Google’s Pixel collection has shifted from camera- to AI-focused in the past few years, driven mainly by the ever-more-capable Gemini – and that, of course, continues with this year’s Pixel 11 collection.
However, if you’re tempted to go out and pre-order one ahead of release later this month, I’d advise you to think twice.
Why? Because some of the touted AI features that Google has been singing and dancing about since the initial announcement of Android 17 back in May – arguably the reason to upgrade from last year’s Pixel 10 – aren’t actually available at launch in regions outside of the US.
The Pixel 11 collection is all about Gemini Intelligence
The Pixel 11’s AI features fall under the new ‘Gemini Intelligence’ umbrella that Google first outlined at the announcement of Android 17 back in May – and there are plenty on the way.
It starts with big upgrades to existing features like Rambler, which works much like the current speech-to-text on Android, but with the ability to remove filler words, make edits on the fly and more, which should make it way easier to get your point across using your voice without looking stilted or awkward.
There’s also a new AI-infused lock screen experience, with Google explaining that it’ll be able to, say, proactively display a restaurant’s name that you’re going to, along with AI-generated insights and reviews pulled from Google Maps. That also extends to the home screen, with new custom AI-created widgets, along with smarter, more proactive shortcuts that appear throughout the day.
And, of course, Gemini itself is said to get smarter; along with the advanced automation that lets Gemini perform in-app tasks on your behalf, it’ll also be able to deliver side-by-side comparisons for hotels and the like in chats, and Circle to Search will be accessible from the Viewfinder for real-time object search or translation.
It’s certainly a big update to an already wide AI feature set, but as is increasingly the case, there’s a catch here.
The problem is, the features aren’t quite ready
Apple announced Apple Intelligence as part of its iPhone 16 marketing campaign back in 2024 – the problem was that you couldn’t get the AI features at launch. In fact, some features, like the redesigned Siri, are still yet to appear – though the latter is, admittedly, finally coming in iOS 27 next month.
However, that was not an approach that consumers really appreciated; if you’re being told that your shiny new phone can do all these smart things, only for them not to be available on said (very expensive) phone, you’re not going to be happy – and that’s basically what happened. Everyone complained, nobody was happy, and there was even talk of lawsuits.
So why Google decided to take a leaf out of Apple’s book here is bizarre; but it’s basically the exact same situation.
When Google revealed the big Gemini Intelligence features in May, the company confirmed that they wouldn’t all be there at launch; instead, they’d stagger the rollout over what looks set to be the course of an entire year.
Google tried to temper expectations, outlining that Chrome Auto Browse would come first, with other features ‘rolling out in waves’ starting first with select Pixel and Samsung phones. However, it’s also worth considering where you are in the world, not just the phone you’re using. Because these features rely heavily on AI, Google has to jump through regulatory hoops to get them to consumers.
We’ve already seen this issue rear its head multiple times. Chrome Auto Browse launched in June, as Google claimed, but it’s exclusive to US users on the AI Pro or Ultra plans – and it’s a similar story with the new advanced automation tech, which, even after Samsung claimed it’d be coming to the UK at the Galaxy Z Fold 8 launch, remains unavailable in Blighty.
To be fair to Google, it isn’t a complete software ghost town on day one. The Pixel 11 does ship with functional on-device upgrades out of the box – most notably the revamped Rambler voice dictation and camera AI tools like Magic Capture and Camera Looks.
However, the truly transformative, marquee features – like agentic multi-step automation, custom widget creation, location insights on your lock screen and live cross-app browsing – are either trickling out in staggered preview waves or completely geo-blocked outside the US for the foreseeable future. With Google avoiding hard release dates for wider regional rollouts, it hardly inspires early-adopter confidence.
Wait a while and save some cash
Of course, this doesn’t automatically make the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL or 11 Pro Fold bad purchases for those outside of the US – they still offer other tweaks to the Pixel formula, be it the redesigned camera bar, upgraded Tensor G6 performance or, in the case of the Pro models, the new HiLight notification LED on the rear of the phone.
However, I’d argue that these upgrades will have a relatively minimal impact on your day-to-day life on the Pixel 11, compared to features like Chrome auto-browse and a version of Gemini that can perform tasks on your behalf in apps, which could genuinely make things a little better. Especially when you’re paying full price for the phone, and doubly so when Google is advertising these features as key reasons to upgrade.
My advice? If you’re in a region where the full suite of Gemini Intelligence features is unavailable, give it a few months. If you wait a little longer before investing, you’ll not only have those features ready from the moment you boot up the phone – but it’ll likely have dropped in price too.
Pixels don’t exactly have a reputation for holding their value for too long; the £999 Pixel 10 Pro dropped by £162 within a few months, and it dropped again to as little as £519 in June – and I’m fully expecting the same to happen with this year’s Pixel 11 collection.
So, if you’re only buying the Pixel 11 collection for Gemini Intelligence, and you’re not in the US – hang fire for a while. You’ll get a better experience, and you might even get it for cheaper.
