How Google’s new Pixel 11 phones compare to last year’s models

Google just added four new phones to the Pixel family: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. They’re slightly more expensive than their predecessors, but they come with some notable upgrades, including improved cameras and a new Tensor G6 chip that should deliver faster performance. The phones also have new photography tools, like Magic Capture, along with improvements to Gemini Intelligence, expanded Live Translate capabilities, and the ability to use Circle to Search directly through the camera.

To make deciding whether you’ll upgrade or hold onto your last-gen phone a little simpler, we’re focusing on comparing the specs of the 6.3-inch Pixel 11 and Pixel 10 models, as well as the 6.8-inch Pro XL models. If you’re curious about how the Pixel 11 Pro Fold compares to its predecessor (and to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 series foldables), we’ve got a spec comparison right here.

Before we get to the specs, here’s a breakdown of what’s new.

They’re more expensive, but you get more storage

The most obvious difference is that, like almost everything these days, they’re more expensive than before. The Pixel 11 starts at $899, $100 more than its predecessor, but Google has doubled the base storage to 256GB with 12GB of RAM. The Pixel 11 Pro starts at $1,099 — $100 more than the Pixel 10 Pro’s launch price — with the same 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, and is available with up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Meanwhile, Google’s larger 6.8-inch Pixel 11 Pro XL starts at $1,299 and offers the same storage and RAM configurations as the Pro.

Tensor G6 allows for even more AIfeatures

Both the Pixel 11 and Pro phones run on Google’s new Tensor G6 chip, which the company claims should improve performance by up to 25 percent compared to its predecessor. The new chip also powers a host of AI upgrades, including improvements to Gemini Intelligence, which Google says can now pull more context from supported apps to proactively surface useful information. There are also new voice-to-text tools that remove filler words and clean up formatting, while writing assistance can use what’s on your screen to help draft, rewrite, and refine messages. Live Translate is also available on videos, podcasts, and voice messages, and Circle to Search now works directly through the camera, letting you identify objects, translate text, or search your surroundings without snapping a photo first.

The cameras get some notable upgrades inside and out

There are a number of camera improvements, too, along with new photography and video features. On the hardware side, the Pixel 11 has a slimmer camera bar that sits flush when paired with one of Google’s phone cases. It can also zoom in farther than its predecessor, reaching up to 30x for photos, while the Pixel 11 Pro series gets an updated 1/1.3-inch 50-megapixel sensor for its main camera and a redesigned telephoto sensor that Google says captures 32 percent more light. The Pro can also zoom up to 120x and features a 42-megapixel selfie camera. The Pro should be quicker at shooting in the dark, too, with Google claiming its Instant Night Sight can capture photos up to 4.5 times faster.

Google has made several software improvements as well. The new Magic Capture mode in the camera app automatically captures photos and videos to make them ready to share with a tap. Camera Looks let you create custom styles for photos, while the Pixel 11 Pro series can record stabilized video at up to 8K using Pro Stable Video with Video Boost. A new Creator Suite also features tools for trimming and rearranging clips, using a teleprompter while recording, and improving speech clarity, and it automatically saves clips to a designated project album.

How the Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 compare

Those are some of the biggest changes, but they’re far from the only differences between the two lineups. For example, both the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro offer an Extreme Charging Mode that prioritizes charging over other tasks for a faster boost when you’re short on time. The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL also gets HiLight, colored LEDs around the camera flash that can alert you to things, like calls when your phone is face down or when Gemini is activated.

For a closer look at those changes and everything else that separates the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro from their predecessors, we’ve broken down the specs side by side below.

Pixel 11 specs comparison

Reporting from The Verge contributed to this story.