- Improved Fast Share and 7 years of software program updates.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL Evaluate: Google has spent years telling us that AI is the way forward for smartphones. With the Pixel 11 Professional XL, I believe the corporate has lastly reached some extent the place AI feels much less like a function and extra like a part of the telephone’s persona. The Pixel 11 Professional XL is just not a radical redesign. It’s not attempting to reinvent what a flagship smartphone appears to be like like both. As a substitute, Google has taken an already very succesful Pixel components and gone after the issues that matter most in each day use: the digital camera, battery, show, AI and, lastly, zoom.
And sure, there’s a 120x zoom mode.
However after spending time with the Pixel 11 Professional XL, I got here away with a barely extra fascinating conclusion. The very best factor about this telephone is not really the 120x zoom, the Tensor G6 and even Gemini. It’s how effortlessly all of those items come collectively.
There are nonetheless a couple of issues Google wants to repair, significantly HiLight, which seems like an excellent concept that has been launched far too early. However the Pixel 11 Professional XL is more and more beginning to really feel just like the flagship Google has needed to construct for years.
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Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: How Does It Really feel In Your Hand?
The Pixel 11 Professional XL is an enormous telephone. There is no such thing as a getting round that. It measures 162.7mm in top, 76.5mm in width and eight.5mm in thickness, whereas weighing 226g. These numbers initially sound fairly hefty, however there’s an fascinating comparability to be made right here.
The iPhone 17 Professional Max measures 163.4mm tall, 78mm extensive and eight.75mm thick, whereas weighing 231g. So regardless of having a 6.8-inch show, the Pixel 11 Professional XL is 0.7mm shorter, 1.5mm narrower, 0.25mm thinner and 5g lighter than Apple’s largest Professional iPhone. That won’t sound like a lot on paper, however you may really really feel the distinction.
The Pixel continues to be a big flagship, nevertheless it does not have the marginally unwieldy feeling that some ultra-sized smartphones can develop. It sits properly within the hand, and the narrower physique helps significantly while you’re attempting to function it with out continually readjusting your grip.
I significantly like that Google hasn’t gone down the absurdly skinny route only for the sake of placing a smaller quantity on the specification sheet. There’s something reassuring in regards to the Pixel 11 Professional XL’s proportions. It seems like an enormous telephone designed for use, quite than an enormous telephone designed to win a thickness competitors.
The 4 color choices additionally assist. Canyon, Olive, Fog and Matte Obsidian give the telephone a barely extra personality-driven look, with the matte Obsidian being the plain alternative in case you desire one thing understated.
And sure, the digital camera bar continues to be very a lot a Pixel.
Fortunately, it not seems like Google is desperately attempting to make the digital camera module disappear. It has turn out to be a part of the Pixel id, and this yr’s design appears to be like significantly extra polished.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: How Good Is That 6.8-Inch Show?
The Pixel 11 Professional XL comes with a 6.8-inch Tremendous Actua LTPO OLED show with a 1344 x 2992 decision, 486ppi pixel density and a variable 1-120Hz refresh price. And that is a kind of shows the place you cease eager about the specs after a couple of minutes. The whole lot merely appears to be like good.
Textual content is extraordinarily sharp, scrolling is splendidly fluid and Google’s color tuning continues to strike a pleasant steadiness between punchy and pure. You additionally get HDR assist, 24-bit color and a claimed peak brightness of as much as 3,600 nits, with HDR brightness reaching 2,400 nits.
The 1-120Hz LTPO panel is especially helpful as a result of the telephone is not unnecessarily working at 120Hz on a regular basis. It will probably gradual issues down while you’re one thing static and ramp issues up while you’re scrolling.
The result’s precisely what I need from a flagship show: clean when it must be, quiet when it does not.
The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cowl glass additionally will get an anti-scratch protect and fingerprint-resistant coating, which ought to hopefully imply fewer moments of frantically wiping the display screen along with your T-shirt.
Apparently, the Pixel 11 Professional XL’s show is barely smaller than the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s 6.9-inch panel, however Google’s display screen is significantly larger decision at 1344 x 2992 versus Apple’s 2868 x 1320.
