Pixel 11 Pro in Paris: Camera Looks replace clinical accuracy with color and film

Google's Pixel 11 Pro brings a batch of camera upgrades, which the author put to the test during a summer photo walk through Paris. The lens lineup — wide, ultrawide, and telephoto — keeps the same resolutions as last year's model, but Google says the main image sensor is new and delivers better quality, while the telephoto sensor is physically larger.

The standout impression came from a new software feature called Camera Looks. Similar to Apple's Photographic Styles, it alters color and exposure to produce more creative shots instead of clinically accurate ones. The author kept it enabled for nearly the entire day, appreciating the customization options — adding warmth, adjusting shadow depth, or simulating grain.

The grain effect, however, disappointed: it looks too digital and unrealistic, especially given the author's fondness for analog film. Some shots had to be edited manually from RAW files, bypassing Google's processing. Certain presets, like the high-contrast black-and-white Black Tie, proved too niche for general use, though it worked brilliantly for a shot of a person carrying a plant and in portrait mode with 5x zoom. Color variants using the Editorial preset were more appealing, but the neutral Vanilla look remained the default choice for most of the day.

Another new feature is Magic Capture. It records a few seconds of video, then AI identifies the best still frame and saves it as a photo. Testing it on a couple of skateboarders showed surprising effectiveness: the user just films the action without worrying about timing — the phone picks the perfect moment. The device runs on the Tensor G6 chip and comes in a new peachy color.