Pixel 11 at $899 brings 30x zoom and a camera bar that's 40% slimmer

Google unveiled the Pixel 11 at $899, featuring an upgraded 30x digital zoom and a noticeably thinner camera bar, though the starting price is $100 higher than last year's Pixel 10. The device was announced ahead of the company's Made by Google event.

The handset keeps the same 6.3-inch display as its predecessor, but the rear design has changed: the camera bump is now 40% thinner, making it look like a slightly raised platform. With the PixelSnap case, the phone lies fully flat on a table.

Wireless charging has been sped up — the Pixel 11 supports 25-watt Qi2, up from 15 watts on the Pixel 10. Wired charging remains at 30 watts. Battery capacity saw a small bump to 4,985 mAh from 4,970 mAh. In CNET's testing, the Pixel 10 added only 27% charge in 30 minutes, so the new model should perform better.

The camera hardware is unchanged from the Pixel 10 — the same modules. As usual with Google phones, the upgrades come through software. Digital zoom has been extended from 20x to 30x. During a brief hands-on session, the improved zoom impressed: at maximum magnification of plants in a demo room, shots retained sharp details like visible strands inside a flower, with minimal artifacting. Digital zoom typically produces a pixelated mess, but here the result was striking, though a full verdict awaits longer testing.

The device is powered by Google's new Tensor G6 processor and runs Android 17, with a promised seven years of major OS and security updates. The Pixel 11 will also benefit from Pixel Feature Drops that deliver new functionality throughout the year between major Android updates.