However actually, this is not a numbers sport.
The Pixel 11 Professional XL’s show is just a kind of parts that disappears into the expertise. Watching YouTube, shopping Instagram, studying lengthy articles or enhancing images all really feel implausible on it.
And that’s precisely what a flagship show ought to do.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: HiLight Is A Nice Concept That Wants Extra Work
If Google needed HiLight to be the function everybody talks about, it has succeeded. Sadly, I’m speaking about it for barely totally different causes.
The thought is genuinely intelligent. HiLight makes use of LEDs across the digital camera flash to supply visible suggestions with out requiring you to stare at your show. You may assign totally different colors to favorite contacts, so when somebody out of your chosen checklist calls, the telephone can visually inform you who it’s.
There’s additionally an animation while you work together with Gemini, permitting you to see whether or not the assistant is listening, pondering or responding. The issue is that that is just about the place HiLight stops proper now. And that seems like a letdown.
I perceive the philosophy behind it. Your entire concept is that can assist you keep current with out continually your display screen. But when Google is critical about that concept, HiLight must turn out to be far more deeply built-in into Android.
I need to see particular colors or patterns for various sorts of messages. I need vital emails from sure folks to set off one thing totally different. I need calendar reminders, supply notifications, WhatsApp messages and even perhaps chosen app alerts to have their very own visible language.
Think about assigning a color to your boss, one other to your loved ones and one other to genuinely vital work emails. It’s best to be capable of create motion plans in order that sure texts or emails from chosen senders set off a selected HiLight sample.
That might make this function genuinely helpful. Proper now, it feels extra like Google has constructed the {hardware} first and is ready for the software program ecosystem to catch up.
To be truthful, Google has indicated that HiLight performance will broaden, and messaging assist is anticipated sooner or later. So I’m prepared to provide it a while. For now, although, HiLight is extra of a pleasant celebration trick than a purpose to purchase the telephone.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: The Digicam Is The place Issues Get Actually Fascinating
That is the place the Pixel 11 Professional XL begins getting correctly thrilling. Google has given the telephone a triple rear digital camera setup consisting of a 50MP major sensor, a 48MP ultrawide with autofocus and Macro Focus, and a 48MP 5x telephoto digital camera with optical picture stabilisation.
On paper, that feels like a reasonably commonplace flagship digital camera system. You then begin zooming. The 5x optical telephoto is the function that I think will make some iPhone customers significantly take a look at the Pixel.
Google has been taking part in catch-up with Apple’s ecosystem in a number of areas, however long-range images has more and more turn out to be one of many Pixel’s largest strengths. The Pixel 11 Professional XL pushes this even additional with Professional Zoom going all the way in which to 120x.
And sure, the processing may be very AI-driven. You may completely inform that the telephone is doing an unlimited quantity of computational work when you get deep into the zoom vary. However right here is the factor: I do not significantly care when the ultimate picture appears to be like this good.
At 120x, there are clearly limits to what a smartphone sensor can bodily resolve. Google is reconstructing and enhancing data utilizing computational images. However when the ultimate picture lands on the display screen and you may really make out the topic, the technical argument turns into considerably irrelevant.
It really works. And generally it really works ridiculously effectively.
Google has additionally improved the pace of Night time Sight, whereas the brand new digital camera system is designed to seize extra element and lightweight. Unbiased hands-on reviews have equally highlighted the upgraded sensors and 120x AI-assisted zoom as a number of the largest digital camera modifications this yr.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: Magic Seize Is Brilliantly Easy
Magic Seize might be my favorite new digital camera function.
And the reason being extremely easy: you do not have to consider it.
You activate Magic Seize and maintain taking pictures. The telephone data video whereas concurrently grabbing images, permitting it to robotically select helpful nonetheless photos from the sequence.
That makes an unlimited quantity of sense at live shows, birthday events, sporting occasions or mainly any state of affairs the place one thing is occurring shortly and you do not need to maintain switching between video and nonetheless images.
