RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET's key takeawaysThe latest Pixel phone is upon us.Will the specs and design be enough to lure you in?Here are reasons why one longtime user is staying put.I've been using my Pixel 9 Pro since it was first released in August 2024. In tech terms, that may as well be a century. Given that Google releases a new Pixel phone every year, it makes sense to skip a version.However, this time around, I'm skipping two versions. You might think I'm crazy. After all, using an old phone when you write about technology seems to be a contradiction in terms, right? Although I might tend to agree with that sentiment, there are lines to be drawn, and when crossing that line can be rather expensive, you have to give it plenty of thought… which I have. Here are my conclusions (aka reasons I won't be buying a Pixel 11). 1. My Pixel 9 Pro is still going strong Quite honestly, I was certain that, by now, my Pixel 9 Pro would have conked out or at least started to show signs of its age. However, what I've found is that my current Pixel phone has shown zero signs of slowing down, aging, or getting even slightly unstable. To date, the Pixel 9 Pro has been the best phone I've ever used… by far. In the two years I've owned the device, I haven't had a single problem (other than a few software issues -- one of which I'll be writing about soon). My Pixel 9 Pro still runs as if I just bought it yesterday, and I still have plenty of room in storage. Also: I replaced my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with the Pixel 10 Pro XL for a week - and can't go back It's been a champ, and why would I want to risk getting rid of that for an unproven device? Who knows if lightning will strike twice? Of all the Pixel phones I've had (and I've been using them since the very first one was released), the 9 has been, hands down, the top banana, and I'm not about to toss that peel on the ground only to slip and fall on it with a Pixel 11 in my hand. 2. The hardware upgrades over the 10 vs. the cost make it a hard sell, and the new Tensor G6 is unproven The Pixel 9 Pro runs like a flagship phone (because it was one when it was released). The upgrade from the Pixel 9 to the Pixel 10 in the CPU/GPU category was not nearly as big a jump as one would have expected. You can see benchmarks that Nano Review performed that clearly show the upgrade from the 9 to the 10 wasn't exactly a deal-maker. Just read this Reddit thread, where plenty of users bemoan the evolution of the Pixel chips used in the various releases (hint: it doesn't paint a very positive picture). Also: I've been a Google phone diehard for 10 years - here's my 5-part wishlist for Pixel 11And the new Tensor G6 is unproven, whereas the Tensor G4 is not. And according to Android Authority, while the Tensor G6 might be more efficient than the Tensor G5, it's not more powerful. And seeing as how the leap to the Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 wasn't a big upgrade over the Tensor G4 in the Pixel 9 (which you can read about in this Reddit thread), why walk away from a phone that performs very well for a phone that may or may not be a dramatic improvement? 3. Pixel Glow will be a nice party favor for a week, but I'd soon forget about it and not use it Remember when Nothing came out with its Glyph interface? At first, everyone was wowed by it. The glowing, flashing lights looked cool and could be customized… but the party quickly ended, and Nothing eventually moved on from the Glyphs. Google has decided, in its infinite wisdom, to add a feature called Pixel Glow to the 11. Glow is essentially a glowing light on the back of the phone that is used to indicate notifications. Also: This useful Pixel phone sensor is one of my favorite tools - but Google may replace it soonGreat. Just what I need: another feature to cause me to check my phone. When I turn my phone over, it's for a reason… I want to be left alone. Pixel Glow bypasses that to remind me, "Hey, something innocuous has happened and needs your attention." No, no, no, no. I don't need gimmicks on my phones. I need hardware that performs well and reliably and that can go the distance. 4. The new colorways are bleh. That's just off the top of my head. This is going to sound a bit shallow, but the new colorways of the Pixel 11 are just boring. Given that Google hasn't done much to change the design (which I actually like), at least it could have given us something exciting in the way of color. Instead, you get a muted orange-ish color (which might be pink -- hard to tell), a seafoam green-like color, gray, and black. My Pixel 9 Pro is a delightful bubblegum pink, and I love it. Also: Own a Pixel? You can add device protection now for $5/month - but should you?Google, if you're going to be boring, just give us black and nothing else. If you're going to offer colors, mix it up. 5. The price The final nail in the coffin is the price. Google releases a new Pixel every year, and the cost keeps inching up and up and up. The average person cannot afford to drop a grand every year on a new phone (especially when the new phone doesn't exactly warrant a purchase). According to CNET, the Pixel 11 Pro will start at $1,099. Also: Google Pixel 10a review: Should Android users consider anything else at this price?Sorry, Google; with the cost of living steadily rising to the point where everything seems like a struggle these days, dropping a grand on a new phone when I have a perfectly good phone in hand is out of the question. Maybe if the economy wasn't in the septic tank, things would be different, but, as is often the case, reality dictates caution. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan of the Pixel phones, but given the above, I cannot make the jump from my Pixel 9 Pro to a Pixel 11 Pro. It's just not going to happen. Maybe when the Pixel 12 arrives, things will be different, and I'll want to make the jump. Only time will tell.
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