The $899 Pixel 11’s Longer 30x Zoom and New Camera Bar Design Are Impressive

The new $899 Pixel 11, announced just before Google's Made by Google event, boasts several noteworthy enhancements, such as a 30x zoom and quicker wireless charging, while maintaining a starting price that is $100 lower than the previous year's Pixel 10. The Pixel 11 retains the same 6.3-inch screen size as its predecessor, reduces the camera bump, and extends the camera's digital zoom range.

It also features a slimmer camera bar, which is 40% thinner than the one on the Pixel 10, giving it a raised platform appearance on the back of the device. Despite not being flush, the camera bar allows the phone to lie flat on a table when using Google's PixelSnap case. The Pixel 11 supports the same 30-watt wired charging as its predecessor but now offers a maximum of 25-watt Qi2 wireless charging, which should allow for faster recharging compared to last year's version.

However, the Pixel 11 does not have an improved camera hardware; the upgrades are primarily found in the software. The device's digital zoom range is boosted to a maximum of 30x, up from the previous year's 20x. During hands-on testing with the Pixel 11, I spent the majority of my time experimenting with the improved zoom feature.

I was particularly impressed with how I could zoom in close to various plants in the demo room at 30x, capturing sharp details, such as visible strands inside a flower, with minimal artifacts.