Everything Announced At The Google Summer Launch
As a leading force in AI, Google’s phones often demonstrate how mobile phone tech can be optimised for today’s needs – and it’s renowned for offering good value for money too. The Pixel 11, its newly announced range due on 20th August, is no different. Still, this set of gadgets is a solid update to the existing models rather than a ground-breaking revamp.
Google’s summer launch event also gave us its first foray into tracking tiles – at long last. Is it worth the wait? And are the phones still good value for money compared to Apple, Samsung and Sony phones? What differences can we expect from the Pixel 10 range? Let’s take a deeper look to find out this and more.
Pixel 11
Stylistically, the Pixel 11 largely resembles the Pixel 10 except for one major difference: the camera bar is slimmer at the back. In fact, it’s 40 per cent thinner, so with a case, it feels largely flat.
Other noticeable changes include faster wireless charging (it’s up to a max of 25W from 15W), longer battery life (30+ hours from 24+ hours) and the main camera captures up to 56 per cent more light. You’ll find software improvements too: Magic Capture looks at 500 frames of a video and picks the best shot automatically, while a new Creator Suite for social media folk adds a teleprompter, project folders and a storyboard tool, making video creation a doddle.
Behind the scenes, the new chip is a Google Tensor G6, which gives 50 per cent more compute and double the memory bandwidth – but that’s largely used by bigger AI demands. It also boasts a new Titan M3 security chip to act like a vault for your biometric data and passwords, so even if the worst happens and your phone gets hacked, your most important information will stay secure.
In line with most of this year’s flagship phones, there’s a price increase. The Pixel 11 costs £879 whereas the Pixel 10 debuted at £799. You do get 256GB for that instead of 128GB, so the price is still right. The Pixel 11 comes in Frost, Hibiscus (a new bold pink), Pistachio and Obsidian (black).
The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL
The Pro and Pro XL are the premium and top-end tiers. Similar to the 11, you’ll find the Google Tensor G6 chip.
Other improvements include a brighter screen, faster charging (the Pro XL will reach 75 per cent in half an hour) and a screen that’s twice as scratch-resistant, suggesting Google is making a phone range that’s built to last. Camera-wise, it largely matches the Pixel 11 except you’ll have an impressive 120x zoom on your camera, to capture shots from far away.
The most noticeable change, however, is the addition of HiLight: multicoloured lights around the camera bar that light up when Gemini is working, or when you receive calls from your favourite contacts. We’re old enough to remember when visual notifications were standard on a phone – they fell out of favour, but time will tell whether they’re useful enough to make a comeback.
While the price has increased, it’s a modest lift: the Pro is £1079 (compared to £999 last year) and the Pro XL is £1279 (compared to £1,199) – so arguably, Google’s traditional value for money still holds. Choose from Canyon (a coral pink), Olive, Fog, and a matte Obsidian.
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold
Google’s foldable phone has had a touch-up too. The Pro Fold comes in two colourways: Olive and Obsidian. It’s now lighter (239g compared to 258g last year) and thinner (10.1mm folded compared to 10.8mm last year), though it’s still not as compact as Samsung’s market-leading Z Fold 8 at 201g and 9.7mm.
However Google has gone big on durability – important, as the issue with foldable phones has been their fragility. Google claims the back is nearly impossible to crack, a ceramic cover glass protects the outer screen, and the hinge has improved, making it three times more durable than last year’s version.
At £1,799, it’s in the same ballpark as Samsung’s Z Fold 8. Which is better? That depends on your priorities.
Pixel Watch 5: unchanged outside, rebuilt inside — and cheaper here than in the US
Looking at it, there’s no major difference between the Watch 4 and Watch 5 – the upgrades are all under the hood. A mix of the chip, RAM and co-processor improvements add up to a watch that’s 20 per cent faster, which will feel noticeable straight away.
Coupled with Gemini, you’ll seamlessly see flight details, boarding passes and transit stops on your watch. You’ll also find improvements in health tracking like strength and HIIT workout handling, and new trend reporting for blood pressure and insulin resistance. The GPS has improved to the extent that Google now calls out that it’s better than the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin’s Fenix 8 Pro – a bold claim indeed.
In the UK, the entry price has increased marginally compared to the US market. The 41mm Bluetooth/Wi-Fi model starts at £369 (up £20 from last year), while the 45mm holds its price at £399.
Last but not least, the Pixel Tag
Rivalling Apple’s AirTag 2 – as well as Android trackers that have swooped in to fill a void – we finally have a Google Pixel Tag tracking device. These trackers are a small tag that you can attach to valuable items so you can keep tabs on things using Bluetooth. They’re especially useful for things like keys, luggage and laptops.
The Pixel Tag enters the market to match the AirTag 2 in terms of price and functionality. Just like Apple’s version, it’s £29 or £99 for a pack of four. It also has a year of battery life from a replaceable CR2032 battery. The Pixel version does improve some functionality, like it sends owners intermittent reminders about low battery rather than a one-off notification that can be missed. But on the whole, don’t expect anything too different from what exists already.
It will be released on 11th November – so great timing as a Christmas stocking filler.
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