There are plenty of reasons to choose Pixel phones over any other traditional Android smartphones, one of the main being GrapheneOS support. For reference, it is an open-source operating system that focuses heavily on privacy and security. All the Pixel phones, from the very old Pixel 6 to last year's Pixel 10 lineup, almost all the Google smartphones, support the OS.
I am saying almost because the latest Pixel 11 series are reportedly not compatible with the privacy-focused OS. Fortunately, that could change very soon.
Why is the Pixel 11 family incompatible with GrapheneOS?
The latest Pixel 11 lineup comes with some important security upgrades. For instance, it features the post-quantum cryptographic ML-DSA algorithm, AOSP IMS framework, and the new Titan M3 security chip. However, all the models of the latest series lack ARM hardware memory tagging (MTE), which is an important component to support GrapheneOS.
The developers of the OS informed its audience about this omission through an X post. While the Big G has not officially confirmed, it appears that this decision has been taken to save some money. MTE is very important, as it helps in providing protection against all attacks that are related to memory management vulnerabilities.
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What's your thought on GrapheneOS?
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Comment under a Reddit post talking about Pixel 11 GrapheneOS support. | Image by Reddit
GrapheneOS users, including me, who were thinking of upgrading to the latest Pixel 11 lineup were certainly not impressed by knowing that the new Google phones don't feature the component that is needed to support the OS. One user commented under a relevant Reddit post that "This is abhorrent. Google is literally doing everything wrong." Another individual mentioned that they are glad that they returned their Pixel 11 Pro and kept their Pixel 9 Pro.
The Pixel 11 lineup could finally support GrapheneOS
Google recently rolled out the Android 17 QPR2 update to all the eligible devices, which obviously includes the latest Pixel 11 family. Interestingly, the update added MTE support to the Pixel 11 phones. That basically means that the latest Google phones are now also compatible with the privacy-focused GrapheneOS, developers confirmed this through a post on X.
Our port to the Pixel 11 series was nearly complete after around a week of the devices being launched. It had to be cancelled due to lack of MTE support. Android 17 QPR2 has added MTE support for the Pixel 11 series and we've confirmed it works with GrapheneOS with our QPR2 port.
The team has yet to announce an official release date, but they did mention that the work is "nearly complete." They go on to further clarify that their current priority is to launch the OS on other devices, hinting Motorola Signature 27. For reference, it is the first non-Pixel phone to support GrapheneOS.
What about the performance?
The team mentioned in the post that the MTE overhead was similar to that seen on other compatible Google phones. As a result, the performance on the Pixel 11 smartphones is reportedly "acceptable" and "more than good enough."
The performance of the OS is reportedly better on the Motorola Signature 27 compared to the new Pixels. It is quite understandable, as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor is surely much faster than the Tensor G6. Furthermore, both Motorola and GrapheneOS have announced their official partnership, so better performance might have something to do with it as well.
Finally, a reason to consider Pixel 11
Unless you consider the modern version of the notification LED light, HiLight, as a major upgrade, none of the Pixel 11 phones received any massive improvement over last year's Pixel 10 family. You surely get the latest Tensor G6 chipset, but it doesn't even come close to the new A20 Pro chipset from Apple or the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 SoC from Qualcomm.
The GrapheneOS support was one thing that was giving Pixel phones an x-factor over iPhones and other Android flagships, but that was also taken away after the announcement that the new phones don't feature the component needed to run the OS. I am glad that the OS is finally coming to the Pixel phones.
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Aman Kumar is a news writer at PhoneArena covering Google Pixel phones, Android features, AI-powered smartphone tools, and mobile tech news. Before joining PhoneArena, he spent over five years writing about consumer technology for publications like MakeUseOf, How-To Geek, and Guiding Tech. His current daily drivers are the Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, while his red iPhone SE (2nd gen) remains a personal favorite. Aman also appreciates bold smartphone experiments and still considers the Nokia N-Gage one of the industry’s most iconic designs.
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