After a month of daily-driving the Pixel 11 Pro XL, I generally like what Google did with the device. There are frustrations, but the phone is better than predecessors. I highlight five things that stood out most.

The Pixel 11 Pro XL's design is visually distinctive with a clean, minimal camera visor. The Obsidian model uses an all-matte texture that feels great. The camera bar positioning prevents wobble on tables—unlike Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra. At 226g, it's heavy but well-balanced and manageable.

Durability impresses. The phone survived over a dozen tumbles with only mid-frame scratches. Front and rear glass remained unharmed, even after a face-down skid on tile. Minor screen edge scratching occurred, but panels held up admirably. Google improved build quality significantly.

Cameras are good but not class-leading. While I captured plenty of great shots, it struggles with product photography in poor lighting compared to Chinese flagships like the Find X9 Ultra. Sensor size and resolution limitations become apparent when competing against devices from Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi.

Connectivity remains mixed. Google's switch to a MediaTek modem this year brought expected cellular performance challenges.