Google had one hardware problem to solve with the Pixel 11, and it failed

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There’s a lot I can complain about when it comes to Pixels, but design has rarely been one of those things. Google has settled into a look that I genuinely like — it’s clean, minimal, and premium. So, even though the Pixel 11 doesn’t look dramatically different from what we’ve already seen before, I’m completely fine with that.

I’d much rather see Google refine a design that already works than change it just for the sake of looking new. And then there’s the new Hibiscus color. Yeah, it completely stole my heart. What can I say? I like my phone a little loud sometimes.

But as much as I love how Pixels look, there’s one part of the hardware that’s bothered me for years. I kept hoping Google would eventually fix it, and with the Pixel 11 , I thought this might finally be the year. But it wasn’t. You probably have a few guesses, but I promise there’s a point to this.

My biggest problem with Pixel phones over the past few years is that they’ve been heavier than they need to be . The Pixel 9, for example, was already pushing 200 grams, and the Pixel 10 added another five grams, bringing it to 204 grams. Google has thankfully shaved some of that off with the Pixel 11, which weighs 195.6 grams, but that’s nearly 196 grams in your hand.

Thickness hasn’t exactly been a strong point either, although there’s definitely progress this year. The Pixel 10 came in at 8.6mm, actually making it 0.1mm thicker than the Pixel 9. The Pixel 11 brings that down quite significantly to 7.6mm, which is a welcome improvement. But even with that slimmer body, I still think there’s room for Google to do better.

And this is where my problem with Pixel hardware really begins. I don’t mind a phone being thick or heavy when there’s a good reason for it. Give me a considerably bigger battery, a better cooling system, or something else I can actually benefit from every day, and I’ll happily put up with the extra bulk. Considering Pixels have struggled with heat for years, I’d even take a slightly chunkier phone if Google used that extra room for a larger vapor chamber, more graphite, or simply a better thermal setup.

Of course, making a phone thicker doesn’t magically make it run cooler. But more internal space at least gives engineers more room to work with, and that’s ultimately my point: if I’m carrying around the extra bulk, I want that space to be put to good use. My Pixel 10 Pro is a perfect example . It’s 8.5mm thick, yet after extensive use, I can comfortably say that thermal management still isn’t one of its strengths. So, when a phone is already relatively thick and heavy, but I’m not getting exceptional cooling in return, that bulk becomes much harder for me to justify.