, the Pixel is the choice. If you want to keep it real (well, real-ish, anyway) the iPhone is the choice.