GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
Google’s flagship and budget smartphones made a name for themselves for their exceptionally consistent photography capabilities, a theme the brand is keeping alive with the Pixel 11 series. The latest flagships sport some, but in typical Google fashion, it’s playing it safe and staying consistent.
While this strategy means we virtually always know what we’re getting when a new Pixel lands, being too predictable has allowed some rivals to leapfrog the brand with more modern, superior camera hardware, resulting in better pictures. As a Pixel fan, I want my next Google phone to take pictures that I simply can’t grab on other phones in the business.
Sadly, with the Pixel 11, it’s more of the same, and that’s not just good enough when Pro models now cost upwards of $1,000.
Are you happy with the Pixel 11's camera improvements? 28 votes Yes, the camera specs are very good. 7 % I'd like to see faster hardware innovation. 32 % No, Google's hardware is lagging. 57 % I'm not sure. 4 %
A history of delayed upgrades
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
The cadence of Google’s camera upgrades makes it surprisingly easy to break the Pixel series down into two distinct camera generations. First was the “great single camera era” encompassing the original Pixel in 2016 through to the Pixel 3 in 2018. The single 12MP rear camera helped pioneer the brand’s hugely impressive HDR+, portrait mode, and Night Sight capabilities that are still a core part of the Pixel photography identity.
After that, Google experimented with a secondary camera to augment its preference for the 12MP main sensor. The Pixel 4 introduced a dedicated 2x telephoto camera for improved Super Res Zoom snaps, while the budget Pixel 5 swapped this out for an ultrawide lens. However, by the fifth generation, the 12MP main camera stack was starting to show its age, and the dual-camera companion still felt weak in an age when competitors had already moved to triple-lens arrays. Fans were clamoring for a more meaningful upgrade.
The Pixel 6 Pro was the last time Google made a major camera hardware change.
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