GoKawiilIn 2025, I lauded the Google Pixel 10 Pro for its bright, vibrant display that was great to game on. Now, its successor has arrived, and although it looks identical — with some slight hardware changes — the luster has worn off. The Google Pixel 11 Pro feels underpowered when it comes to gaming, and odd glitches that emerged while playing make it harder to recommend for gaming on the go.
The Google Pixel 11 Pro is unquestionably the best phone Google has ever released, with its AI-powering Tensor G6 chip, a trio of great cameras with refined photo software and an expansive list of generative AI features. With all these advantages, the 11 Pro is one of the best phones out there for taking pictures. But its hardware and software edge doesn’t extend as much to gaming as other phones do, such as the Samsung Galaxy S26 and its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.
In practice, the Pixel 11 Pro struggles with higher graphics settings within games, and will pop up warnings about overheating and battery drain when I pump it up above the lowest resolution, frame rate and detailing. It’s a bit surprising given the phone’s premium price.
Unfortunately, that price has gone up, though in a roundabout way. Google got rid of the 128GB entry option for its entire lineup, so the $1,099 starting price for the Pixel 11 Pro with 256GB of storage is the same price as last year at that storage level — you just can’t pick up a lower-storage configuration for under $1,000 anymore. That’s especially limiting for mobile gamers, since installing multiple titles can quickly eat through the available storage. The action RPG Genshin Impact alone takes up 55GB.
When reached for comment, Google confirmed that the raised storage and price reflects the impact of the RAM shortage, driven by AI, which has made components more expensive across consumer tech. But it bites the Pixel 11 Pro phones in another way: That new entry model comes with only 12GB of RAM. You’ll still get 16GB with the 512GB and 1TB storage options ($1,219 and $1,499 respectively, $50 higher than last year’s prices), but it’s a bummer after last year’s 10 Pro series all shipped with 16GB.
Google says that this reduction in RAM doesn’t matter as much, since its 11 Pro phones are faster and smoother than last year’s thanks to optimizations in silicon and software. I wasn’t able to test this claim, as the Pixel 11 Pro review unit Google sent me had 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
With those considerations, the Pixel 11 Pro starts off with compromises, which progressed as I spent more time gaming on the phone.
The Pixel 11 Pro’s svelte design made it easy to handle while gaming, though not everyone may be comfortable with the sizable camera block on the back side. David Lumb/CNET
What it’s like to play games on the Pixel 11 Pro
As with last year’s Pixel 10 Pro, the new Pixel 11 Pro stands out among other phones with its 6.3-inch OLED display. Details are crisp with its 2,856×1,280-pixel resolution and colors are vivid with HDR10 Plus support.
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