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Pixel 11 Pro XL review: An iterative upgrade with snappier cameras and a standout AI dictation tool

TechCrunch review: Pixel 11 Pro XL offers snappier cameras and AI dictation but is an iterative upgrade.

AI News Feed · 2026-08-22 23:45

The review said the phone's design changes are minor, with new colors and a small glowing light on the back called HiLight. HiLight replaces last year's temperature sensor and is meant to let users keep the phone face down while receiving subtle alerts. However, it only activates for Gemini interactions and calls from favorite contacts, not for texts or other notifications, and the reviewer noted that special ringtones could serve a similar purpose.

The most praised new feature is Rambler, an AI-powered dictation tool built into the phone. According to the review, Rambler removes filler words like "um" and "ah," formats speech, and handles switching between languages and noisy environments well. The reviewer, who has used dictation tools extensively, said Google's offering is on par with industry-leading tools and could be a daily driver for Pixel users.

The review also examined Gemini features. Proactive Suggestions, which surfaces context-aware suggestions from apps, worked in some text conversations but missed other opportunities, such as pulling an address from emails. Agentic capabilities like ordering food through Gemini are available only in the United States, so the reviewer, based in India, could not test them. Live Translate, which provides real-time captions for live streams and videos, requires additional language downloads.

On the camera side, Google opted for larger sensors for the main and telephoto lenses compared with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, allowing more light and detail capture. The reviewer said the camera app and capture feel snappier thanks to the new processor and software, and Night Sight, the low-light mode, is faster. The review did not confirm the on-paper detail improvements through pixel-peeping.

Overall, the reviewer concluded that despite the iterative updates, the Pixel 11 Pro XL remains a solid phone. The review noted that buyers may need to proactively tell people they have the latest model because it looks similar to previous generations, and that AI features alone may not be a strong draw for most customers.