As is custom, leaks render any new telephone launch underwhelming.
We already knew a lot of the Google Pixel 11 lineup’s flagship options and {hardware} specs forward of launch. Nonetheless, there have been a couple of intriguing nuggets of data to be mined from hands-on expertise.
Certainly one of these was significantly sudden. Until they repair a selected downside (see how the Pixel 9 fastened the Pixel 8’s washed-out images), digital camera upgrades have a tendency to not make any distinction for many of us.
However the Pixel 11 lineup helped make clear precisely what a digital camera improve ought to and should not appear like in 2026 and past.
I realized my lesson with the Pixel 7 Professional
Some options are simply there to make headlines
The Pixel 7 Professional was the primary Professional mannequin of Pixel telephone I owned, and I used to be thrilled to get an opportunity to play with the flowery toys I had envied for therefore lengthy.
Certainly one of these was significantly fascinating: Tremendous Res Zoom. It promised 30x zoom, and whereas that was already shorter than the 100x zoom supplied by Samsung and Honor telephones, it was the longest zoom I had ever used on a smartphone.
The issue? I by no means used it.
Positive, I performed with it a couple of instances, however I rapidly realized it was pointless. The one motive I wished to zoom in that far was to pick particulars, however the AI-powered post-processing scrubbed these.
Subsequent Pixel fashions have improved this know-how. My present every day driver, a Pixel 10 Professional, offers 100x zoom. This is what a photograph seems like at 1x zoom, 100x zoom, and 100x Professional Zoom.
It seems advantageous at first look, however additional examination reveals loads of artifacts the place AI has tried to fill within the blanks. It is spectacular know-how, however I would not share this photograph with my mates.
Boasting about zoom stage seems nice on advertising supplies, however on the finish of the day, it is one other digital camera characteristic we do not want or use. Ultrawide lenses, underwater video, Digital camera Coach, Add Me. Options that sound cool, however aren’t related in our every day life. So what’s?
One actually good digital camera lens is all I want
Solely superior fashions deserve the complete suite of lenses
I settle for that Professional and Extremely telephone fashions deserve one of the best digital camera setup potential. Nonetheless, for our base-level flagship and midrange telephones, ultrawide and macro lenses are pointless.
I am satisfied the one motive the Pixel 10a has an ultrawide digital camera is to take care of the pill-shaped cutout of the digital camera bar. Does it want an ultrawide digital camera? No. Would it not be nearly as good with solely its most important digital camera? Sure.
Let’s step outdoors Android territory and have a look at a distinct midrange telephone: the iPhone 17e. This telephone contains a single (one) 48MP digital camera with 2x telephoto and 10x digital zoom.
Excellent.
10x zoom is greater than sufficient for 99% of the images I need to take. Positive, I often want to zoom in additional, however I will not miss it if it is gone.
Ditching the pointless ultrawide digital camera is an excellent transfer from Apple. The result’s a no-nonsense, good digital camera that may deal with all on a regular basis images. Need high quality images at the next zoom? Purchase an precise digital camera.
If solely Apple might flatten the digital camera towards the telephone’s again just like the Pixel 10a. Then it might be excellent.
However much more goes into cameras than the {hardware}. Pixel telephones are identified for his or her intensive suite of digital camera methods, most of them pointless, however surprisingly, the Pixel 11 introduces helpful instruments.
Immediate Night time Sight is the Pixel 11 Professional’s flagship characteristic for me
It solves an issue. Incredible
The Pixel 11 Professional improves the classic Night Sight characteristic by making it immediate. No extra ready round, no extra holding the shutter button, no extra blurry images. Immediate.
Overlook the enhancements to apertures and sensors; this can be a highly effective improve that I’d use on a regular basis.
There are a couple of different helpful options, like Digital camera Appears (primarily a extra handy technique to entry Snapseed filters), Magic Seize (for taking movies and images concurrently), and 5x Portrait zoom.
Nevertheless, Immediate Night time Sight is the primary digital camera characteristic in years that solves an issue.
It is the sort of digital camera software program improve I would like from a brand new telephone. I finished caring about digital camera {hardware} years in the past; software program now has the largest impression on my images.
Digital camera upgrades are nonetheless potential, however it’s simple to get misplaced within the advertising
Do not get me incorrect, if I picked up a Pixel 11 Professional proper now, the very first thing I’d do is see how far I can zoom in. However is it a promoting level for me? Completely not.
I desire a telephone digital camera that does the fundamentals brilliantly, with no additional lenses. And when the one telephone that provides that’s the iPhone 17e, the temptation to change turns into higher than ever.
