Google had one hardware problem to solve with the Pixel 11, and it failed

There’s a lot I can complain about when it comes to Pixels, but design has rarely been one of those things. Google has settled into a look that I genuinely like — it’s clean, minimal, and premium. So, even though the Pixel 11 doesn’t look dramatically different from what we’ve already seen before, I’m completely fine with that.

I’d much rather see Google refine a design that already works than change it just for the sake of looking new. And then there’s the new Hibiscus color. Yeah, it completely stole my heart. What can I say? I like my phone a little loud sometimes.

But as much as I love how Pixels look, there’s one part of the hardware that’s bothered me for years. I kept hoping Google would eventually fix it, and with the Pixel 11, I thought this might finally be the year. But it wasn’t. You probably have a few guesses, but I promise there’s a point to this.

If you’re going to be chunky, at least earn it

My biggest problem with Pixel phones over the past few years is that they’ve been heavier than they need to be. The Pixel 9, for example, was already pushing 200 grams, and the Pixel 10 added another five grams, bringing it to 204 grams. Google has thankfully shaved some of that off with the Pixel 11, which weighs 195.6 grams, but that’s nearly 196 grams in your hand.

Thickness hasn’t exactly been a strong point either, although there’s definitely progress this year. The Pixel 10 came in at 8.6mm, actually making it 0.1mm thicker than the Pixel 9. The Pixel 11 brings that down quite significantly to 7.6mm, which is a welcome improvement. But even with that slimmer body, I still think there’s room for Google to do better.

And this is where my problem with Pixel hardware really begins. I don’t mind a phone being thick or heavy when there’s a good reason for it. Give me a considerably bigger battery, a better cooling system, or something else I can actually benefit from every day, and I’ll happily put up with the extra bulk. Considering Pixels have struggled with heat for years, I’d even take a slightly chunkier phone if Google used that extra room for a larger vapor chamber, more graphite, or simply a better thermal setup.

Of course, making a phone thicker doesn’t magically make it run cooler. But more internal space at least gives engineers more room to work with, and that’s ultimately my point: if I’m carrying around the extra bulk, I want that space to be put to good use. My Pixel 10 Pro is a perfect example. It’s 8.5mm thick, yet after extensive use, I can comfortably say that thermal management still isn’t one of its strengths. So, when a phone is already relatively thick and heavy, but I’m not getting exceptional cooling in return, that bulk becomes much harder for me to justify.

On the other hand, Google has made some meaningful progress this year, especially with the camera visor. The Pixel 11’s camera bar is around 40% thinner and now gets an all-glass surface, which is genuinely impressive. But while Google has clearly put the camera bump on a serious fitness plan, I’d like to see the rest of the Pixel hardware get the same treatment, too.

It feels a little like spending months training one part of your body while mostly ignoring everything else. Sure, improvement is noticeable, but it doesn’t suddenly transform the whole package. And that’s really what I want from Pixel hardware going forward. Yes, I want thoughtful improvements to the things I actually notice every single day — the weight in my hand, the heat under my fingers, the battery that gets me through the day, and ultimately, whether all that hardware feels like it has earned the space it takes up.

Meanwhile, everyone else is slimming down

It becomes even harder to ignore when I put the Pixel 11 next to phones from Samsung and Apple. We’ve watched both companies make their phones thinner and lighter, and devices like the Galaxy S25 Edge and iPhone Air showed just how far that idea can be pushed. Of course, both came with their own set of compromises, and I’m definitely not asking Google to chase thinness at all costs.

I just want a better balance. Shave off a little thickness and weight, while still giving me the battery life, better performance, and cooling I’d expect from a flagship. Samsung and Apple are already moving in that direction with their vanilla flagships, too. The Galaxy S26 weighs just 167 grams, while the iPhone 17 comes in at 177 grams. Put either of those numbers next to the Pixel 11’s 196 grams, and suddenly those extra grams start looking a lot more noticeable.

I feel that difference every day, too. I’ve been using the iPhone 17 with a case, and even with that case on, it still feels slimmer and lighter in my hand than my Pixel does without one. I spend hours scrolling, replying to messages, taking photos, or holding my phone at a questionable angle in bed, and my wrist definitely notices. So, for me, that matters a lot.

Put a case on the Pixel 11, as most people probably will, and you’re adding even more thickness and weight (above 200 grams with the case on) to an already chunky phone. And that’s exactly what makes it frustrating. Basically, I’m putting up with all that extra bulk without really getting anything worthwhile in return.

On the contrary, Samsung has shown there are other ways to improve things, too. Its latest foldables have moved to silicon-carbon battery technology, allowing the company to squeeze in larger batteries without simply making the phones considerably thicker. That’s the kind of hardware progress I wanted to see from the Pixel 11: not necessarily an ultra-thin body, but smarter use of the space Google already has.

Sadly, 2026 still isn’t the year Google makes that jump. Maybe the Pixel 12 finally gets there in 2027. At this point, I’ve learned not to get my hopes up too early.

$899 buys you a lot of familiarity

So, after all of that, what does the Pixel 11 actually give you in 2026? Well, for its new starting price of $899, you’re getting Google’s Tensor G6 chip, which succeeds the Tensor G5 from last year. The camera setup, however, will look very familiar if you’ve seen the Pixel 10.

There’s still a 48MP main camera, although Google says it now has 56% better light sensitivity. The same 10.8MP telephoto camera joins that with 5x optical zoom, the same 13MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view, and the same 10.5MP autofocus selfie camera. The battery is basically the same, and there’s no charging upgrade either. It’s a very familiar spec sheet.

Put everything together, and there’s an elephant in the room: the Pixel 11 costs $100 more than its predecessor. Of course, Google didn’t wake up one morning and decide familiarity deserved a price hike. The ongoing industry-wide RAM crunch has played a big part in pushing prices higher this year. Still, when I’m asked to spend $899, it’s hard not to notice how much of the Pixel 11 feels familiar, and I wish Google had used this generation to push the hardware a little further.

Google, give the bulk a purpose

And that brings me right back to my biggest problem: why am I still carrying around a phone this thick and heavy when the hardware inside hasn’t changed enough to justify it?

Of course, it’s far too early for me to pass a final verdict on the Pixel 11. I need to actually live with the phone before I can tell you what its battery life, performance, and thermals are like after a few months. But I’ve also used enough Pixels over the years to know the pattern. They can feel great at first, only for things like heat, battery life, and performance to become much more noticeable once the honeymoon period wears off.

That’s why I want Google to start thinking about Pixel hardware as a whole. I don’t need a dramatic redesign every year, nor do I want Google chasing thinness just because everyone else is. I just want the phone’s size and weight to make sense for what I’m getting in return. Otherwise, make the phone lighter and easier to live with. There’s no denying the fact that Google has finally started moving in the right direction this year. Still, I was hoping for a much bigger leap rather than having to wait another generation for the Pixel to get even slimmer.

The frustrating part is that I genuinely want to keep coming back to Pixels; Google’s software experience is still a huge part of what makes these phones special to me, and it’s why I’ve been willing to overlook some of their hardware shortcomings for so long. But there’s only so much great software can make up for.

I don’t know what Google has planned for the Pixel 12, but if it wants to keep me coming back, the hardware needs to start pulling its weight, too. And yes, preferably a little less of it.