Google Pixel 11 Pro XL

At Rs. 469,999, the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL is priced as a top flagship, yet its strengths are camera quality, software and long support rather than raw power. Google does not sell Pixels officially in Pakistan, so units come through private imports and warranty terms differ from shop to shop. Prices of imported Pixels also tend to fall noticeably within a few months of launch.

• Strengths: a clearly better zoom camera, a very bright display, 45W wired and 25W magnetic wireless charging, and up to 7 major OS updates.
• Compromises: only 12GB RAM on the 256GB model, weaker gaming than rival flagships, and a HiLight LED that does little so far.

Verdict: worth it for photography-focused buyers coming from an older phone. Pixel 10 Pro XL owners gain little, and buyers who play heavy games should look at the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max instead. GSMArena reached a similar view: a very good phone, but one where the alternatives deserve a look at this price.

The 6.8-inch LTPO OLED has a sharp 1344 x 2992 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, so scrolling feels smooth and text looks crisp. Peak brightness rises to 3600 nits from 3,300 nits on the previous model, and the screen stays very usable in direct sunlight. GSMArena rates its maximum brightness as class-leading.

The LTPO panel lowers its refresh rate for static content to save power, and HDR10+ support suits streaming apps. Note that the Smooth Display setting must be switched on to get 120Hz in apps.

The main limitation is glare: there is no anti-reflective coating like the one on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, so reflections are more visible outdoors. Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects the front.

The Google Tensor G6 (3 nm) uses a 7-core CPU. Everyday tasks feel quick, with apps opening and switching without delay. Benchmark gains over the Pixel 10 Pro XL are roughly 13% on one core and nearly 20% across all cores, which puts to rest worries that the new chip is a step back from the Tensor G5.

Gaming is where it falls behind. Against the Galaxy S26 Ultra, CPU results are about a third lower and graphics results nearly 60% lower. In the most demanding games this shows as frame drops and lag, and War Thunder offers no ray tracing option on the Pixel. GSMArena found most games ran fine, but Fortnite barely worked at the highest settings and one title would not run at all. Its stress test showed sustained performance at about last year's level.

The 256GB model has 12GB RAM; the 512GB and 1TB versions have 16GB.

The main camera is a 50 MP sensor with OIS, joined by a 48 MP ultrawide and a 48 MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom. The telephoto is the big change: its sensor is about a third larger, portrait mode now works with it, and Pro Zoom reaches 120x with heavy AI processing. Shots at 5x and beyond look clearly better than on the Pixel 10 Pro XL.

Photos in general show more natural skin tones, less noise and sharper detail, without the over-sharpened look of older Pixels. Night Sight is much faster, which means less blur when people move; reports differ on exactly how much faster. A new Looks mode reduces processing for more stylised photos, and Magic Capture records photos and video together when you are unsure which mode to use.

• Weak points: the camera app is cluttered with small icons, GSMArena found the telephoto cannot focus close, and Video Boost depends on cloud processing that can take several hours.
• Video: up to 8K at 30fps on the rear camera, and 4K at 60fps on both the rear and the 42 MP selfie camera.

The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL has a 5115 mAh battery, slightly smaller than the 5200 mAh cell in the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Reports on battery life differ: some testing found it about the same as last year, lasting a full day with a little to spare, while GSMArena recorded a clear improvement over the 10 Pro XL. Many rival flagships with bigger batteries still last longer.

Wired charging is 45W, and Google claims 75% in 30 minutes; GSMArena measured a full charge in about an hour. Qi2.2 magnetic wireless charging at 25W works with Pixel Snap and MagSafe accessories such as stands and mounts. Reverse wired charging and bypass charging are also supported.

The phone runs Android 17 with Google's clean Pixel interface, and Google promises up to 7 major OS updates. Pixels are also among the first phones to get new Android versions.

AI is the main focus this year:

• Rambler in Gboard turns long, rambling speech into short, clear text that is ready to send.
• Gemini can use context from your daily routine to make suggestions, and adds American Sign Language support for deaf users.
• A new creator toolkit adds a front-camera teleprompter and project folders for clips.

The new HiLight LED on the back currently does little: it shows chosen colours for selected contacts, glows while Gemini is active and counts down the camera timer. It does not show general notifications.

Some assistant features may have regional or language limits, so not every AI tool may work the same way in Pakistan.