Galaxy S26 Plus Tops Android Authority Poll of Pixel 11 Pro Alternatives

The five options were the Galaxy S26 Plus, the Pixel 10 Pro, the Nothing Phone 3, the Motorola Razr and the standard Pixel 11. The Pixel 10 Pro finished second with 21.8%, followed by the Nothing Phone 3 at 20.5% and the Motorola Razr at 19.5%. The standard Pixel 11 came last with 12%. Android Authority said Samsung’s win was not a shock because the Galaxy S26 Plus is the most direct Android rival to the Pixel 11 Pro among the five choices, but it noted that only 2.3 percentage points separated the next three phones.

The Pixel 11’s last-place finish was also striking. According to Android Authority, the standard Pixel 11 costs less and uses the same Tensor G6 chipset as the Pro, so it could be argued to offer better value. Yet readers in this poll were more tempted by last year’s Pixel 10 Pro than by Google’s current standard flagship. The poll did not offer the option of saying the Pixel 11 Pro was the best device of the lot, and Android Authority said one inference is that many non-Pixel fans were voicing their preferred alternative, rather than mostly Pixel users making an enforced choice.

The poll only showed which alternative readers preferred when they had to pick one, not how many would actually choose any of them over the Pixel 11 Pro. A separate Android Authority poll offered a clearer view. After the site argued that the Pixel 11 Pro series might not offer the best value in Google’s new lineup, it asked readers whether they thought the Pixel 11 Pro series was still worth buying. More than 1,800 readers responded. Of 1,824 votes, 44.1% said they would absolutely consider buying a Pixel 11 Pro. Another 20.4% agreed that a standard Pixel would be the smarter buy, while 24.7% would rather go with Samsung or another competitor. The remaining 10.7% chose “Other.”

The Pro models were the single most popular choice, but a majority of respondents were not sold on them. Almost a quarter explicitly preferred a rival brand, and one in five would stay with Google but save money by skipping the Pro. Comments on the article added context to the “Other” figure. Some readers saw no reason to upgrade at all, while others preferred an older Pixel. Rusty Harris said he is sticking with his Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Eurotrader1972 said it was the “perfect time to get the 10 Pro XL.”

Price also changed the equation for some readers who did buy the new Pro. Jpframerica said they love their Pixel 11 Pro after paying $449 through Google Fi, while Jason paid $369 after a trade-in and discount code. A couple of readers cited the loss of the temperature sensor as a reason to stick with an older Pro. Android Authority’s earlier argument was that the standard Pixel 11 is at least $200 cheaper but has the same Tensor G6 chipset and 12GB of base RAM, a slightly larger battery, the same charging speeds and most of the same software features. The Pro adds better cameras, a brighter display and HiLight.