Google's Pixel 11 series is out, and it ships with a MediaTek modem for the first time
The four new Pixel phones and the Pixel Watch 5 are on sale, and the quietest change in the lineup is the part that connects it to the network.
If you buy a Pixel 11, the biggest practical difference from last year's phone may be something you never see on a spec comparison. Google has swapped the modem.
Android Authority reports that the Pixel 11 series ships with a MediaTek modem for the first time, with Samsung's Exynos modem dropped entirely. Google claims the new part is more reliable, faster and more power-efficient.
The lineup itself is four phones. Pixel 11 starts at $899, Pixel 11 Pro at $1,099, Pixel 11 Pro XL at $1,299 and Pixel 11 Pro Fold at $1,899. Alongside them Google is selling the Pixel Watch 5, starting at $399 for the 41mm model and $429 for the 45mm, which the company says is designed for Gemini Intelligence.
Android Authority's testing puts numbers on the modem change. Outdoors, the Pixel 11 Pro averaged 671 Mbps download against around 593 Mbps on the Pixel 10 Pro, which the outlet calls roughly a 13% improvement. Indoors the gap widened: about 493 Mbps versus roughly 405 Mbps, close to 22%.
Uploads went the other way. Outdoors the Pixel 10 Pro averaged around 106 Mbps while the Pixel 11 Pro managed roughly 99 Mbps.
The more interesting result is the one that does not come with a headline speed figure, because in Android Authority's testing the Pixel 11 Pro held onto 5G in places where the Pixel 10 Pro fell back to 4G, downloaded faster both indoors and out, and drew less battery through a cellular video streaming test. That is three wins from one component.
Android Authority also notes that reception for the Pixel 11 series may have been slightly muted, thanks to relatively minor upgrades and a higher price tag. A modem is not the kind of upgrade that sells a phone in a store. It is the kind you notice on a train.
Published by Techtutka ·