Pixel 11 / Pixel 11 Pro / Pixel 11 Pro XL / Pixel 11 Pro Fold

Anyone have a promo code to share?

I just realized my Google Store credit ( almost $900 ) from last year runs out soon, so I may as well get the 11 Pro - Obsidian
 
Zorachus said:
https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-11-pro-vs-iphone-18-pro-3712022/
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That's a reasonable piece, but it also speaks to personal preference and glosses over some important points. Apple has upped its photography game and still dominates Google in video. Performance will be noticeably better beyond just games. And battery life is one of the iPhone's strong suits in this matchup.

The walled garden still causes some friction, but it's far from a terrible burden for many people. You can live in the Google ecosystem on an iPhone quite well, and many of the apps people use are independent of the platforms. Hell, it's still the case that some apps either come to the iPhone first or run better on those devices. Adobe just released Premiere for Android, for instance... nearly a year after the iPhone version.
 
Aurelius said:
That's a reasonable piece, but it also speaks to personal preference and glosses over some important points. Apple has upped its photography game and still dominates Google in video. Performance will be noticeably better beyond just games. And battery life is one of the iPhone's strong suits in this matchup.

The walled garden still causes some friction, but it's far from a terrible burden for many people. You can live in the Google ecosystem on an iPhone quite well, and many of the apps people use are independent of the platforms. Hell, it's still the case that some apps either come to the iPhone first or run better on those devices. Adobe just released Premiere for Android, for instance... nearly a year after the iPhone version.
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I agree the Pixel still has it's faults. Battery is life is mediocre. Gaming performance SUCKS on a Pixel. And video is poor on Pixel cameras.

But the UI and Google's version of stock Android I still think is the best in the smartphone scene OS wise for a smartphone, yeah ROM's like Lineage or the old Oxygen OS were even better. But I'll take Pixel UI over iOS and OneUI any day of the week.

Plus voice-to-text, and the Google keyboard and Rambler dictation, as well as Call Screening and stuff are super useful features on Pixel's that the iPhone really has no match yet.

And no freaking back button / swipe back gesture on iOS yet is brutal, like come on Apple, ya gotta add this already.
No number row on the Apple keyboard WTF?
 
Zorachus said:
Plus voice-to-text, and the Google keyboard and Rambler dictation, as well as Call Screening and stuff are super useful features on Pixel's that the iPhone really has no match yet.
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Voice dictation is largely on par; there's no Rambler, of course, but if you're just interested in accurate speech-to-text, you're set.

Call screening has been on iPhones since iOS 26 last year. Late, but it works well enough.

The Pixel definitely has some software tricks up its sleeve, but there are still weird decisions at times. It's wild that you can't get high-quality video unless you wait for it to be processed in the cloud.
 
I caved, had a near $900 store credit at the Google Store from a year ago, it expires by the end of the month.

So...
 

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Welp just returned my 11 Pro 😳

For the 11 Pro XL 😜

I've had every Pixel XL size since the 4 XL. And I should've learned my lesson from last year, I traded in my 9 Pro XL for the regular 10 Pro, thinking I'm done with HUGE phones, and not even a week later exchanged for the 10 Pro XL, well I tried the regular 11 Pro, and I do like the comfortability and easier one hand use, but the screen size is just too small for me.
 
Ok I'm liking this.
 

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Quick add blocker question please.

I like to use Samsung Browser Internet Beta, love the layout and controls and settings, etc...but it sucks with stopping ads.

I also use Brave browser which is super great on blocking ads, but I prefer the layout and use of the Samsung browser.

Any tips or options to stop ads?
 
Why is the Pixel 11 series getting crapped on so often on tech forums and places like Reddit?

It just seems like everyone loves to sh!t on this phone as being horrible due to the mediocre hardware, and they say get an iPhone or a Samsung if you want a real smartphone.

I have the Pixel 11 Pro XL and it's absolutely fantastic. Very snappy and fast and fluid, no lags. But I also don't game on my cell phone, that's what I have my custom PC for.

Yeah, there's maybe a couple apps that get funky and some social media stuff scrolling can be a little janky, but I think that's the app itself not optimized for the Pixel as opposed to the phone being slow.

I guess this post is just saying I'm real happy with my Pixel 11 Pro XL. It doesn't seem like some laggy, slow dinosaur outdated phone like people are saying.

Yes, I agree, the iPhone 18 Pro series is a way better hardware phone than the Pixel. Yes, of course, no argument there. But for me, this Pixel 11 Pro XL is very smooth and snappy for what I use it for.
 
Zorachus said:
Quick add blocker question please.

I like to use Samsung Browser Internet Beta, love the layout and controls and settings, etc...but it sucks with stopping ads.

I also use Brave browser which is super great on blocking ads, but I prefer the layout and use of the Samsung browser.

Any tips or options to stop ads?
Click to expand...
AdGuard Lifetime License

Purchased it 15 years ago, it updates frequently and automatically. Have gifted it to friends and relatives, and they too like it.
My recommendation is the same as it was in 2018 and in 2019 :) .
Get the paid version, via the link above.

https://hardforum.com/threads/google-pixel-3.1961403/page-7#post-1043889648
https://hardforum.com/threads/best-adblocker-app-for-android-chrome.1988505/#post-1044386487
 
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Zorachus,
Per Google Gemini, note it is the Paid Version:

"AdGuard is widely considered one of the best and most comprehensive ad-blocking ecosystems available.

