Google unveils trio of new Pixel 11 phones with faster chips, better cameras, and exclusive Android 17 smarts

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Google has doubled the storage to make the price hike easier to swallow

Google just unveiled its latest lineup of top-of-the-line Android smartphones during its annual Made by Google event.

Meet the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL, which will be available on store shelves worldwide on August 20, 2026.

All of these new handsets arrive with a custom-designed Tensor G6 processor, which promises faster performance and improved Artificial Intelligence smarts, new camera hardware, and a minimum of 256GB of storage for your apps, games, photos, and music. As you'd expect from a Google-designed handset, all three of these new Pixel phones ship with the latest iteration of Android 17 – packed with a slew of features you won't find anywhere else.

Pixel 11 is the most affordable of the new additions, starting from £879, which is more expensive than Pixel 10 (£799) and Pixel 9 (£799) before it.

That's most likely the impact of ongoing shortages of critical components due to the rapid expansion of AI data centres gobbling up supply. Google isn't alone, with those same forces pushing Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, and other brands to increase prices across consumer electronics in recent months.

Pixel 11 Pro starts from £1,079 (up from £999 last year), while the Pixel 11 Pro XL starts from £1,279 (up from £1,199), so no matter which of these Android devices you decide to pocket, you're going to be paying more than last time around.

Both of these Pro devices are identical, except for the screen size. Pixel 11 Pro boasts a 6.3-inch high refresh-rate screen (that's the same size as the standard Pixel 11), while the XL version squeezes a palm-stretching 6.8-inch Super Actua display into your pocket.

From the outside, Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL look very similar to earlier efforts from Google. Expect the same curved edges around the chassis, all-screen design — unbroken except for a small hole-punch for the selfie camera, and the iconic visor-like camera system on the back.

Dubbed the Camera Bar by Google, this is made from a single slab of glass, whereas previous phones housed the LED flash and microphone array in a metal border. If you pick up a Pixel 11, the Camera Bar is now 40% slimmer. When paired with an official protective case from Google, the cameras sit completely flush with the back of the handset — something we haven't seen from a flagship phone in a very long time.

Google hasn't sacrificed camera quality just to make its Pixel 11 easier to slip into your pocket and to avoid any frustrating wobble when laying the phone on a table. It's packed with a 48-megapixel main sensor that captures 56% more light than its predecessor, which Google promises will deliver better shots in dim conditions. Pixel 11 also stretches the Super Zoom capability to 30x, up from 20x on last year's model.

There's also a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera to capture as much as possible in its 120° field of view.

No matter which Pixel phone you decide on, you'll benefit from a new Magic Capture feature, which cleverly grabs the best frames from your video recordings and turns them into share-ready photographs. The system automatically crops and sharpens the images, saving you the editing work later.

Camera Looks is another addition worth noting, letting you create personalised filter presets that match your preferred photography style. These custom looks appear when you're taking shots, giving you quick access to your favourite aesthetic without fiddling through menus.

Pixel 11 lineup ships with Natural (for relaxed details), Shadows (for deeper contrast), and Vanilla (for a warm, golden glow), as well as Digi, Black Tie, Minimal, Editorial, Classic, and Velvet. Each of these can be tweaked and customised to your tastes too, so the possibilities are endless.

Google is making some impressive claims about battery life, claiming over 30 hours on a single charge thanks to the efficiencies of its custom Tensor G6 chip as well as the Adaptive Battery features baked into Android 17. You can choose from Frost, Pistachio, Hibiscus or Obsidian colours, with wireless charging now reaching 25W for faster top-ups.

Google has added magnets into the rear case, so wireless chargers can snap to the back of the handset. Dubbed Pixel Snap, Google also makes mounts, wallets, and stands that attach with magnets. Elsewhere, Pixel 11 ships with a fingerprint scanner underneath the 6.3-inch high-resolution display to quickly and easily unlock the handset or authenticate contactless payments.

Likewise, the recently-launched Android 17 comes preinstalled on all models, bringing new AI tricks courtesy of Google Gemini. Live Translate has been extended to work across videos, podcasts, and voice messages, translating content in real-time as you watch or listen. Circle to Search now functions directly within the camera app, letting you search for items across the internet from the viewfinder.

Voice-to-text dictation has been dramatically improved, automatically stripping out filler words like "umm" or "erm" and formatting your speech into polished sentences with the help of AI. There's also a new sign language translation feature that uses the camera to convert signing into text, helping bridge communication for people with hearing impairments.

All of these Pixel 11 phones can offer timely, helpful information through easily glanceable cards in the apps you’re already using. So, for example, if a friend asks about a holiday that’s coming up, a card with your booking details will pop up along with details if your flight is on time or delayed.

If you spend a little more on the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, the most noticeable difference is the eye-catching new HiLight LED notification system, which uses coloured lights around the LED flash to keep you in the loop when your handset is face down.

Calls from favourite contacts or a subtle glow notifies you when Google Gemini is active and listening to you. Android 17 lets you assign custom colours to specific people, meaning you'll know whether to flip your phone over without even touching it.

Google says message notifications from your favourite contacts are coming soon too.

It's designed to let you focus on the people around you, or the task you're working on, without constantly glancing down at your smartphone screen — safe in the knowledge that, if something important happens, you'll be alerted with the colourful glow in the Camera Bar.

It's a similar to the approach to what we've seen from British startup Nothing, which has won multiple Red Dot awards for its designs that incorporate flashing lights to notify you when your device is facedown so you can stay present in the moment.

Unlike the standard Pixel 11, which tops out at 3,000 nits when viewing HDR content, Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL can reach a maximum of 3,600 nits, which should make it almost impossible not to clearly see what's on-screen on the brightest day outdoors. A new anti-scratch coating offers more than twice as strong as the previous generation of Pixel phones, Google claims.

Camera capabilities get a significant boost with a 50-megapixel main sensor and an upgraded 48-megapixel telephoto lens that pulls in 30% more light. Pro Zoom stretches to an impressive 120x, whilst Instant Night Sight captures low-light shots up to 4.5x faster than before. Video recording now supports 8K resolution with Pro Stable Video and Video Boost features.

The Pro models gain Portrait Mode at 5x zoom, opening up more framing options for those classic shallow-depth shots. Combined with the improved telephoto lens, it means you can capture portrait-style images from further away without losing quality.

Google is promising seven years of operating system updates for all of its new Pixel phones, security patches and Pixel Drop features, meaning your device should stay current well into the 2030s.

Preorders have started in the UK across all three models, with handsets arriving in shops and landing on doorsteps from August 20, 2026. Pixel 11 is available in a choice of Frost, Pistachio, Hibiscus, or Obsidian. Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL are available in Canyon, Olive, Fog, or a matte Obsidian finish.

Pixel 11 Pro or 11 Pro XL buyers get an added perk: six months of Google AI Pro, which bundles expanded Gemini usage limits with 5TB of cloud storage and Google Health Premium. That's a substantial freebie, considering Google charges £18.99 per month for this package.