The Pixel 11 shows modest improvements in CPU tests.
Ryan Whitwam
Ryan Whitwam
The GPU performance is unchanged this year.
Ryan Whitwam
The Pixel 11 shows modest improvements in CPU tests.
Ryan Whitwam
The GPU performance is unchanged this year.
Ryan Whitwam
In daily use, the Pixel 11 phones feel great. Animations are fluid, touch response is instant, and apps open quickly. Google’s phones can feel faster than even the Galaxy S26, which is sometimes inconsistent despite being the fastest on paper. Google’s chip is also more thermally stable than high-end Qualcomm chips, losing under 25 percent of its performance during extended use.
Gaming is more of a problem for Google, though. The company is still using the same PowerVR GPU in the new Tensor chip, which is markedly slower than what you get in high-end chips from Qualcomm or Apple. Consequently, if you’re playing graphically intensive games like Genshin Impact or the mobile port of Red Dead Redemption, you will get lower frame rates with the Pixel. For the simpler, free-to-play games most people play, the Pixel is plenty powerful.
It is notable that Google has backtracked on RAM in the Pixel 11. Previously, Google cited the need for running bigger on-device AI models as a reason to upgrade base SKU Pixel phones to 16GB of RAM. However, the 2026 Google phones start at 12GB, and you have to upgrade to get 16GB. That means you’re looking at a minimum of $1,219 for the Pixel 11 Pro with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM.
Heavier apps and games may close more quickly on the 12GB versions of the Pixel 11, but the difference has been minimal in my testing. However, should you have to make that kind of compromise with a phone that costs $100 more than its predecessor? Probably not. That said, Google’s phones are generally better at keeping apps in memory than, say, Samsung, which only has 12GB of RAM in its $2,100 foldable.
Battery life is also complicated with the Pixel 11 series. All the batteries are slightly smaller across the board this year. The flat phones are less than 100 mAh smaller, but the Pixel 11 Pro Fold dropped more than 200 mAh compared to last year’s foldable. Yet Google is claiming similar battery life this year, somewhere between 24 and 30 hours, depending on the model.