Key strengths include:

  • Multi-Platform Support: Offers free browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) alongside dedicated, system-wide apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
  • System-Level Blocking: Premium desktop and mobile apps filter traffic at the network level, blocking ads, trackers, and pop-ups not just in browsers, but also inside certain apps and games.
  • Privacy & Security Features: Includes anti-tracking "Stealth Mode", HTTPS filtering, phishing protection, and parental controls.
  • Performance: Speeds up page load times and saves data bandwidth by stripping out heavy ad scripts.
Verdict: Its free browser extensions match or outperform typical competitors like Adblock Plus, while its paid system-wide apps are among the most powerful tools available if you want total device-level protection".
 
Ok just bought the lifetime version, and installed the app. But Samsung Browser still says I need to download AdGuard from their list
 
I also installed the AdGuard add-on direct from the Samsung browser it recommended

Then had to tweak some settings and install some CA certificate it recommended.

Now it seems to be really blocking ads on shitty sites.
 
Zorachus said:
I also installed the AdGuard add-on direct from the Samsung browser it recommended

Then had to tweak some settings and install some CA certificate it recommended.

Now it seems to be really blocking ads on shitty sites.
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Glad to hear you got it working. Nice that Samsung Browser pointed you to the AdGuard add-on and what else needed to be configured. Sounds like it’s doing exactly what you wanted now.
 
I was just confused when the Samsung browser needed the AdGuard app installed it links too. Like why wasn't the main AdGuard .apk app I installed direct from AdGuard get noticed by Samsung?
 
Do I give this app iwrsion for nearby devices?

Is that a drain on the battery?
 

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Zorachus said:
Do I give this app iwrsion for nearby devices?

Is that a drain on the battery?
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I see that your Nearby Devices permission is for AdGuard Content Blocker. On my phone, AdGuard isn't listed under Nearby Devices at all, although I'm using the main AdGuard Android app rather than the AdGuard Content Blocker for Samsung Internet.
I also checked my phone's actual battery usage. AdGuard is only showing 2.03% on mine, so I'm certainly not seeing any significant battery drain from it.




1790558673734.png
 
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Zorachus said:
I was just confused when the Samsung browser needed the AdGuard app installed it links too. Like why wasn't the main AdGuard .apk app I installed direct from AdGuard get noticed by Samsung?
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I looked into that. The AdGuard app you installed and the AdGuard Content Blocker that Samsung Browser links to are actually two different things. The full AdGuard Android app provides system-wide filtering, while the Content Blocker is specifically designed to integrate with Samsung Internet. That's apparently why Samsung Browser didn't simply recognize the main AdGuard APK you already had installed.
 
Zorachus said:
So it's ok to have the 2 separate apps installed?
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Yes. They're two separate AdGuard apps serving different purposes. The main AdGuard Android app provides system-wide protection, while AdGuard Content Blocker is specifically for Samsung Internet, so it's OK to have both installed. I'm using the main AdGuard Android app with Chrome for Android, so I don't need the AdGuard Content Blocker for Samsung Internet.
 
Zorachus said:
Why is the Pixel 11 series getting crapped on so often on tech forums and places like Reddit?

It just seems like everyone loves to sh!t on this phone as being horrible due to the mediocre hardware, and they say get an iPhone or a Samsung if you want a real smartphone.

I have the Pixel 11 Pro XL and it's absolutely fantastic. Very snappy and fast and fluid, no lags. But I also don't game on my cell phone, that's what I have my custom PC for.

Yeah, there's maybe a couple apps that get funky and some social media stuff scrolling can be a little janky, but I think that's the app itself not optimized for the Pixel as opposed to the phone being slow.

I guess this post is just saying I'm real happy with my Pixel 11 Pro XL. It doesn't seem like some laggy, slow dinosaur outdated phone like people are saying.

Yes, I agree, the iPhone 18 Pro series is a way better hardware phone than the Pixel. Yes, of course, no argument there. But for me, this Pixel 11 Pro XL is very smooth and snappy for what I use it for.
Click to expand...
It's mainly that the Tensor G6 is still behind Snadpragon performance-wise, and there are still annoyances such as having to upload video to the cloud for the best quality (an iPhone will record stellar video all on its own). That and Google seems almost obsessed with novelty features like HiLight and the temperature sensor it replaced.

Having said that, in my experience modern Pixels are just fine in the real world. They also take superb photos, and of course you're getting the latest version of Android as soon as it's available.
 
Having this 11 Pro XL now a few days, and comparing it to my 10 Pro XL, the two phones are virtually identical and performance seems 99% the same and yes the display is 10% brighter but don't really notice that difference.

But a couple noticable differences;

- Battery life does seem improved by a fair margin. In my non-scientific analysis, it seems about 20% to 25% better.

