Google Pixel 11 Pro XL review

Google ran out of hardware ideas a while ago

The Pixel 11 Pro XL comes with the usual triple setup on the back consisting of a wide main camera, an ultrawide, and a telephoto. It's the telephoto that has been upgraded this time around, getting a larger sensor, with the rest of the cameras remaining unchanged. The front-facing camera is the same as before as well.

That new telephoto sensor is a decently large 1/1.95" unit replacing the 1/2.51" of the previous generation. Google insists on calling it 48MP in specs pages, but you'll be getting 50MP images if you shoot in 50MP mode, and the binned shots come out at 12.5MP as well.

That new telephoto camera isn't a close-focusing one either - in fact, the minimum focusing distance has increased this time to around 39cm (it was 30cm on the previous generation if you go through some hoops). It's a bit of a side step this upgrade, is what we're saying.

The main camera has a 50MP sensor (both in Google's specs and looking at the files) of relatively sizable proportions - a 1/1.3" optical format. The lens is around 25mm if you go by the specified angle of view and 24mm as per the photos' metadata.

The ultrawide camera is in the same boat with the 48MP-50MP labeling and it's apparently unchanged from the previous generation. It does have autofocus.

The selfie camera can also focus far and near alike, and it's got a 17mm focal length if you go by the company's specified field of view or 18mm according to the EXIF - either way, it's very wide, which is welcome.

• Wide (main): 50MP (1/1.3", 1.2µm-2.4µm), f/1.68, 24mm, dual pixel PDAF (9cm - ∞), Laser AF, OIS; 4K60 video recording (8K30 via cloud-based upscaling).
• Ultrawide: 48MP (1/2.51", 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/1.7, 12mm, multi-directional PDAF; 4K60.
• Telephoto: 48MP (1/1.95", 0.8µm-1.6µm), f/2.8, 105mm ("5x" zoom), multi-directional PDAF (39cm - ∞), OIS; 4K60 video recording (8K30 via cloud-based upscaling).
• Front camera: 42MP (0.7µm-1.4µm), f/2.2, 17mm, dual pixel PDAF; 4K60.

As you can see, there's not a whole lot going on in terms of hardware updates, but there are a couple of new additions on the software end this year. One of these is Magic Capture - it's full auto shooting taken to the extreme, where you hit record and the phone will shoot video and pick out high-res stills of the right moments, and it can also apply some light edits if you give it the right permissions. That way you can worry less about the capture process and enjoy actually being there.

The other thing is the Camera Looks feature - Google's name for the not-filters but kind-of-like-filters that Apple calls Photographic styles and many makers seem to have adopted in one shape or another. The Pixel offers a variety of options, and they also let you adjust the look further through granular settings.

Camera Looks: Default (original) • Default (natural) • Default (shadows) • Default (vanilla)

More Camera Looks: Editorial • Velvet • Classic • Digi • Black Tie • Minimal

Daylight photo quality

Main camera

The Pixel 11 Pro XL's main camera takes great-looking photos. We're looking at excellent detail that's rendered in a very specific gritty, film grain-like way, which isn't something you often see - it's nice, we like it. Dynamic range is wide and contrast is just right. Couple that with the accurate white balance and the pleasing saturation levels and we get these universally likeable photos with just the right amount of pop.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x)

Photos of people also look good thanks to the lively skin tones, and that detail rendition somehow does work well for faces as well. Mind you, Portrait mode shots are that little bit softer when it comes to subject detail and the bokeh is looking slightly overdone.

Human subjects, main camera (1x): Photo mode • Portrait mode

The 50MP mode captures nicely sharp shots too - indoors as well. While we wouldn't necessarily advocate for its use for everything all the time, you can go the extra mile every now and then for your more important shots.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP

You'd think that would mean nice 2x 12.5MP photos - after all, more often than not on other phones these are better than the full-res ones at 1x. Well, that's not the case on the Pixel, whose 2x images are merely alright, and not as detailed on a per-pixel level as the 1x 50MP ones. You'd be better off shooting at 1x in 50MP and then cropping, but that's too much hassle for our taste.

Daylight samples, main camera (2x)

With that in mind, don't go expecting sharp headshots at 2x. They're decent, just not nearly good.

Human subjects, main camera (2x): Photo mode • Portrait mode

Telephoto camera

We're back on the right track with the telephoto camera's photos at 5x, which are generally very good. There's sort of a different type of graininess going on, a more digital-looking one that's not ideal, but it's not too obtrusive, plus it goes hand in hand with plenty of detail, so it evens out. The colors are once again on point and exposures, contrast, and dynamic range are great as well.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x)

Headshots at 5x get some nice subtle background blur in Photo mode, no Portrait mode needed. We're liking the skin tones too, and there's plenty of facial detail captured too. Again, the Portrait mode photos are softer, for one reason or another.

Human subjects, telephoto camera (5x): Photo mode • Portrait mode

The full-res photos at 5x aren't nearly as praise-worthy as the 1x ones - these don't seem to offer any detail benefits.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x), 50MP

The 10x zoom photos aren't too hot either - they're decent-ish, but little more. Similarly to the situation with the 2x photos, the 10x ones are not any better than the 5x 50MP images. Since we're hot on the heels of the Poco F9 Ultra review, the Pixel's 10x images look like they're coming from a lower-tier device next to the Poco's 10x shots.

