The Pixel 11 delivers a modest improvement in CPU performance.
Ryan Whitwam
Ryan Whitwam
Pixel 11 GPU performance remains largely unchanged this year.
Ryan Whitwam
The Pixel 11 delivers a modest improvement in CPU performance.
Ryan Whitwam
Pixel 11 GPU performance remains largely unchanged this year.
Ryan Whitwam
In everyday use, the Pixel 11 delivers a smooth and responsive smartphone experience. Animations remain fluid, touch input feels immediate, and apps launch quickly. In some situations, Google’s latest phone can feel faster than the Galaxy S26, despite the Samsung device posting higher benchmark numbers. Google’s Tensor processors also maintain more consistent performance under sustained workloads, with performance dropping by less than 25% during extended use compared with some high-end Qualcomm chips.
Gaming is where the Pixel 11 faces its biggest performance limitation. Google continues to use the same PowerVR GPU design in its latest Tensor processors, and it is noticeably slower than the graphics hardware found in premium Qualcomm and Apple chips. As a result, demanding games such as Genshin Impact and the mobile version of Red Dead Redemption run at lower frame rates on the Pixel 11. For casual and less graphically intensive games, however, the phone offers more than enough power.
Google has also changed the Pixel 11 memory configuration. The company previously said that larger on-device artificial intelligence models justified increasing the base Pixel configuration to 16GB of RAM. In 2026, Google’s smartphones will instead start with 12GB of RAM, while buyers will need to upgrade to a 16GB model. For example, the Pixel 11 Pro with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM starts at $1,219.
Apps and games that require substantial memory may complete tasks slightly faster on the 16GB Pixel 11, but the difference was minimal during testing. That makes the additional cost difficult to justify, particularly because the Pixel 11 already costs $100 more than its predecessor. Google’s software also manages background apps efficiently, often keeping more applications available in memory than Samsung phones, including the company’s $2,100 foldable device with 12GB of RAM.
Pixel 11 battery life is more complicated this year. Battery capacities are slightly lower across the lineup. The standard flat models lose less than 100mAh, while the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has more than 200mAh less capacity than last year’s foldable model. Google nevertheless claims similar real-world endurance, ranging from 24 to 30 hours depending on the Pixel 11 model.
Source: arstechnica.com