Editorials · Reviewer Insight
I used the compact Pixel 11 Pro: its new matte black color is stunning
The Pixel 11 Pro is probably the best compact Android phone around, and I love the design too.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The Obsidian matte colorway looks stunning | Image by PhoneArena
I have spent the last few days using the compact Pixel 11 Pro, and I have to admit it: I didn't expect to like this phone this much.
The design hasn't changed much, but what has changed is that I was using the Obsidian colorway. This black finish is a muted black that is closer to a dark gray than to inky black, especially when you use it outdoors. The most notable thing about it is that you get an incredibly smooth, matte finish.
If you weren't a fan of the glitzy, shiny look of previous Pixels, the new Obsidian on the Pixel 11 Pro will feel much better. It's toned down, subtle.
Here are my impressions of the phone and a closer look at all the intricacies of its design.
Image by PhoneArena
The Pixel 11 Pro is a 6.3-inch phone, the same screen size as the iPhone 17 Pro and Galaxy S26; aka, this is what goes for a compact phone in 2026.
Image by PhoneArena
The 11 Pro is not the thinnest or lightest phone around, with a weight of 204 grams and 8.4mm of thickness. It's nearly 20% heavier and thicker than Samsung's Galaxy S26. I wouldn't count this as some sort of an issue, though. It just has a more substantial feel in the hand.
Image by PhoneArena
The camera bar sticks out of the back of the phone quite a bit. But at least it's still a horizontal camera bar, so the phone does not wobble when you lay it down on a table.
One slight change is that the camera bar is fully covered with glass (previously, the part where you had the flashlight was metal).
Image by PhoneArena
But clearly the biggest highlight of the Pixel 11 Pro is the camera, and especially the 5X telephoto camera that now uses a much larger sensor than before. This makes for noticeable improvement in quality when you zoom in.
Image by PhoneArena
My favorite camera feature, however, is Camera Looks. Tap on the settings icon in the bottom right of the camera app, and then tap on Looks. Here you can choose more neutral colors, or the opposite, more vivid ones, for your pictures. You also get six creative film-inspired looks.
You can also find a bunch of individual settings that you just cannot access on other phones. My favorite is a sharpness slider so that you can have images with less artificial sharpening and ones that look closer to those of a real camera.
Image by PhoneArena
You also have quite a few "Magic" AI-powered features to improve your images, reframe them, or just entirely change the look of a photo with the help of AI.
Image by PhoneArena
The Pixel 11 Pro series comes with the brightest screens we have ever tested in our labs. They reach around 3,000 nits, while most other flagship phones barely get to 2,500 nits.
This makes the 11 Pro display much easier to see outdoors on a sunny day.
Image by PhoneArena
The software is a familiar affair: Android 17 the way Google intended it. I love the clean interface and the fact that you are promised seven years of software updates.
Unlike other phones, like Galaxies, Pixels don't wait for months to receive those updates and get them the moment Google releases them.
Saying "Android the way Google intended it" means that you also get cool features like Bubbles from Android 17 (you don't have the same implementation on Galaxy phones).
Image by PhoneArena
Google advertizes the new HiLight, a ring of 8 small LED lights placed over the camera flash, as one of the coolest new tricks of the Pixel 11 Pro.
I think Google got the vibes right with this colorful light, but I honestly stopped using it after trying it out the first couple of days.
Right now, it only works when you talk to Gemini and notifies you of a call. I call this a gimmick, even if it is a cool one.
By the way, the Pixel 11 Pro also no longer has a thermometer, like the last two generations.
Image by PhoneArena
While the larger Pixel 11 Pro XL supports 45-watt charging speeds, the Pixel 11 Pro maxes out at 30 watts.
On the plus side, the Pixel 11 Pro has Qi 2.2 support, so you can easily snap it to magnetic chargers. Few other Android phones have that option.
Image by PhoneArena
You get an ultrasonic fingerprint reader and class 3 face recognition. The latter is particularly impressive. This is more secure than your standard image-based face recognition that can be spoofed with just a picture.
Google applies its algorithm to prevent such spoofing, and this means you can use face recognition even with apps like your banking.
Image by PhoneArena
I love compact phones, and I appreciate Google making this one. Many popular phones out of China only come in one, large size, which has always felt a bit too much for me,.
Image by PhoneArena
And that matte black Obsidian is an absolute looker.
Image by PhoneArena
The Pixel 11 Pro starts at $1,100 this year with 256GB of storage in the base model. That's $100 pricier than the previous model, but I wouldn't blame Google — RAM prices have gone up nearly 4-fold, so all gadget makers have raised prices.
Would you buy the Pixel 11 Pro, or do you think there is a better compact phone around?
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