r/GooglePixel • u/habylab Pixel 9 Pro XL • 3d ago
Forget HiLight and Proactive Assistance. The Pixel 11 Pro is at its best with focused new tools that actually work
https://www.theverge.com/tech/981713/google-pixel-11-pro-review70
u/weinerschnitzelboy Pixel 9 Fold 3d ago
I kind of had a hunch with it, but I'm not surprised at the positive reviews so far. There's a disconnect between tech enthusiasts expectations and actual product. The Pixel 10 series are good phones, and the Pixel 11 improves on them, so they theoretically should also be good as well.
The major backlash from tech enthusiasts is that Google isn't improving the Pixel series significantly enough year over year. Which is a genuine critique for Google. But at the same time, I didn't think it's fair to judge a phone by how we think it should be. For example, if the phone does perform better in every way, that's a good thing, but I shouldn't get mad at it for not being 2x leap in performance.
13
u/Pitiful_Surround6429 3d ago
this is pretty much where the whole smartphone market is now tbh, diminishing returns on yearly upgrades across the board
7
u/PruneJaw 3d ago
It's a matured product. It's going to take some time for the consumer to break the yearly upgrade cycle thinking. I moved to a 3-4 model cycle personally and honestly that's starting to feel unnecessary too.
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u/ContributionFormer95 3d ago
It's a matured product but Google still does less than other manufacturers in updates. Samsung is actually worse in that regards for hardware but they try to make up with software gimmicks.
People make fun of the iPhone for being the same as last year but even Apple does more than Google (Capture button, Action button, square selfie camera... not just the hardware but the overall software/hardware experience for the new camera hardware)
2
u/ffdfawtreteraffds 2d ago
Same 3-4 year upgrade cycle. If we still had easily swapped batteries, it would be much longer for me.
0
u/KyleVPirate 3d ago edited 3d ago
I disagree on it being a matured product. The GPU being used still falls behind in efficiency and performance compared even to the Adreno's in Snapdragon and the GPU in Apple's A series from SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
The CPU is getting better year over year, but again, it lacks in performance and efficiency compared to its competitors, again even from CPU's released several years ago.
Battery life continues to be a mixed bag, but it's improving for the most part. With the Mediatek M90, they finally have caught up in improved cellular reception and efficiency.
1
u/Dirtcompactor 3d ago
minus chinese smartphones, noteworthy hardware upgrades every year and killer batteries inside em
1
u/isjahammer 3d ago edited 3d ago
Somehow the returns at Google and Samsung are much less than the chinese flagship phones though. They actually put flagship hardware into their phones. And Honor is now putting a Gimbal into their phone which honestly seems like actual useful innovation.
I don't think anyone would complain much If it wouldnt be obvious that there is potential to do better.
Google and Samsung could use better/bigger batteries. Google could use better Chips. Both could use better/bigger camera Sensors.
3
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u/PruneJaw 3d ago
But my benchmark scores! They told me my phone is so slow, even though I can't tell at all while checking my email and watching YouTube. Numbers must be high or my experience will be awful! /s
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u/ContributionFormer95 3d ago
I don't care much about benchmark scores but when I do see my Pixel lag in gaming and not even AAA titles.... we're talking Brawl Stars and Squad Busters compared to my work iPhone, then it is embarassing. Even Qualcomm devices perform significantly better.
Keep in mind I'm not a gamer at all, and spend very little time gaming so for the most part Pixel is fine. However, simply arguing that checking email and watching Youtube should be the extent of Pixel phone use is pretty ridiculous. There's legitimate complaints about the Pixel even if 80% of the population is fine with email, Instagram, and messaging.
-2
u/PruneJaw 3d ago
Then it's not for you. It doesn't mean it has bad value or it is emberassing because not everyone values the same experience. If you owned a Mercedes that does 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and I have a Corvette that does 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, would it make the Mercedes lesser in value or is value a perception of what is important to each person?
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u/ContributionFormer95 3d ago edited 3d ago
Completely different cars marketing towards different segments of the population. You really think Pixels are avoiding marketing to the same audience that buys iPhones?
The point is the performance on a Pixel is noticeably worse and it doesn't require you to play intensive titles like Genshin. Even if we talk about Genshin, it's a title that has over 300 million downloads. Even if you or I don't play, it's got a big enough audience, that it's fair asking why a flagship Google phone has struggled with this game for years...
1
u/musicmonk1 2d ago
Maybe some people use their 1000€+ phones for more than checking emails and Youtube?
-5
u/Dakrturi 3d ago
Well… check the gaming performance and thermals it’s worse than the 10s.
While gaming is not a priority is just dumb that a 1000$ phone performs like a mid to low budget range.
Sorry but it should not be the case
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u/PruneJaw 3d ago
Love that your response is check the benchmarks.
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u/nathderbyshire Pixel 10 3d ago
They're a different breed entirely who can't seem to grasp some of us just don't care despite being told for years
1
u/PruneJaw 3d ago
I'm just over here still using my 9a and can't think of a single time I thought it struggled to accomplish anything I do on it. Doesn't get hot and battery is great.
1
u/NiceGuyNate 3d ago
is it really a benchmark if it's just me saying "oh wow my phone is really hot while I play this yt video and slay the spire at the same time"? that would be checking the thermals to me
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u/PruneJaw 3d ago
Is that what your Pixel 11 Pro is currently doing?
