GoKawiilGoogle removes infrared thermometer from Pixel lineup starting with Pixel 11
Google has dropped the infrared temperature sensor first introduced on the Pixel 8 Pro, leaving it out of the newly launched Pixel 11 series. In its place, the company added a new notification light feature called HiLight, shifting the phone's differentiating hardware trick from a thermometer to a lighting cue.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The thermometer was initially dismissed as a pandemic-era novelty, but it turned out to solve practical everyday problems, such as checking food or liquid temperatures, better than software ever could. Its removal highlights how phone makers constantly trade off niche hardware experiments for other priorities like battery size or camera improvements, even when those features build user loyalty and personality for a device line.
- Pixel 11 series drops the infrared thermometer sensor introduced with Pixel 8 Pro.
- Google replaced it with a new notification light feature called HiLight.
- The thermometer, once seen as a gimmick, proved genuinely useful for everyday tasks.
Etekcity Infrared Thermometer 1080 — If you'll miss the Pixel's quirky IR thermometer, a dedicated infrared thermometer gun does the same trick without needing a specific phone. Point it at a pan, a radiator, a car engine, or your coffee and get an instant surface temperature reading. It's the kind of oddly useful gadget you end up reaching for far more than you expect.
See Etekcity Infrared Thermometer 1080 on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: androidauthority.com, 2026-08-30
Published there as: “One of Google’s weirdest Pixel features is finally dead, and I’m going to seriously miss it”
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