Think about somebody blowing out birthday candles.
Do you document a video? Take images? Attempt to do each? With Magic Seize, you may simply let the telephone deal with it.
Google’s implementation can robotically choose HDR+ stills from the captured sequence, whereas Professional fashions may use Video Enhance for the ensuing video.
That is precisely the type of AI function I like. It does not exist merely to reveal that Google has AI. It solves an precise drawback.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: Lastly, Digicam Appears to be like Makes Sense
One other function I genuinely like is Digicam Appears to be like. Google now lets you choose the general look and end of your images earlier than you shoot them. Extra importantly, these appears to be like are customisable.
Meaning you are not merely selecting a filter and hoping for the very best. You may resolve the way you need your images to look and make that model a part of your taking pictures course of.
The strategy is much like what a number of Chinese language smartphone makers have been doing with their film-inspired color profiles, however Google’s implementation feels significantly helpful as a result of you may customise the look quite than treating it as a set Instagram-style filter.
Personally, I like having this type of management. Smartphone images has turn out to be more and more computational, and generally each telephone needs to make the identical {photograph} look brighter, sharper and extra dramatic. Having the choice to resolve how the ultimate picture ought to look earlier than I press the shutter is a welcome change.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: How Is The Efficiency?
The Pixel 11 Professional XL is powered by Google’s Tensor G6 chip, paired with as much as 16GB RAM and as much as 512GB of storage utilizing Zoned UFS. However as soon as once more, Google is not actually competing with Apple or Qualcomm by shouting about benchmark numbers.
The Tensor G6 is designed round what Google needs the Pixel to be significantly good at: AI. And that turns into apparent virtually instantly.
Gemini Intelligence is now far more deeply built-in into the telephone, and that is maybe the primary Pixel the place I genuinely began pondering of Gemini because the default assistant quite than an AI function that occurs to be put in.
Stay Translate is one other instance of Google’s strategy. As a substitute of asking you to open an AI utility each time you need one thing translated, Google is more and more placing these capabilities into the working system itself. That’s the place the Pixel makes essentially the most sense.
The Tensor G6 additionally brings Google’s Titan M3 safety coprocessor and a multilayer {hardware} safety structure, whereas the telephone comes with seven years of OS, safety and Pixel Drop updates. There’s a clear philosophy right here. Google is not merely promoting you a processor. It’s promoting you an more and more clever and safe Android expertise.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: Battery Life Lastly Feels Like A Flagship
The Pixel 11 Professional XL packs a typical 5,115mAh battery, with Google promising greater than 30 hours of battery life. And that is one space the place I believe the XL identify really earns its place. The mix of the massive battery, LTPO show and Tensor G6’s effectivity makes the Pixel 11 Professional XL really feel like a telephone designed to outlive heavy utilization quite than merely get via a fastidiously managed day.
Charging can also be quicker, with Google claiming as much as 75 per cent in round half-hour when utilizing a 45W USB-C PPS charger or larger.
You aren’t getting the charger within the field, naturally.
Wi-fi charging can also be upgraded, with PixelSnap supporting Qi2.2 at as much as 25W. That mixture issues as a result of the Pixel 11 Professional XL is strictly the type of telephone that encourages you to make use of it extra. You have got a large, stunning show, a digital camera system that makes you need to maintain taking pictures and Gemini continually attempting to be helpful. The very last thing you need is battery anxiousness.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: What About Safety?
Google has gone significantly onerous on safety this yr. The Pixel 11 Professional XL combines Tensor G6 with Titan M3, safe boot, the Tensor safety core and Trusty, Google’s Trusted Execution Setting. There’s additionally built-in anti-malware and anti-phishing safety, alongside spam and rip-off safety in Google Telephone and Messages.
Safety is a kind of smartphone options you solely discover when one thing goes flawed. Having Google construct the {hardware} and software program safety layers collectively provides the Pixel one other benefit, significantly for individuals who intend to maintain their telephone for a number of years.
Seven years of updates additionally makes the proposition significantly extra enticing.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: Fast Share Lastly Makes iPhone Customers Much less Annoying
Okay, Appleheads, do not go away but.
