Google Pixel 11 Pro XL photo test: We took 150 shots including night and portrait photos, these are the results

Google last week introduced the Pixel 11 series phones, which will officially go on sale tomorrow. As with any flagship smartphone, many fans are interested in how the new devices take photos, and we decided to test it. While we are preparing a full review, we are bringing you a photo test of the top model Google Pixel 11 Pro XL. We checked how it performs outdoors and indoors, day and night, with and without AI enhancements, and how the individual lenses fare.

Hardware of the Pixel 11 Pro XL: What has improved?

Before we dive into evaluating the results, it’s necessary to look at what the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL actually uses to take photos. This time, the phone is equipped with three rear cameras and one selfie camera. According to Google, the main wide-angle lens received a new image sensor, although its size remains the same as its predecessor, but the telephoto lens underwent a much more significant change. It now relies on a larger 1/1.95″ sensor, with the manufacturer claiming it can capture 30% more light. The ultrawide sensor remains the same.

• Main Camera: 50Mpx Octa PD wide-angle camera, Aperture ƒ/1.68, Field of view 82°, Image sensor size 1/1.3″
• Ultrawide Camera: 48Mpx Quad Power Delivery ultrawide camera with autofocus, Aperture ƒ/1.7, Field of view 123°, Image sensor size 1/2.51″
• Telephoto Lens: 48Mpx Quad PD telephoto lens with optical image stabilization, Aperture ƒ/2.8, Field of view 23°, 5x optical zoom, Image sensor size 1/1.95″

Software: Faster Night Sight, telephoto portraits, and 120x zoom

While premium Chinese camera phones primarily emphasize hardware, software plays a crucial role in Google phones. The Pixel 11 Pro XL, meanwhile, sheds many of the previous generation’s shortcomings. 

• Finally, it can take portrait photos using optical zoom (it can take a portrait with the telephoto lens at 5x zoom, so you don’t have to rely solely on a digital crop from the main sensor)
• The Night Sight feature has noticeably sped up – up to 4.5x according to Google, and the difference is truly noticeable in practice (I can compare it with the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the base Pixel 11)
• From 30x zoom, Super Zoom mode comes into play, which uses generative artificial intelligence models to sharpen and enhance details in the photograph. Thanks to AI, the Pixel 11 Pro XL offers up to 120x digital zoom

Daytime photography: just as we’re used to from Google

Anyone who has ever owned a Pixel will not be surprised by the quality of daytime photos. The Pixel 11 Pro XL produces very nice images that maintain color accuracy better than Samsung or Apple (though this can sometimes make them appear less “vibrant”). However, I was quite surprised by the lower consistency across focal lengths than I would have expected, especially under an overcast sky.

The photos are very good in terms of detail, although they don’t contain as much as if you were using a camera phone like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. When shooting with higher zooms, you would also get better quality from Chinese phones – Google relies heavily on AI for higher magnifications, which leaves artifacts. Sometimes you see them more, sometimes less.

Overall, however, shooting with the Pixel is extremely addictive because it’s effortless and the results are excellent right after capture. In the Camera app, you immediately have 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, and 10x modes available.

Great portraits, plus Google has caught up on an important shortcoming

When we tested the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL last year, we didn’t understand why the phone still didn’t allow taking portraits with 5x optical zoom. Users had to rely on a less accurate digital crop from the main camera. The Pixel 11 Pro XL finally eliminates this drawback.

The overall quality of portraits is excellent, both when taken with the telephoto lens and the main camera. Google manages to blur the background just as you would imagine, and it maintains color accuracy very well. The results when shooting under artificial lighting are also impressive.

The last image in the gallery shows how the portrait mode can be cleverly used even when photographing art. The Photo Coach feature helped us with this particular composition, advising with the help of AI on how to create the most beautiful photograph in a given environment.

Night photography: How the Pixel 11 Pro XL handled (not only) old Prague

The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL handles night photography very well. While it may not provide the same color consistency across focal lengths or detail at higher zooms as, for example, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, it produces nice images with minimal noise that you certainly won’t be ashamed of.

The phone automatically sets night mode according to lighting conditions. However, once it resorts to using it, thanks to the improvement mentioned in the software chapter, you no longer have to hold the phone in one position for 3 seconds, but perhaps just one, or even a few tenths less.

AI-assisted Super Zoom can be used at night, but it’s evident that the photos have undergone significant post-processing and are enhanced. Under better lighting conditions, you can conjure up nice shots even with the telephoto lens at 5x or 10x zoom.

In the night photography section, we included not only photos taken outdoors at night, but also those taken in significantly degraded lighting conditions, or from environments that rely exclusively on artificial lighting.

You can view the photos in their original resolution in the album on Google Photos.

Verdict: This is what I think about the Pixel 11 Pro XL cameras

The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL fundamentally doesn’t bring any major revolution in terms of photography. If you are used to Pixel photos, or own a smartphone from the last two or three generations, when shooting during the day, you will probably appreciate the better zoom or the addition of a 5x portrait mode. At night, the most significant upgrade is the acceleration of Night Sight, which is truly noticeable in practice. And if you’ve never had a Pixel, you’ll certainly appreciate the simplicity and excellent results, which in most cases are flawless.

If I were to compare the Pixel 11 Pro XL with, for example, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which I tested several months ago, there’s no contest. The Chinese flagship will perform better in scenes with more aggressive backlighting, offer better dynamic range, and more detailed photos with zoom. Overall, however, cameras are just one of the reasons why I like Pixel devices so much, so if they perform at least 90% as well as Xiaomi’s best camera phone, I won’t be upset.

We are still preparing the full review of the Pixel 11 Pro XL.

What do you think of the photos from the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL?