After months of leaks and rumors, Google officially unveiled the Pixel 11 lineup at its Made By event. As expected, the Big G touted these smartphones as one of the best flagships currently on the market. But are they really? I strongly disagree, and many Pixel fans seem to have the same feeling.
Online sentiment appears to be mostly against Pixel 11
After the new Google phones were officially unveiled, many posts were made on Reddit with users basically asking other Pixel users whether they are going to upgrade this year and what they thought of the new devices. The majority of the Pixel fans appear not to be interested in the new Google phones, as per the comments on related posts.
User commenting that they're going to stick with their current Pixel model. | Image by Reddit
In a post that was made to ask the opinion of others on whether one should buy the 256 GB + 12 GB or 512 GB + 16 GB option, most users commented that they are sticking with their current Google phone. A user commented that they are sticking with their Pixel 10 Pro, while another commented that their Pixel 9 Pro XL is better than the newly released handsets. Interestingly, I was also able to spot comments from even Pixel 6a and Pixel 4a users saying that they are sticking with their phones.
Which upgrade would have convinced you to buy a Pixel 11 phone?
Why many fans appear to be not liking the Pixel 11 lineup
The reason is pretty straightforward: none of the Pixel 11 phones received any massive upgrades over their respective predecessors. Starting with the base variant, the only noticeable changes you are getting this year are the new Tensor chipset, slightly faster wireless charging, and a 15 mAh bigger battery.
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The HiLight feature is the only major upgrade in the Pro variants. Other than this, it's the same minor upgrade story across all three Pro models. God knows for what reason, but the Big G even reduced the battery capacity of all three phones over their respective predecessors.
There were also strong rumors that the Tensor G6 would be made using TSMC's 2nm process, but Peng Yu-chun, a VP of Hardware at Google, confirmed that the SoC still uses a 3nm process. The use of a 2nm node would have given Pixel phones a significant boost in various departments like performance, battery life, heat management, and more.
Along with all these, all the new Google phones cost $100 more. For instance, in comparison to the Pixel 10, which was launched at $799, its successor is priced at $899.
Die hard Pixel fan disappointed with Google. | Image by Reddit
The incremental upgrades, higher price, and downgrades in the battery department have seemed to disappoint even some Pixel zealots. A user who claims to be a Pixel fan for over 8 years mentions that they are done with Google, as even their latest phones are lagging behind competitors' products like the iPhone 17 that was released a year ago.
Offers, trade-ins, and discounts
As mentioned above, many users have apparently decided to stick with the current Pixel model, but I was also able to spot a good number of comments from users basically saying that they might consider buying the new Google phones if they get a good discount or high trade-in values. For instance, a Reddit user commented that they would not buy any of the latest Google phones at their full price but might consider them if they got some kind of discount coupon.
User commenting that they're going to buy Pixel 11 after getting good discount on it. | Image by Reddit
The tech giant has already sent up to $250-off coupons to some of the users who signed up for the new devices. After applying the provided code, the base model would cost $649. The price might get even lower after applying the trade-in discounts.
I'm waiting for the Pixel 12 lineup
I'm not defending Google here, but I really think people need to understand that it is not necessary to update phones every year. The Pixel 11 phones are definitely great for someone whose current device is at least 2 to 3 years old, like one from the Pixel 8 series.
But for someone like me, who owns a Pixel 10, upgrading to the latest Google phones doesn't really make sense, as you wouldn't get anything groundbreaking. I'm looking forward to getting one of the Pixel 12 phones, especially after knowing that there's a possibility that they might come with the silicon-carbon batteries.
Here are a few more interesting Pixel-related stories:
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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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