The Pixel 11 camera upgrade: new features, modes and goodies

Google has blessed us with another smartphone Pixel family:

• Pixel 11 Pro XL
• Pixel 11 Pro
• Pixel 11
• Pixel 11 Pro Fold

These days, Google's smartphones are nothing short of amazing AI tools, but they try to honor their camera-centric legacy, too. Cameras were a big factor in the early days of Google's mobile steps and it's what made Pixels really popular once upon a time.

Buy the Pixel 11 at Amazon

The Pixel 11 is finally here, giving users a refined experience and a better camera. The model is already available at Amazon, where you can get it without a discount at the time of writing.

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Grab the Pixel 11 Pro at Amazon

Google's Pixel 11 Pro has just been announced, giving you a polished Android experience. The device gives you better visuals and improved camera performance. Right now, you can buy the phone at Amazon, but you'd have to pay full price.

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Pixel 11 Pro XL at Amazon

Prefer a larger display? The Pixel 11 Pro XL is here for you. With its 6.8-inch display, the new model gives you a larger screen real estate, plus it's already available for purchase at Amazon. Right now, only the 512GB variant is in stock.

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Pixel 11 Pro Fold: buy at Amazon

The new Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold gives you a refined foldable experience with the familiar form factor. The device gives you an excellent Android experience. You can now get it at Amazon.

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Magic Capture

The new mode we find aboard the Pixel 11's Camera app is Magic Capture. If you've ever missed the perfect timing to press the shutter button, fret not: Magic Capture provides a way to get a video AND high-quality photos (Google dubs them "share-ready") all at once with automatic cropping and unblurring.

In terms of zoom, the Pixel 11 Pro duo offers up to 120x Pro Zoom levels, but don't get too excited about it. I, personally, will wait for the in-depth PhoneArena reviews before issuing a final verdict on the 120x Pro Zoom feature. I also have a 100x mode on my Oppo flagship, but that doesn't mean the photos are usable at all.

The vanilla Pixel 11 and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold get up to 30x Super Zoom. Again, tests need to be conducted, so don't assume you'll be able to see what's on your neighbor's phone when he's engaged in his or her morning doom scrolling routine sitting in their livingroom across the street.

Camera Looks

The other new feature is Camera Looks. As the name suggests, it's about the way your photos look… so, we're dealing with a new batch of "distinct, professional-like film styles" and "unique photo aesthetics".

While I prefer to edit on Lightroom on my desktop PC (big monitor, easier retouch), I'm always curious about filters.

The Camera Looks feature is developed with Pixel's Real Tone philosophy and is claimed to deliver "consistent, equitable results across all skin tones". Nice! Phones often struggle with skin tones, so this is good news.

Night Sight and video

Pixels perform impressively well when the sun goes down thanks to the Night Sight feature. Here, it should deliver rich details and color without a flash (who even uses a flash these days?), while Instant Night Sight on the Pixel 11 Pro duo minimizes capture time for less blur.

The software is redesigned and it needs 50% more TPU compute from the new Tensor G6 chip, but Instant Night Sight gets you up to 4.5x faster Night Sight photo capture! That sounds promising.

Those among us who are crazy about shooting video will be taking advantage of the Pro Stable Video with up to 8K resolution (with Video Boost) on the Pixel 11 Pro duo. In plain English, this mode should lead to "cinematic, ultra-steady footage" when you're on the move.

There's a new Creator tab for video in the Creator Suite tools that lets you trim and reorder your videos, reduce retakes with the cool Teleprompter and improved Speech Enhancement.

Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold cameras in detail

The Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL come with two upgraded cameras aimed at improving detail and image quality. The new 50 MP main camera now uses a larger 1/1.3-inch sensor and offers 2x optical-quality zoom, with better results from 1x to 3x zoom.

The redesigned telephoto camera also captures 32% more light than the previous generation. As a general rule, you want the maximum amount of light to hit your sensor. This way, your photos suffer from less noise and artifacts and come with finer details and a better dynamic range.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold also gets a new 48 MP main camera that captures 56% more light, promising better-looking photos and videos.

Its foldable design also brings several new camera features: Made You Look uses animations on the outer screen to get subjects, especially children, to look at the camera; Dual Screen Preview lets people see themselves on the cover display while posing; and Rear Camera Selfie lets you use the main 48 MP rear camera to take higher-quality selfies while viewing the outer screen.

It's not yet confirmed if some (or any) of these modes and features would make it to older Pixel devices. When Google shares a bit more information, we'll update this article, so make sure to stick around.

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