Early Pixel 11 renders show Google making some smart changes

Summer is right around the corner, and beyond just warm days and sunny skies, the year’s best season also promises to deliver a bumper crop of new smartphones. Lately we’ve had the privilege to check out some early CAD-based renders of some of the most high-profile models we’re anticipating, including Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide. This week, though, we’re getting started with something very special for Pixel fans, as we get to check out some of the first Pixel 11 renders attempting to show off Google’s latest hardware design.

Once again, it’s the team over at Android Headlines putting together this imagery with the help of Steve Hemmerstoffer. Like the Samsung renders we got to see last week, this set isn’t official-official, and is instead created based on detailed measurements of Pixel 11 hardware.

Most of the time, assuming the source is working off of good numbers there, that gives us a reasonably accurate look at new models from known lineups. It’s a bit less useful for predicting bold new design directions, but here, we’re definitely more in the “tweak” department. With reported dimensions of 152.8 x 72 x 8.5mm, the Pixel 11 sounds practically the very same size as its predecessor, only coming in a hair thinner.

It doesn’t look like Google’s preparing much of an overhaul to components, either, and while there should be a new Tensor G6 chip at the Pixel 11’s heart, don’t expect any big changes to memory or storage, with the same 12GB and 128GB/256GB configurations as before. That could extend to the display, with Google sticking with another 6.3-inch AMOLED panel here.

OK, what about the stuff that is actually new, then? Well, we’ve got some questions there. One element in particular that Android Headlines draws attention to is the thinner bezel around the screen, giving the phone a slightly more premium look that then Pixel 10. And while this does look nice, bezels are also one of the hardest details to get accurate on specifically a CAD-based render. The source does acknowledge these may look “not always 100% accurate” but we’re really unsure just how close these are supposed to be.

The other, slightly more obvious change concerns the camera bar design, ditching its two-tone look for monochromatic consistency. Once again, though, the source oddly hedges here, seemingly defending the idea of a single-color camera bar, while also admitting that there’s not yet any evidence establishing what color it might ultimately go with.

Even with those uncertainties hanging over this release, this is still very interesting to see — and leaves us all the more excited to check out what’s next from the bigger-brother Pixel models. With Google’s launch not expected until once again in August this year, we’ve got plenty of time for those finds to surface.