GoKawiilGoogle’s Pixel phones have always prioritized software over hardware. While that’s delivered some of Android’s smartest AI features and best cameras, it’s also meant living with compromises that fans have been asking Google to fix for years: slower charging, middling battery life, Tensor processors that trail the competition, and hardware that often feels a generation behind the best Android flagships.
As someone who’s used Pixels for years, I was hoping the Pixel 11 would finally start closing that gap. It didn’t need to leapfrog every rival overnight, but even one or two meaningful hardware upgrades — a larger battery, faster charging, a more competitive Tensor chip, or a standout camera improvement — would have gone a long way to making the Pixel 11 series feel like flagships at the top of their game.
Instead, based on everything we’ve seen so far, the Pixel 11 series looks set to stick with much the same formula.
While I expect Google’s latest flagships to retain their signature focus on AI software features and ecosystem tools, that’s no longer enough on its own. When you’re spending anywhere from $800 to $1,200 on a flagship expected to last five years or more, you expect premium hardware to match the price. That’s especially true when competitors in the US, and even more so across global markets, are pushing ahead with genuinely meaningful hardware innovations that improve the day-to-day experience. Prospective Pixel buyers shouldn’t settle for anything less.
What do you want most from the Pixel 11 series? 45 votes Better battery life 42 % Improved performance 29 % Faster charging 11 % More versatile cameras 13 % Something else (see comments) 4 % Unsure, Pixel hardware is pretty great 0 %
Battery life and charging already feel dated
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
I’m a huge fan of fast charging, especially since modern versions can top up handsets in well under an hour without the increased heat of older methods. Hitting a cool 45W is really the baseline in 2026, and even Samsung has managed to push its Galaxy S26 Ultra to 60W, resulting in a full charge time of just 40 minutes compared to over 100 for my Pixel 10 Pro XL.
While there are hopefully rumors of Google increasing its power this generation, based on reports of how its current phones are struggling to stay cool while charging in recent hot temperatures and the brand’s troubled history with low-quality batteries, I’d be surprised if Google feels at all confident about pushing beyond its current 37W peak on the XL models and 27W capabilities for its smaller handsets. In any case, it seems incredibly unlikely Google will jump to 60W or higher to match its rivals’ capabilities, and even if there is a higher power level around the corner, sustaining it to actually make a next-gen Pixel charge meaningfully faster is a whole different question.
A bigger battery would be the easiest win to make Pixel's feel better to use.
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