Google Pixel 11 Pro XL: Worth the upgrade? Hands-on review reveals tangible improvements

Google's latest flagship, the Pixel 11 Pro XL, arrives with notable upgrades, particularly in its display, AI integration, and camera system, aiming to justify its premium positioning.

The Pixel 11 Pro XL boasts a "Super Actua" screen with a peak brightness of 3,600 nits, a record for Pixel devices, improving visibility in direct sunlight. The display also features a new anti-scratch coating, reportedly doubling its resistance. While the design is familiar, the camera bar now uses full-glass, enhancing its premium feel. The phone is available in four colors: sandstone pink, olive green, mist gray, and obsidian black.

A standout feature is "HiLight," a lighting effect integrated into the camera bar, designed to alert users to incoming calls from favorite contacts with customizable colors. It also indicates Gemini's status during conversations, showing when the AI is thinking or listening. This feature activates only when the phone's screen is face down to avoid distraction. Google plans to expand HiLight's functionality to include notifications from important contacts and potentially integrate with third-party apps.

Gemini Intelligence, present across the Pixel 11 series, acts as an advanced AI assistant. It offers personalized services like cross-app information retrieval, currently supporting Google services such as Gmail, Maps, Docs, Calendar, and YouTube. For instance, asking Gemini about an "Osaka itinerary" can pull relevant details from Gmail and display them on Google Maps. The "Voice Modifier" feature transcribes spoken words into text for emails, intelligently removing filler words and correcting speech in real-time, powered by the new Tensor G6 chip for a 50% boost in AI performance.

The camera system sees both hardware and software enhancements. New sensors for the wide-angle and telephoto lenses improve light sensitivity and night photography, reducing shooting time by 4.5 times and minimizing blur. The telephoto lens now supports 5x optical zoom for portraits, and the AI-powered "Pro Zoom" reaches up to 120x, reconstructing details in distant subjects. New camera functions include "One-Tap Capture" for extracting high-quality photos from videos, customizable "Camera Styles," and a "Creator Mode" for video recording, which includes a teleprompter and audio tools.