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All right, Google's latest Pixel 11 Pro XL costs between 200 and 300 bucks more than last year's Pixel 10 Pro XL, but when you look at the phones and compare the specs, it's hard to see where all that extra money goes. But surely there must be something worthwhile here to justify going for the newer Pixel. We put both phones through our usual tests, and the results are indeed more interesting than the specs might suggest. A snazzy new design wasn't in the books for this generation of Pixels. Looks-wise, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is basically identical to the previous model, down to the dimensions and build materials.
Okay, there is a little change in the horizontal camera bump, but unless you're comparing side by side, you may not notice it. And the new model is very slightly heavier, but the two feel the same in hand. Well, there is one thing that sets these phones apart visually, but only sometimes. The 11 Pro XL has a new feature called Highlight, where multicolored LEDs in the camera flash would glow for certain scenarios, like when interacting with Gemini. It's pretty limited in its usefulness, though. And also, these two phones are offered in different colors if that's something important to
you. They're mostly similar, but only on the new model can you get the salmon-like Canyon colorway. Otherwise, on both phones, you get the same premium build quality and IP68 ingress protection against dust and water submersion. You won't be staring at the back of your phone all of the time. So, let's compare what's on the front, the displays. On either Pixel, you get a 6.8-inch OLED panel with a high resolution and an adaptive 120 Hz refresh rate. So far, nothing stands out as an advantage over the other. The larger screen size on these XL models makes for a nice viewing experience, and content looks great either way.
But is it possible that Google has reused the same screen? Surely, there must be some difference. Well, at least when we measured the screens' maximum brightness, we got basically the same numbers within the margin of error. Both screens are really bright. So, whether or not it's the same panel, at least it performs the same. That also includes the ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the display. It's working just as well between the two models. And why stop there? If Google could recycle the screen, how about the speakers? In our audio testing, the stereo setup on both of these models indeed sounds just the same,
and the loudness numbers are basically identical. They're Very Good either way. You can listen for yourself with our comparison tool linked below. So far, the new Pixel hasn't given us much reason to spend the extra money. The design, display, and speakers are practically unchanged. But that doesn't mean that Google hasn't made some meaningful improvements, and our battery tests revealed perhaps the biggest one. Things aren't looking good for the new Pixel off the bat. The Pixel 11 Pro XL actually has a smaller battery capacity than last year's model. But here's where things get interesting.
Despite that smaller battery, the 11 Pro XL performed substantially better in every one of our battery tests. It earned an overall active use score closer to 17 hours compared to just 12 and a half hours on the 10 Pro XL. That's a major improvement and one that could make a real difference if you're a heavy user. The new Pixel's new chipset could be one of the reasons behind that improved battery life. But efficiency isn't the only thing a new chipset is supposed to deliver. So, how much faster is it? The Pixel 11 Pro XL runs on a Tensor G6, which packs a more powerful CPU over the previous chip, as well as faster AI processing. But for some reason, the 11
Pro XL also comes with a lower amount of RAM, at least in its base version. Regardless, we'd expect the Pixel 10 Pro XL to have slower performance as it runs on the previous Tensor G5 chipset. But let's see what the benchmarks have to say. In CPU-based tests, the new Pixel shows a notable jump in scores, at least 20% over the previous one. That's not the case in graphics tests, though. Google hasn't really taken measures to improve that side of things. In fact, the new chipset's architecture isn't as well supported by game devs, and at launch, there were reports of incompatibility on the Pixel 11 Pro XL while gaming.
Those problems have since been ironed out by Google, but it's not a good look. And when it comes to thermals, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is able to keep up with the new model in our prolonged stress tests. Even the software experience feels just as snappy on the 10 Pro XL as the new one. Either way, you'll be running the latest Android 17 interface, and it's really responsive. It's quite clean, too, but there are some additional Google-exclusive features sprinkled in. So, when it comes to gaming or even the UI performance, there's little reason to upgrade. But still, the new Tensor indeed provides a CPU boost while drawing less energy.
But does the new Pixel also pack an advantage when charging? You might not expect it to since both phones support the same 45 W charging. But in our charging test, the Pixel 11 Pro XL was actually a lot faster to charge, not only at the half-hour mark, but also shaving over 20 minutes off the time to a full charge. And either way, there's support for 25 W Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. Now, it's time to turn the phones over to the backside again and see what Google has done with those cameras. You get triple rear cameras on either phone, and the setup is pretty much the same.
But there has been one notable change. The Pixel 11 Pro XL brings a new larger sensor on its 5x telephoto camera. And in theory, that should mean better photos, particularly in low light. And besides that new sensor, a different processor could lead to some differences with the new generation. But at the same time, the older model also packs a 5x zoom, and its main cam and ultrawide have identical specs to the new model. So, let's compare the output and see what the differences are. The two Pixels' main cameras shoot similar photos during the day, but the new model is subtly better. Its fine detail is more refined, and sharpening is less heavy-handed.
Neither phone is that good at 2x digital zoom, but looking closely, the older model has a bit better-looking detail in daylight. The new telephoto on the 11 Pro XL does have an advantage. Its photos are a little sharper, with better fine detail than the older model. And photos from the ultrawide cameras are nearly identical besides some subtleties in the colors. In the dark, the two main cameras are similar, and detail is very good on both, but still slightly better on the 11 Pro XL more often than not. At 5x zoom in low light, we indeed see better detail from the new model's larger sensor.
The difference isn't huge, though. You'll have to squint to see it. And somehow, nighttime ultrawide photos come out sharper from the old model. The selfie camera hardware is the same on both generations, and we appreciate the wide field of view and the autofocus. The new model might have a slight edge in terms of detail. And here's a look at 4K selfie videos taken with either Pixel. Both phones have the same video recording capabilities on board, but the new model can do HDR video in 4K at 60 fps, while the 10 Pro maxes that out at 30 fps.
The daylight videos from the two phones are more similar than they are different at all zoom levels. Colors, contrast, and dynamic range are essentially identical, but the old model seems to have a different rendition of detail, with more sharpening added than the new Pixel. In the dark, though, clips seem as good as identical between the two phones across the board, besides a very slight advantage of the new model at 5x zoom. So, it looks like the camera performance is quite close overall. And with that in mind, has Google made a good case for getting the Pixel 11 Pro XL instead of the cheaper old one?
There are plenty of things you'd get with either phone, like the same design, build, and ingress protection. The displays are identical, large, sharp, and just as bright. The interface and software experience are just the same. And the camera quality is very similar, too. The differences are subtle. The Pixel 11 Pro XL does bring a few upgrades over its predecessor: a more efficient chipset with better CPU performance, better battery life, and faster wired charging. But the Pixel 10 Pro XL doesn't feel like a phone that's a generation behind.
It's still just as responsive in everyday use. Its cameras remain highly competitive, and importantly, it costs a whole lot less. So, which is the better choice? Well, that depends on how much you value the improvements in battery life. If you often find yourself running low before the end of the day, the new model could be worth the premium, especially with its faster charging. But if battery life isn't a major concern, it's hard to justify spending that much more for an otherwise very similar experience. In the end, while the Pixel 11 Pro XL is the better phone, at these prices, I think the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the smarter buy.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you on the next one.