Daylight samples, telephoto camera (10x)

Ultrawide camera

At the opposite end of the zoom range, the ultrawide camera doesn't disappoint. Its photos have very good detail as these cameras go, dynamic range is excellent and the colors are true to the Pixel standard.

Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

The full-res ultrawide shots are pretty watercolor-y though - there's not a lot to like about them.

Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x), 50MP

Close-ups

The Pixel 11 Pro XL's new telephoto camera isn't really better at close focusing than the previous gen's module, and it won't be getting you very impressive reproduction ratios at all.

Then there's the 10x zoom level, which will increase the reproduction but quality is generally not great at 10x, as established.

The main camera's 2x zoom level is another option, itself not truly great either.

The ultrawide can focus really close too, and the auto macro mode will match the main camera's 1x zoom level, but sourced from the ultrawide - another avenue for action with its own trade-offs.

Long story short, there are way better options on the market for taking close-ups than the Pixel 11 Pro XL.

Admittedly, there's a counter argument here in that neither the competing iPhone (17 Pro Max at the time of writing) nor the high-end Galaxy (S26 Ultra) are all that good at macro-style shooting but does that mean that the Pixel has to settle for being equally unremarkable within that limited context?

Close-up samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

Close-up samples, ultrawide camera (1x)

Close-up samples, main camera (2x)

Close-up samples, telephoto camera (5x)

Close-up samples, telephoto camera (10x)

Selfies

Selfies from the Pixel 11 Pro XL are pretty good. We appreciate the ultrawide lens that lets you fit more of your surroundings. Colors are looking properly great too, and dynamic range is excellent. Detail is good to very good depending on how strongly you feel about some pixelation in your facial hair.

What's hard to like, though, is low-light performance - the Pixel nighttime selfies are simply not good.

Selfie samples

Low-light photo quality

Main camera

Switch to the main rear camera, however, and you can expect some properly great low-light photos, at least at its native zoom level. Detail is excellent - where there's enough light to work with, everything is nicely defined, there's no excessive sharpening, and that daytime grittiness isn't there.

Now, shadows and areas with less features will tend to end up soft and flattened, that's true and less than ideal, but more or less to be expected. Colors are good overall, even though the white balance has its warm-leaning tendencies.

Low-light samples, main camera (1x)

The 2x zoom photos are alright but not quite as good as we'd like - they're just not sharp enough for a proper top-class cameraphone.

Low-light samples, main camera (2x)

Telephoto camera

The telephoto isn't exactly neutral with its white balance either and it too gets its colors warmer than ideal with certain types of street lighting - it's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but if others can get it right, so too should the Pixel. Dynamic range is very good though, and sharpness and detail are also quite great.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (5x)

The Pixel also maintains its composure at 10x and holds on to detail better than many others - certainly better than an S26 Ultra, for example, and about as good as an iPhone 17 Pro Max at 8x, though that's not as clear-cut. Either way, the Pixel's 10x low-light results are a welcome surprise given the meh impression it left in us with its daytime 10x shots.

Low-light samples, telephoto camera (10x)

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide's low-light results are solid without standing out one way or another. Dynamic range is quite wide and the colors aren't half bad, if again not strictly 100% accurate. Detail is mostly good, more so in the well lit areas than in the shadows which can be quite soft.

Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

Video quality

The Pixel 11 Pro XL can record video up to 4K60 with all of its cameras. On the rear cameras you also get a readily available 4K24 option in addition to the 'standard' 4K30. Through the Video Boost cloud based processing you can also have 8K30 and 8K24 modes but you need space in your Google Photos to upload the files.

There are three codec options - the default is h.265 (HEVC), h.264 is also there for ensuring backward compatibility, and there's also AV1 - a royalty-free space-efficient alternative to HEVC. 10-bit HDR recording is also available, all the way up to 4K60.

There are the customary three stabilization modes, the 'Standard' being available in all resolution and frame rate modes. 'Locked' is for 2x and 5x shooting only for scenes where you just point the camera in one direction, while 'Active' is for action scenes and only works in 1080p30 at 1x and 2x, though both zoom levels are actually sourced from the ultrawide camera. You can also turn off the stabilization altogether from a global toggle in settings.

You can hit '> play' below and use the '>| next' button to advance through the playlist of all video samples, or you can watch the full playlist on YouTube.

The Pixel's daytime videos are very good. The three rear cameras are nicely matched in their output and you can expect the same colors, dynamic range, and contrast at all zoom levels. We're quite liking these global properties too, as they lend the videos a universally appealing look that's lively but not cartoonish. Detail is very good on the ultrawide camera in its own context, but the main camera and the telephoto leave a little to be desired in their 4K sharpness - it's not bad or anything, but we'd prefer things to be a little crispier.

Video screengrabs, daylight: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x • 10x

In the dark, the main camera is actually quite good in terms of sharpness, the telephoto is more into alright territory, and the ultrawide is underwhelming. The ultrawide is also suboptimal when it comes to exposure and dynamic range, but the main camera and the telephoto are very good in both respects.

Video screengrabs, low light: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x • 10x

The 'Standard' stabilization is doing a superb job on the main camera and the ultrawide if you're shooting from a fixed location, producing a nearly tripod-like level of stability. The telephoto is a notch below that, with some minor tremors and slightly abrupt pans preventing perfect marks. The Pixel is not quite there when it comes to ironing out walking shake on the main camera either.