- Network signal for sure seem better
 
Zorachus said:
Having this 11 Pro XL now a few days, and comparing it to my 10 Pro XL, the two phones are virtually identical and performance seems 99% the same and yes the display is 10% brighter but don't really notice that difference.

But a couple noticable differences;

- Battery life does seem improved by a fair margin. In my non-scientific analysis, it seems about 20% to 25% better.

- Network signal for sure seem better
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I'll add that the on screen FPS of my 11PXL seems a lot more responsive and accurate than my 9PXL. I understand it's the same hardware, but I was constantly reprogramming my thumb print on the old phone. I had to press it as many as 5-6 times, too. Nothing but smooth 1-touch performance from my current FPS. (y)
 
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My biggest gripe with the 11 thus far has been the tendency for it to favor my 5G cell over my WiFi despite being literally two feet from the WiFi unit. I seemed to have solved this by disabling Adaptive Connectivity outright. Would be nice to be able to tune this based on location as it's only ever a problem when I'm home.

Ancillary to that is the Private Compute Services system app, which is an absolute data hog. It was eating into my data every day despite the phone never being used. Until I solved the previous problem with the phone switching to mobile network flippantly, this was becoming a serious problem because of my data limits. Every little bit adds up over time. I'd rather not resort to manually disabling this service everytime I reboot the phone, but if push comes to shove... I get what PCS is for, but behavior like this is more fuel for the fire to yearning to keep phones dumb and less reliant on the cloud.

Also, I don't care what anyone says, the physical fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone was vastly superior to having it on the screen. There are going to be generations that don't know what they missed out on.
 
I typically never enable 5G due to battery drain on previous phones so I use LTE instead, but I have been using 5G on my Pixel 11 Pro XL, and the battery drain seems minimal.

Did the new modem in this phone make 5G a daily driver without a battery hit?
 
Zorachus said:
I typically never enable 5G due to battery drain on previous phones so I use LTE instead, but I have been using 5G on my Pixel 11 Pro XL, and the battery drain seems minimal.

Did the new modem in this phone make 5G a daily driver without a battery hit?
Click to expand...
I didn't think this was a thing for SoCs with integrated modems supporting all bands? At least I never noticed a difference toggling 5G on any phone since my Pixel 5.

I got a promo email from Google offering 30% off any new Pixel, so $560 for a 11 Pro to replace my 9 Pro. Then I remembered the base phone only gets 12GB RAM and it's another $110 for the 512GB/16GB model. So that ruined any further consideration for me. I might consider it for 50% off with how mediocre this hardware is still.

I still get background playback being killed with 16GB RAM on YouTube at least. So with Pixel's seemingly poor memory management, I'd rather not downgrade it. But maybe that's the wrong logic and a 12GB model would be as good as 16GB if they're not using the extra memory properly in the first place.
 
T4rd said:
I didn't think this was a thing for SoCs with integrated modems supporting all bands? At least I never noticed a difference toggling 5G on any phone since my Pixel 5.

I got a promo email from Google offering 30% off any new Pixel, so $560 for a 11 Pro to replace my 9 Pro. Then I remembered the base phone only gets 12GB RAM and it's another $110 for the 512GB/16GB model. So that ruined any further consideration for me. I might consider it for 50% off with how mediocre this hardware is still.

I still get background playback being killed with 16GB RAM on YouTube at least. So with Pixel's seemingly poor memory management, I'd rather not downgrade it. But maybe that's the wrong logic and a 12GB model would be as good as 16GB if they're not using the extra memory properly in the first place.
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It's wild that even 16GB of RAM isn't enough to keep YouTube going in the background. I have an iPhone 16 Pro with 8GB of RAM and it plays YouTube PIP without a hitch, even when I'm playing a (modest) game. Now, iOS is more aggressive about suspending apps than Android, but you'd expect at least as much capability with double the memory.
 
Aurelius said:
It's wild that even 16GB of RAM isn't enough to keep YouTube going in the background. I have an iPhone 16 Pro with 8GB of RAM and it plays YouTube PIP without a hitch, even when I'm playing a (modest) game. Now, iOS is more aggressive about suspending apps than Android, but you'd expect at least as much capability with double the memory.
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I'm assuming it's just the Youtube app not optimized for it somehow, and at least it only happens maybe a few times a week and I have to restart the app to fix it. Youtube Music and Pocketcasts app hasn't had any issues with background play at least. But I don't know for sure and it's just crazy Google can't optimize their own apps for their own phones at least, as this has been happening for the past several months at least now.
 
T4rd said:
I'm assuming it's just the Youtube app not optimized for it somehow, and at least it only happens maybe a few times a week and I have to restart the app to fix it. Youtube Music and Pocketcasts app hasn't had any issues with background play at least. But I don't know for sure and it's just crazy Google can't optimize their own apps for their own phones at least, as this has been happening for the past several months at least now.
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This is one of the things that drives some people to iPhones. Apps tend to be better-optimized or release first on iOS, and there have been times where even Google apps worked better on iPhones than they did on Android. In this case it might be more a matter of the Pixel's Android implemtation, but we'd have to compare that with, say, a Samsung phone.
 
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