GoKawiilThe iPhone Duo might have stolen the spotlight at Apple’s Surprise and Shine event last week, but the latest high-end iPhone 18 Pro remains the go-to option for creatives. With the inclusion of variable aperture that can control light exposure for photography and long battery life, Apple’s new Pro phone is well equipped for media capture. But the new model is more expensive than ever. At its $1,199 starting price, the phone is $100 more than the base iPhone 17 Pro and Google’s new $1,099 Pixel 11 Pro.
While Google’s Pixel 11 Pro received its own $100 price hike over last year’s 10 Pro — likely influenced by the ongoing memory shortage that’s making electronics more expensive — the phone also received camera upgrades like a larger sensor on its 48-megapixel telephoto camera that promises a 30% increase in light capture (versus the 10 Pro). That telephoto camera supports the 11 Pro’s 30x digital zoom as well as its 120x Pro Zoom — the latter using generative AI to clean up photos taken at that distance.
Both phones have a big focus on photography, but after that, Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and Google’s Pixel 11 Pro differ dramatically. They have designs that will suit different crowds and functions, and spotlight the best of iOS 27 and Android 17, respectively. I’ve taken a closer look at each phone’s biggest features, so you can figure out whether the iPhone 18 Pro or the Pixel 11 Pro is the better fit for you.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro vs. Google Pixel 11 Pro: Design and display
The Google Pixel 11 Pro brought some fun colors. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
While the iPhone 18 Pro and the Pixel 11 Pro have similar designs to the phones they’ve replaced — the iPhone 17 Pro and the Pixel 10 Pro, respectively — each phone has an entirely different style.
The iPhone 18 Pro sports an aluminum unibody design and, this year, a cleaner monotone look rather than the dual-tone finish of the 17 Pro. The 18 Pro comes in four colors: burgundy red, glacier blue, silver and black.
The back of the Pixel 11 Pro highlights its full-width camera bar with an added edge-to-edge glass for a more uniform look. It comes in canyon (an orange-pinkish shade), fog white, olive green and obsidian black. Both the Pixel and the iPhone have color-matching frames, giving them a seamless look. In the hand, the Pixel 11 Pro will feel lighter than the iPhone 18 Pro, with the phones weighing in at 204 grams and 211 grams, respectively — in both cases roughly the same as a medium apple.
Both phones have a 6.3-inch OLED display with support for a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate, and are IP68-rated for water and dust resistance — making them safe to take to environments like the beach where sand and water won’t get inside.
The Dynamic Island is smaller on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max (right) than last year’s 17 Pro Max (left). Patrick Holland/CNET
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