I was planning to skip the Pixel 11. These 5 upgrades changed my mind

The Google Pixel 11 doesn't appear to be anything special on paper, with minor upgrades and a higher starting price. As someone who owned a Pixel 9, upgrading to the Pixel 11 didn't seem immediately necessary. However, a deeper comparison between the Pixel 11 and Pixel 9 revealed several meaningful differences that may convince users to make the jump.

The Tensor G6, Google's new chipset, is still a 3nm chipset, though not as powerful as initially expected. However, it's an upgrade from the Pixel 9's Tensor G4, which had efficiency issues. A significant improvement is the new MediaTek modem across the Pixel 11 series, which provides faster download speeds and better 5G connection in weak reception areas.

The Pixel 9 used a similar Samsung modem. Camera-wise, the base model of the Pixel 11 finally includes a proper telephoto camera, allowing for zoom shots without moving to the Pro model. The primary 48MP camera on the Pixel 11 also captures 56% more light, improving photo quality in challenging lighting conditions. Display-wise, the Pixel 11 has a brighter 6.3-inch OLED panel with 3,000 nits peak brightness, compared to the Pixel 9's 2,700 nits.

This extra brightness aids outdoor visibility and makes tasks like reading messages and navigating easier. The Pixel 11 also gets slightly larger 4,985mAh battery compared to the Pixel 9's 4,700mAh. Built-in Qi2 magnets, introduced with the Pixel 10 series, allow direct attachment of Qi2 and MagSafe accessories without needing a magnetic case.

This is a significant upgrade for me, as I've been using Qi2 accessories a lot lately. Lastly, the Pixel 11 is one of the first Android phones to come with Gemini Intelligence built in. This system-level AI architecture turns the phone into a "proactive assistant," offering features like App Automation and Rambler that convert speech into text and clean up filler words and pauses.

While it's unclear if these features will trickle down to older Pixels, the Pixel 11 is the only safe bet for access to the complete Gemini Intelligence experience.