Is now the time to buy the Pixel 11 or should you wait next year for the Pixel 12?

The very first smartphone I owned was the original iPhone. But after getting rid of the device, it would be years before I returned to iOS. I pre-ordered the BlackBerry Storm 9530, and while that was the worst smartphone I ever purchased, it was responsible for me getting the PhoneArena gig. That's a great story for another time.

This device had the worst launch in the history of smartphones

Interestingly, as putrid as the OG Storm was, the second one was very good because the huge tech gaffe that screwed up the first model was fixed in the sequel. But Verizon, which sold a ton of Storm 9530 units (and had to fix them all) had something better for 2009.
At the time, the iPhone was an AT&T exclusive in the US, so Verizon made a deal with Google and Motorola, and the first real iPhone challenger, the Motorola DROID, was released in November 2009. The first phone with Android 2.0 (aka Eclair), the DROID had a larger display than the iPhone, shipped with a barely usable physical keyboard, but more importantly, it delivered free verbal turn-by-turn Google Maps directions.

Don't underestimate how important those turn-by-turn directions were for DROID sales. While I really wanted to replace the DROID with the DROID X, I ended up over the years with the DROID 3, DROID 4 (great QWERTY), and the DROID Razr.

Waiting for the bugs to clear was a great strategy with this Pixel model

By late 2017, I decided that I wanted a Pixel 2 XL. When the Pixel 2 XL was originally released in October, there had been several issues with the phone. I decided to wait and see if Google could fix most of the bugs by the time I purchased the device.


Going into 2026, my plan was to upgrade my Pixel 6 Pro to the Pixel 11 Pro XL. But here it is, more than two months after the Pixel 11 series was released, and I'm still not sure whether to pick up the 11 Pro XL or hold off for the Pixel 12 Pro XL.

Has Google finished exterminating the Pixel 11 bugs?

You might be finding yourself in a similar position. One problem is that we are not yet at the position where we can confidently say that Google has completely handled all of the headline issues with the Pixel 11 line. Recent issues include:

• Boot Loops: sounds like a breakfast cereal, but this is a major issue where a Pixel starts but cannot finish the process of having the OS boot up. Instead, this pattern continues over and over again making the phone useless.
• Distorted Super Res Zoom images: certain items captured with the telephoto camera appear in images to be something other than what they really are.
• Overheating Pixel units: even after reaching 100% fully charged, Pixel units sitting on wireless charging pads are remaining warm. This is not happening with wired charging.
• An old favorite returns: connectivity drops were the fault of Google cutting costs leading it to equip the Pixel 6 line with modems considered to be below the quality anbd capability of the Qualcomm Snapdragon modems that most flagship phones used at the time. Google has the Pixel 11 line using the MediaTek M90 5G modem.

Here are some of the reasons to hold off buying a new Pixel until next year's Pixel 12 series

• Second-generation 2nm process node: the Tensor 7, expected to power the Pixel 12 line, will be made using TSMC's second-generation 2nm process node, which often yields major improvements over the OG process. Thermal stability is improved and that is important. 
• Improved Silicon-Carbon Batteries: Gaining momentum in China as a high-capacity improvement over Lithium-Ion cells, Silicon Carbon batteries have the possibility of increasing battery capacity by 40% or more. These batteries also take up less room allowing Google to add some new features.

• Design improvements: considering the Pixel 11 line really looked the same as its predecessor, it is likely that Google would want to shake things up for next year.
• AI improvements: the useful AI features would have another year to get better and actually meet the high bar that Google has created for them.

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