Pixel 11 Pro review: Google AI as your enabler
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
Engadget's review of Google's Pixel 11 Pro examines how the phone leans heavily on AI tools such as Rambler, a voice-dictation keyboard, to help users capture, edit and communicate more easily. The reviewer, Cherlynn Low, rates the device 9/10, praising its build quality and camera features while questioning whether the growing reliance on AI assistance is fully justified given the phone's higher price and reduced RAM compared with its predecessor.
The Pixel 11 Pro costs $100 more than the Pixel 10 Pro and has less RAM, yet shares the same 6.3-inch Super Actua display, dimensions and resolution as its predecessor, with the redesigned edge-to-edge glass camera bar and new "HiLight" LED ring being the main visual differences. The screen is around 300 nits brighter with a more scratch-resistant coating, and the phone is marginally lighter at 7.2oz, but the review raises concerns about whether AI features risk crossing from helpful into overly intrusive territory.
- Pixel 11 Pro reviewed by Engadget, scoring 9/10 overall.
- New AI tools like Rambler dictation aim to assist, not just automate.
- Costs $100 more, has less RAM, but improved screen and camera design.
New here? Start with this
Google's Pixel phones are its flagship Android devices, built to showcase Google's own software and AI features rather than just hardware. The Pixel 11 Pro is the newest high-end model in this line, succeeding last year's Pixel 10 Pro, and continues a trend of putting artificial intelligence tools at the centre of how the phone is used, from dictating text to editing photos and messages.
Tech reviewers, including outlets like Engadget, regularly assess new flagship phones on factors such as design, camera quality, performance and value for money. These reviews help shoppers decide whether a phone's price increase over its predecessor is justified by genuine improvements, or whether it mainly relies on software additions like AI assistants to stand out.
This matters because AI features are increasingly used by phone makers to differentiate new models even when the underlying hardware changes only slightly. The debate over whether such tools genuinely help users or become unnecessary and intrusive is a wider question facing the smartphone industry, not just this one device.
More coverage