Fast Share’s skill to work with AirDrop is just not technically new to the Pixel household. Google launched cross-platform sharing with the Pixel 10 era, permitting suitable Pixel telephones to ship recordsdata on to iPhones utilizing AirDrop. However the Pixel 11 era pushes the expertise additional, together with a brand new tap-to-share operate that lets suitable Android units alternate recordsdata and make contact with playing cards with a bodily faucet.
And this issues greater than it sounds. For years, one of many largest annoyances of utilizing an Android telephone round iPhone customers was the friction concerned in sending high-quality images and movies. That wall is lastly coming down.
No WhatsApp compression. No Google Drive hyperlink. No “ship it on Telegram”. Simply share the file. For somebody contemplating shifting from an iPhone to a Pixel, these little ecosystem enhancements make the transition considerably simpler.
Google Pixel 11 Professional XL: Ought to You Purchase It?
The Google Pixel 11 Professional XL begins at Rs 1,34,999 in India, with the 256GB mannequin, whereas the 512GB model is priced at Rs 1,49,999 based on launch reviews. That represents a Rs 10,000 improve over the Pixel 10 Professional XL’s Rs 1,24,999 beginning worth.
That’s not insignificant. And it makes the shopping for determination significantly extra fascinating.
The Pixel 11 Professional XL is not a telephone I might advocate just because it has a more moderen processor or a brighter show. These issues are good, however they are not why this telephone stands out. It stands out as a result of Google is lastly making its {hardware} and AI ambitions work collectively.
The digital camera system is implausible. The 120x zoom is ridiculous in precisely the best method. Magic Seize is genuinely helpful. Digicam Appears to be like provides images fanatics extra management. Gemini feels extra deeply built-in into the working system. The show is great. Battery life appears to be like promising. And the telephone is definitely just a little extra compact and lighter than the iPhone 17 Professional Max regardless of providing a equally enormous show.
There are compromises. HiLight is the plain one. I like the thought, however I desperately need Google to open it as much as extra apps and extra sorts of notifications. Proper now, it seems like a function ready for its second act.
The opposite query is whether or not you really need the Professional XL. The Pixel 11 Professional provides you a similar core Professional digital camera system, 120x zoom and three,600-nit show in a considerably smaller physique, and a number of other hands-on reviewers have already urged that the smaller Professional could supply the higher steadiness of options and worth.
However if you’re somebody who needs the most important Pixel show, the biggest battery and the full-sized flagship expertise, the XL makes a compelling case.
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Google Pixel 11 Professional XL First Evaluate: Early Verdict
The Pixel 11 Professional XL does not really feel like Google attempting to reinvent the smartphone. It seems like Google lastly determining what it needs its smartphone to be.
This can be a telephone constructed round images, AI and Google’s model of Android quite than benchmark bragging rights. And for the primary time, these particular person items do not feel like separate promoting factors. They really feel linked.
Magic Seize exists as a result of Google understands that individuals do not need to take into consideration whether or not they need to be recording a video or taking {a photograph}. Professional Zoom exists as a result of Google is aware of computational images can generally produce outcomes that {hardware} alone can not.
Gemini exists as a result of Google needs the assistant to turn out to be a part of the working system quite than one other app it’s important to summon. Even HiLight, regardless of being frustratingly restricted proper now, comes from the identical philosophy: inform me what issues with out making me stare at a display screen. That’s what makes the Pixel 11 Professional XL fascinating.
It is not good. HiLight wants extra apps, extra controls and far more intelligence. And at ₹1,34,999, Google is asking patrons to take the Pixel significantly as a premium flagship quite than another for individuals who merely need “clear Android”.
However after spending time with it, I believe Google has lastly constructed a Pixel that feels much less like an Android telephone with some glorious cameras and extra like Google’s full imaginative and prescient of what a smartphone needs to be.
And that 120x zoom? Properly, let’s simply say I did not anticipate to have this a lot enjoyable pointing a telephone at issues which can be a number of hundred metres away.
