So, I Preordered a Google Pixel 11 Pro ⭐

Last year, I was lucky enough to review all the Pixel 10 series phones, including the Pixel 10a that arrived this past Spring. But it's not clear whether I will get that opportunity with the Pixel 11 series. I'm guessing no, and were I just shopping for myself, I would most likely be taking a pass this year for the obvious reasons: These already expensive devices are even more expensive this year thanks to the component crisis and year-over-year Pixel upgrades are always minor. These are mature products, after all.

The problem, of course, is that I'm not just shopping for myself. And having reviewed almost every Pixel model that Google has released over the years, I feel like I should tackle at least one Pixel 11 series phone. A Pixel 11 Pro or Pro XL is the most natural choice given my strong interest in digital photography, and while I would normally choose the larger device, I went with a Pixel 11 Pro to save $200. Aside from the screen sizes, the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL are identical.

At first glance, the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro are likewise identical. But they're not. There are subtle and less subtle changes throughout, which is fairly typical. And I'm pushing down the more cynical part of my personality that believes that at least some physical changes year-over-year are about ensuring that last year's cases don't work with the new devices. But surely only Apple would do such a thing. Surely.

So, yes, there are new colors, and as I noted in Making Love Out of (Almost) Nothing At All for the Pixel Fan ⭐, I like them quite a bit. As with iPhones, the base Pixels usually get more fun colors than is the case with the Pros, but that's not the case this year: Canyon, Olive, Fog, and Obsidian, now in a matte texture, are solid choices. I went with Olive, which I very much prefer over the similarly off-green Pistachio choice offered with the base Pixel 11.

But there's a bigger--or, I guess, smaller--physical change: The camera bar is now 40 percent thinner (less tall, if that makes sense) than with the Pixel 10 Pro. That's a big deal: I love the camera bar, it's an iconic design element, and though it helps keep the device stable on a surface unlike iPhones and Samsung phones, it was noticeably tall before. Google notes that the rear of the Pixel 11 Pro is now "virtually bumpless" when used with a first-party case.

The glass on the camera bar is now edge-to-edge, where the Pixel 10 Pro's non-camera sensors were surrounded by metal. I guess it's a cleaner look overall.

Tied to this, "Flip to Shh" is one of my favorite Pixel features, though you have to enable it first: You just place the phone screen down on a surface and it silences all notifications. For the Pixel 11 Pros, Google is enhancing this functionality with a new HiLight feature--originally called Pixel Glow--that uses a colored light in the camera bar to visually indicate when a contact is calling (and you can configure each contact with a unique color)...