With just hours left to go for Google’s Pixel 11 launch event, details keep on leaking out, with some clarification around the base Pixel 11 now making its way online.
One of the few new features coming with the Pixel 11 series is “HiLight,” which was previously known as “Pixel Glow.” The rear-facing LED has leaked on multiple occasions at this point, though functionality seems limited. Now, it’s also a bit more clear that it’s limited on the hardware side too.
A leak on Twitter/X from @evowizz reveals that Pixel 11, the base model, won’t have “HiLight,” making the glowing feature a Pro-only affair. That’s not particularly surprising, but if you were hoping to use this feature on Google’s most affordable upcoming release, you might be out of luck.
Also clarified here is the base Pixel 11’s RAM allotment.
Good for the base Pixel 11 to remain with 12GB!
which always seemed weird given Google’s intense focus on AI features that famously demand memory.
It's worth noting though that the most "intensive" features which used to be active in the background on-device have now been moved to processing in the cloud, namely Magic Cue, Pixel Screenshots, and likely the whole new "Gemini Intelligence" stack.
So there is an argument to be made in that regard.
Are they going to extend Pixel Screenshots to the 9a and 10a? Are they going to extend Magic Cue and Gemini Intelligence to also the 9 base/Pro?
Because if the reason for not having Pixel Screenshots on 9a/10a was that they didn't have enough RAM (8GB) to keep the model "always-on" in the background for strictly on-device-only processing (which is one of my favourite features of the 9 Pro), then that now no longer applies as the processing is entirely done in the cloud, and could be easily supported by 9a/10a too.
Earlier rumors suggested that Google would drop the lowest-tier version of this phone down to 8GB of RAM, which always seemed weird given Google’s intense focus on AI features that famously demand memory. Instead, the base Pixel 11 will apparently have 12GB of RAM across the board, whereas it sounds like Pixel 11 Pro will only have 16GB of RAM on higher storage tiers.
Also mentioned is a 10.8MP telephoto camera sensor, unchanged from last year’s base Pixel 10.
Google is set to officially launch the Pixel 11 series later this week.
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