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As our review of the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL nears completion, we wanted to share some of our thoughts on the three phones. The performance is a bit faster; its cameras are mildly improved (not that they were bad); and it has all-day battery life. While I do like the Creator Suite, the newly added HiLight rear light doesn’t offer enough features or app support to be useful for now, and the company’s ProActive Assistance isn’t where it needs to be. However, there’s still plenty to love about the new Pixel 11 phones.
Here are our five favorite things about the Pixel 11 series.
1. Magic Capture
My favorite new feature is easily Magic Capture, which lets you capture video and photos simultaneously. Powered by both on-device intelligence and Gemini models, it can record up to 2 minutes of video and generate perfectly timed, high-quality 12-megapixel HDR images in real time. It even applies automated edits like cropping and unblurring so your shots are immediately ready to share. On Pro models, enabling Video Boost in the Magic Capture settings unlocks 4K 10-bit HDR. I’ve used it several times with my kids and nearby geese and have been satisfied with the selected images about 98% of the time. However, if you’re ever not satisfied with the images Google selected, you can easily grab your own by scrubbing through your footage, pausing, and tapping ‘Save as Photo.’
2. Rambler
Rambler elevates voice typing by stripping away filler words, extended pauses, and other distractions. As a creator who regularly cuts out endless “umms” during video editing, I find it boosts speech-to-text speed to nearly typing speed while delivering superior accuracy. It even supports voice-driven text manipulation—letting you add emojis or request edits like, “Make this shorter and more direct.” I dictated a section of this review mid-run during a quick rest, and the output was surprisingly solid. Rambler supports 11 languages (Arabic, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish), but remember to enable it in Gboard Settings to avoid falling back to standard voice typing, which is also really good.
3. Camera Looks
Google has also introduced new image presets in the camera app termed “Camera Looks.” Rather than acting as basic filters, these function as specific tone and color adjustments applied during capture to maintain natural skin tones. The feature ships with four default looks—including Original, Natural (which reduces depth and fine detail), Shadows (for heightened contrast), and Vanilla (for a warmer tone)—and allows for added film grain. Swiping right opens up more options, such as Editorial, Velvet, Classic, Digi, Black Tie, and Minimal, where users can fine-tune brightness, contrast, and highlights. Overall, it is a thoughtful and impressive addition to the Pixel camera experience.
4. Instant Night Sight
The new Tensor G6 chip, with its upgraded Image Signal Processor (ISP), works alongside Google’s AI models to pull off the impressive Instant Night Sight feature. Night Sight captures low-light photos up to 4.5 times faster than the Pixel 10 and older models, reducing multi-second capture times to a fraction of a second. While it is noticeably quicker than previous generations, it isn’t strictly instant. Thanks to the upgraded lenses and improved sensors, low-light results appear slightly brighter and marginally sharper with excellent detail. The new low-light mode supports 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, and 10x optical and digital zoom levels and works directly on the front-facing selfie camera. However, full-sensor-resolution low-light capture is unavailable on the Pro models because Instant Night Sight relies on advanced pixel technology that operates exclusively in 12MP resolution mode.
5. Tap To Share
Google relocated the NFC chip to the top of the Pixel 11 series phones, making Tap-to-Share, which is Quick Share’s newest feature, much easier and more intuitive to use. Especially since I find myself using Quick Share with my wife’s Pixel and for AirDrop more often than before. By simply overlapping the top of two unlocked devices, users can instantly share contact cards, photos, videos, links, and locations. The feature works seamlessly as advertised across compatible Android devices, including the Pixel 6 running Android 17.
For those of you who pre-ordered a Pixel 11 phone, let me know which of these you like, or share your favorite features. If you don’t have one and are looking for a new phone, the Google Pixel 11 series might be the way to go for you.