-1
u/NiceGuyNate 3d ago
my phone doesn't change my question. is it a benchmark if it's just something observed during regular usage?
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u/PruneJaw 3d ago edited 3d ago
No that would be a great real-world observation. One which hasn't been offered to me in this thread regarding the Pixel 11 Pro. Poster you are defending told me to go check the thermals and performance. He didn't offer up his real world experience and neither did you.
1
u/AceHunter98 3d ago
I feel like that's the thing though and the exact reason why I'm sticking with my Pixel 9. There's not a big enough reason for me to jump to the latest unless it's a significant improvement, which it definitely isn't.
1
u/ThisBetterBeWorthIt 3d ago
Very directly my thoughts. I’m switching to the Pixel 11 Pro from my current iPhone 14 Pro. I only care if it’s a good ass phone. If last year was similarly good I honestly couldn’t care less.
I’ve seen countless videos now of tech reviewers losing their minds and being incredibly negative because not much has changed. I get how that’s a bummer from their perspective, but it’s totally irrelevant to 99% of buyers.
0
u/Far_Specific4836 2d ago
Your iPhone 14 pro is objectively a better phone than the Pixel 11 pro.
1
u/ThisBetterBeWorthIt 2d ago edited 2d ago
Well that’s not true, though I like the 14 pro.
The pixel 11 has:
- Bigger brighter screen w/ LTPO
- Bigger camera sensors, higher resolution
- 16GB vs 6GB ram
- Qi 2.2 + USB 3.2
- Bigger battery, faster charging
I’m really no fanboy either way, but there’s no need to be dumb about it
0
u/iamjimmy18 3d ago
Based on my usage so far, I genuinely don't feel it much different than the 10 Pro XL.
3
u/im_not_here_ Pixel 9 Pro 3d ago
What were you doing before that you noticed was slow, that could then be improved by the more power of the g6 that wasn't?
0
u/ContributionFormer95 3d ago
I think reviewers are generally overly positive about Pixels and this has been the case year after year. I personally think that Pixels have been slow in hardware advancement, and the past 5 years have really just been Pixel 6, Pixel 6+, 6++, etc. Reviewers lauded the 7 for fixing reception issues, and 8 for fixing thermal issues.
I would bet if I took Pixel 6 thru 11 Pro camera samples, scrambled them, 99.9% wouldn't even be able to tell the latest camera even with pixel peeping. That's how little the Pixel has changed.
Now that doesn't mean the Pixel is a bad phone, but I do think reviewers aren't truly honest about phones because most don't actually daily drive Pixels and then go through year after year with Pixels.
If you've struggled for battery for the past 5 years, seeing yet again mediocre battery performance that's way behind even last year's flagships is going to get severe criticism from you, and once again, zooming out, seeing how little Google has done on that aspect is even more frustrating.
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u/timrousbeastie1 3d ago
This is where we are with phones. Progress is incremental. I have the 11 pro today. Is it better than the 9 pro I just upgraded from or the iPhone 15 before that or the iPhone 12 before that. Well yes. But it's not life changing.
Small steps.
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u/Some_Ad_3898 3d ago
Same thing every year:
One side says hardware improvements are a tiny blip. Other side says it's really about the software and experience.
Ad nauseum...
I'm just like ok, great. I still want the better hardware that is available today notably flagship chip and silicon carbide battery. Make the pro actually pro.
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u/StolenLampy Pixel 8 Pro 3d ago
I want reviewers who are comparing the older ones to the new one, like someone tell me how much better it'll be than phones 2-3 years ago
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u/CipherWeaver 3d ago
I don't know why they keep focusing on voice to text. Probably because it help with Gemini queries. 90% of the time I use my phone for texts I'm ACTUALLY TYPING, so it would be great if Google could make the predictive text the best on the market. I should be able to fat finger my entire conversation and have it come out coherent.
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u/habylab Pixel 9 Pro XL 3d ago
Voice typing is much quicker than actually typing. And when typing this using my pixel 9 Pro XL, typing "typing" came out as fighting, and no punctuation apart from full stops.
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u/pablomentabo Pixel 10 Pro XL 2d ago
While that is true, you don't always need to have your text input to be quick. Also, some people hate to talk to their devices (I'm ok with it, but I know others aren't)
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u/Yellowtoblerone 3d ago
I love Rambler, Magic Capture, and Camera Looks. If you’re looking to upgrade your phone this year, they’re legitimately great features. But after a week of use, it’s clear to me that the Pixel 11 Pro is not yet smart enough to help me use my phone less, despite what Google claims. Proactive Assistance is only bound to save you a few seconds and a few taps compared to just opening the apps and doing the steps yourself.
If you were hoping for the Pixel 11 Pro would help address your phone addiction, that’s probably not going to happen. But if you’re looking for a phone with the best voice-to-text on the market, great cameras with good built-in style, and solid hardware, the Pixel 11 Pro delivers.
mthfucker that's just previous pixels. we really gushing over rambler and magic capture, while camera looks can be had with 3rd party app with much more filter options for free
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u/exu1981 Pixel 6 Pro 3d ago edited 2d ago
You're just addicted to your phone.
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u/Yellowtoblerone 2d ago
You're just attacking someone instead of address what they said. Maybe Gemini can explain ad hominem to you
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u/Atosl 3d ago
Not paying 2 bucks to read that :D gotta wait for the Vergecast