Before I talk about the current news, it's important to first understand what exactly Project Toscana is. So, if you have an iPhone, you must have noticed that its face unlock mechanism is totally flawless and works in any lighting condition. The face unlock system is quick on Pixel smartphones as well, but unfortunately it struggles in dark environments.
Recommended For You
You would have to really increase the brightness of your phone in low-light conditions to get it unlocked through Face ID. To address this shortcoming, Google is reportedly working on a new system called Project Toscana. The company will reportedly rely on infrared technology similar to iPhones to better scan faces and ensure face unlock works even in dark environments.
It's reportedly not coming with the Pixel 11 series
A man trying to unlock his Pixel phone through Face ID. | Image by Google
When the details about Project Toscana surfaced online, it was believed that the Pixel 11 series could come with the new face unlock system. However, that doesn't seem to be happening, according to reliable tipster Mystic Leaks. The reason behind this is that the feature is currently not ready to be released.
The tipster has a pretty solid track record, so there's a high possibility that the new hardware is indeed not coming with the upcoming Pixel lineup. And yes, I am really disappointed to know that.
Ever since I switched from an iPhone to a Pixel 10, Apple's Face ID is one thing that I really miss. Whenever I am walking on a road at night that doesn't have enough lighting, I have to use the pattern or fingerprint to unlock my Pixel device. The face unlock mechanism really struggles in such situations or sometimes doesn't work at all.
I was really hopeful that the new hardware would land on the Pixel 11 line because Google actually knows the recipe. As it turns out, the Pixel 4 that was released in 2019 came with the infrared cameras and dot projectors to recognize your face.
The availability of these two technologies made the face unlock system of the Pixel 4 as reliable as Apple's Face ID. Considering this, it's a bit shocking and disappointing for me that we might not see the new face unlock hardware in this year's Google phones.
Does the unavailability of new face unlock hardware change your interest in the Pixel 11?
The thermometer sensor is getting removed
Mystic Leak also claims that upcoming Pixel phones will not feature the thermometer sensor. While having this capability on a phone sounds like a really cool idea, I, personally, didn't find it useful at all.
In my testing, I found that its readings were often very inaccurate. Furthermore, I really didn't understand the reason why Google actually introduced this hardware to its phones.
Why would anyone use their phone to measure their temperature or the temperature of objects around them? We have dedicated thermometers for that purpose. Thermometer guns are also available on e-commerce websites that you can use to get an accurate temperature measurement of your surroundings.
Because of all these reasons, I think the removal of this particular hardware wouldn't affect many Pixel fans. That said, you could get an RGB LED array (Pixel Glow) in the camera bar in upcoming devices. This could be similar to the Nothing Glyph.
I have mixed feelings about the Pixel 11 series
Honestly speaking, I have mixed feelings about the upcoming Google Pixel phones. Other than a new SoC and a better camera, no other specifications of the upcoming devices are reportedly seeing any upgrade. Battery capacity will be the same, the design isn't seeing any major changes, and furthermore, the RAM could also be downgraded to keep phone prices similar to last year.
That said, we could see four models in the upcoming lineup: the base Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Google could unveil these phones sometime in August, right before the release of the iPhone 18 series.
Get Visible as low as $20/mo for 1 year. Limited time offer with code: FRESHSTART
$20
/mo
$25
$5 off (20%)
Offer Ends 6.1.2026 at 11.59pm ET. New members get $5/mo off the $25/mg Visible plan, $35/mo Visible+ plan, or $45/mo Visible+ Pro plan for the first 12 months. Promo code FRESHSTART required at checkout.
Aman Kumar is a tech news writer with a long-standing passion for smartphones. Aman specializes in everything smartphones, from AI features like Pixel’s Camera Coach to understanding ideal hardware combinations. He loves breaking down complex features in a simple, clear way and hopes manufacturers bring back bold designs like the Nokia N-Gage. When he’s not writing, he’s either gaming on PUBG or talking fitness as a dedicated gym enthusiast.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: