It appears that the Pixel 11 flagships don't offer the screen material that was "promised" to them. Before the Pixel 11 unveiling in late August, numerous rumors said it's certain that users would enjoy the Samsung-made M16 OLED material on Google's new flagships.
Instead, the new iQOO 16 (iQOO is a sub-brand of Vivo's) could actually be the first Android phone to debut the M16 material.
The iPhones already offer M16
The iPhone Duo is the talk of the town right now. | Image by Apple
As we told you mere hours ago, the Galaxy S27 Ultra and the same-but-smaller-sized Galaxy S27 Pro might also pack Samsung's M16 material. In that same article, we pointed out that the new iPhone Duo (Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone) and the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro come with M16 material for their displays.
That's why I started with the notice that the iQOO 16 might be the first Android phone to use the M16. This could happen in the coming two weeks (the Galaxy S27 Ultra and S27 Pro, meanwhile, won't arrive before late January or early February of 2027).
Now, none other than the reputable and well-known leakster Ice Universe who says that the iQOO 16 will indeed be the first Android phone with M16 on board:
Samsung Display has confirmed that the iQOO 16 will be the first Android smartphone to feature its M16 OLED display. This also means that the Pixel 11 series does not use an M16 OLED panel. pic.twitter.com/Xn2775dcIl
Ice also points out that "this also means that the Pixel 11 series does not use an M16 OLED panel", and we suspected that all along. What's more, in Ice's post we see a photo from what appears to be a Samsung Display/iQOO screen technology event where the two companies discussed the M16 and the upcoming iQOO phone.
On the wall behind the presenter, there's a fairly large inscription: "Android's first M16", and that's no Google event, I can tell you that much.
What kind of display would you prefer for your next phone?
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We contacted Google
For us to be sure about the Pixel 11's screen material, we contacted Google. The company answered, but it didn't give a straightforward reply:
The Pixel 11 Pro and the Pixel 11 Pro XL have a 6.3" / 6.8" Super Actua Display, and the Pixel 11 has a 6.3" Actua display. At this time, we are not able to comment on specific internal specs, but we attribute the Actua display performance to high-quality material selection, as well as hardware and software integration and tuning.
– Google spokesperson for PhoneArena, 2026
While Ice Universe's post straightforwardly says the Pixel 11 series doesn't use the M16 material, I'd prefer for Google to say it officially.
OK, but what is the big deal about the M16?
The M16 OLED approach is essentially about getting more light out of the panel without making it more power-hungry. Instead of using the usual polarizing layer, the display is manufactured with a photolithography technique that creates a direct path from the pixels to the glass. More than 10 million pixels are individually etched during the process, requiring extremely precise manufacturing.
In practical terms, this could make the panel more transparent and allow it to reproduce a wider range of colors. The interesting part is that the higher-resolution 2K panel of the iQOO 16 is also said to draw less power than the 1.5K screen used by the iPhone 16 Pro Max, despite having more pixels to drive.
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Sebastian is one of PhoneArena’s senior opinionators. A veteran news writer with almost 20 years of experience in media and technology, he not only covers all the hot news about Galaxies and iPhones, but often provides hot takes on industry trends. He’s fascinated with camera-focused flagships from the likes of Oppo and Vivo, as well as foldable phones.
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