Pixel 11 gets just five hardware upgrades — and most are useless

Google has preemptively unveiled the Pixel 11 lineup ahead of its own presentation, and the base model is a letdown: in terms of hardware, it brings only five modest changes compared to the previous generation. The main camera sensor has grown from 1/1.95″ to 1/1.56″, while the battery gained a mere 15 mAh — going from 4970 to 4985 mAh, a difference that is imperceptible in everyday use. The magnetic PixelSnap charging has been speeded up from 15 to 25 W under the Qi2.2 standard, and the phone now runs on the new Tensor G6 chip with the Titan M3 security coprocessor. A 512 GB storage option has also been added.

Out of all these upgrades, only the faster wireless charging and the larger main camera sensor feel genuinely useful. The rest reads like press-release bullet points rather than a reason to ditch last year's Pixel, which now costs less. The OnePlus 15, still widely available on marketplaces, looks even more compelling by comparison.

Google has saved its real innovations for the software side. The new Magic Capture feature automatically picks the best frames from a burst of shots, while an AI-driven system noticeably enhances photo processing. It is these software capabilities, rather than the spec sheet, that are supposed to convince buyers to choose the new device. Whether that will be enough remains to be seen, but on paper the Pixel 11 feels more like a minor iteration than a true generational leap.