The Phone Shelf

Google Pixel 11: what $899 buys in 2026

The Pixel 11 on paper: Tensor G6, 256GB to start, a 5x telephoto and updates to about August 2033 for $899. Compared with the Pixel 10, iPhone 17 and Galaxy S26.

Edited by Yuriy Andreyev

Published October 15, 2026

The back of a Google Pixel 10 Pro in Moonstone on a wooden table, showing its camera bar
Pictured: Pixel 10 Pro, the previous generation. No free photo of the Pixel 11 exists yet. Photo: Fabe56, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) (license)

The Pixel 11 is the Android phone to look at first if you want a 5x telephoto camera in a 6.3-inch body and plan to keep the phone for years, because Google promises updates until about August 2033. It is a poor fit if you need a physical SIM slot, or if you would rather save money on a Pixel 10 while Google still has one in stock.

We haven't held a Pixel 11; this page compares Google's published specifications and support policies with the phones you are likely to shop it against.

Price: $899, the same as launch

Google launched the Pixel 11 at $899 in August 2026, with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. On October 15, 2026, the Google Store still listed it at $899, so the maker price hasn't moved since launch.

That stands out this fall. Apple raised the iPhone 17 from $799 to $899 in September, and Samsung now lists the Galaxy S26 at $999.99 after launching it at $899.99. Google itself raised the Pixel 10a from $499 to $599 in early October, so a steady price today is not a promise about next month.

What changed from the Pixel 10

Less than the new number suggests. On Google's spec sheets the two phones share the 6.3-inch 120 Hz OLED screen and the same three rear cameras: a 48MP wide, a 13MP ultrawide and a 10.8MP telephoto at 5x. Both have 12GB of RAM, IP68 water resistance and dual eSIM with no physical SIM tray in the US model.

Here is what is different, all from Google's own pages:

  • Chip: Tensor G6 instead of Tensor G5.
  • Base storage: 256GB instead of 128GB. Google lists the 256GB Pixel 10 at $899 too, so the same storage costs the same money.
  • Battery: 4,985 mAh typical against 4,970 mAh, a 15 mAh difference. Google's own battery-life claim went from "24+ hours" to "30+ hours".
  • Weight: 197 g against 204 g.
  • Wireless charging: up to 25W on Pixelsnap (Qi2.2), up from 15W on the Pixel 10.
  • Update window: both get seven years, but the Pixel 11's clock started a year later.

On October 15, Google still sold the 128GB Pixel 10 at its $799 launch price. Stock was patchy, though: the 256GB model was available only in Obsidian, and 13 variants showed as out of stock. If 128GB is enough for you and you can find one, it gets you the same camera hardware for less, with an older chip and a support window that ends about a year sooner.

Screen and battery on paper

The 6.3-inch OLED screen runs between 60 and 120 Hz, which Google calls Smooth Display. The Pixel 11 Pro uses an LTPO panel that can drop to 1 Hz; the regular Pixel 11 does not. A spec sheet can't tell you how bright or accurate a screen looks in daylight, so we won't guess.

The battery is 4,985 mAh typical, the largest published capacity among the phones on this page. The Galaxy S26 lists 4,300 mAh. Apple doesn't publish a capacity for the iPhone 17 at all, only "up to 30 hours of video playback", which is a different kind of figure and can't be lined up against milliamp-hours.

Battery capacity is one input, not a runtime. Chip efficiency, screen and signal strength all change how long a charge lasts, and Google's "30+ hours" is the maker's estimate under its own conditions.

Google doesn't state a maximum wired wattage. It says the Pixel 11 reaches up to 55% in about 30 minutes with a 30W or faster USB-C PPS charger. The Galaxy S26 lists 25W wired.

Cameras by specification

The rear camera hardware matches last year's: 48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide and a 10.8MP telephoto at 5x. The telephoto is the clearest hardware difference against the iPhone 17 at the same price, which has two 48MP cameras (main and ultra wide) and no telephoto. The Galaxy S26 has a 10MP telephoto at 3x, so it reaches less far than the Pixel.

Megapixels and zoom factors tell you what the hardware can reach, not how good the pictures are. Photo quality depends on processing as much as on sensors, and we don't rank it from a spec sheet.

Updates: seven years, to about August 2033

Google promises seven years of Android, security and Pixel Drop updates for the Pixel 11, counted from the month it first went on sale on the US Google Store. That was August 2026, so support runs until about August 2033. Google doesn't publish an exact end date. The phone launched with Android 17. The terms are on Google's Pixel update page.

For comparison, Samsung promises seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates for the Galaxy S26, and its US spec page gives February 2033 as the end. Apple doesn't publish a fixed number of years for the iPhone 17. Its iOS 27 compatibility list still includes the iPhone 11 from 2019, which is a track record rather than a promise. We lay out each brand's terms side by side in how long phones get updates.

Carriers and eSIM

Google's US store sells the Pixel 11 unlocked and in Google Fi, Verizon and AT&T versions. Verizon lists it on its own site, and T-Mobile announced it on the day Google unveiled the phone. It works on all three national carriers.

The US model has no physical SIM slot and takes two eSIMs instead. If your carrier or prepaid brand can't activate an eSIM, this phone won't work for you. The Galaxy S26 keeps a nano-SIM tray next to its eSIM, which makes it the easier choice if you move a SIM card between phones.

How it compares

SpecPixel 11Pixel 10iPhone 17Galaxy S26
Launch price$899$799$799$899.99
Released in USAugust 2026August 2025September 2025March 2026
Screen6.3-inch OLED 120 Hz6.3-inch OLED 120 Hz6.3-inch OLED 120 Hz6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120 Hz
ChipGoogle Tensor G6Google Tensor G5A19Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
RAM12 GB12 GB—12 GB
Storage256 / 512 GB128 / 256 GB256 / 512 GB256 / 512 GB
Battery4,985 mAh4,970 mAhnot published4,300 mAh
Wired charging———25 W
Rear cameras48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x telephoto48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x telephoto48MP Fusion Main, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide50MP main, 12MP ultra wide, 10MP 3x telephoto
Weight197 g204 g177 g167 g
Water resistanceIP68IP68IP68IP68
Updates promised7 years of OS and security updates7 years of OS and security updatesno fixed promise7 years of OS and security updates
US carriers (maker and carrier listings)AT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile
  • Pixel 10: $799 at launch in August 2025 and still $799 for 128GB. Same cameras and screen size, the older Tensor G5, and updates to about August 2032. Worth it only if you find the configuration you want in stock.
  • iPhone 17: launched at $799 in September 2025, $899 since Apple's September 2026 increase. It matches the Pixel 11 on 256GB base storage and a 120 Hz screen but has no telephoto. Apple's $899 includes a $30 discount that requires activating on AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon; bought unlocked without activation it is $929.
  • Galaxy S26: $899.99 at launch in March 2026, $999.99 list on October 15, 2026. Lighter at 167 g, with a 3x telephoto, a smaller 4,300 mAh battery and a nano-SIM tray.

If $899 is more than you want to spend, our shortlist of cheaper phones covers models with long update promises at about half the price.

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