Google Pixel 11 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro

Apple announced iPhone 17 Pro on 9 September 2025. Google announced Pixel 11 Pro almost a year later, on 12 August 2026, and it reached US stores on 20 August 2026; by 19 September 2026, Apple no longer listed the 17 Pro among its current iPhones. So this is a new Pixel against last year’s iPhone, at the same launch price.

Spec	Google Pixel 11 Pro	iPhone 17 Pro
Announced	12 August 2026	9 September 2025
US launch price	$1,099	$1,099
Software	Android 17; 7 years of updates	iOS; no update period given
Screen	6.3-inch Super Actua, 1280 × 2856, 495 ppi, 1–120Hz	6.3-inch Super Retina XDR, 2622 × 1206, 460 ppi, ProMotion
Brightness	Up to 2400 nits HDR, 3600 nits peak	1000 nits typical, 1600 nits HDR, 3000 nits outdoors
Chip	Tensor G6, Titan M3	A19 Pro, 6-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
RAM	12GB with 256GB; 16GB with 512GB or 1TB	Not published
Storage	256GB, 512GB or 1TB	256GB, 512GB or 1TB
Rear cameras	50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP 5x telephoto	48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP 4x telephoto
Front camera	42MP, f/2.2	18MP Center Stage, f/1.9
Battery	4850 mAh typical (4707 minimum); 30+ hours	Up to 33 hours video, 30 hours streamed; capacity not published
Wired charging	About 55% in 30 minutes (30W)	50% in 20 minutes (40W or higher)
Wireless charging	Pixelsnap, Qi2.2, up to 25W	MagSafe or Qi2, up to 25W
Water and dust	IP68 (no depth given)	IP68, 6 meters for up to 30 minutes
Size	152.7 × 71.9 × 8.4 mm	150.0 × 71.9 × 8.75 mm
Weight	204 g	206 g
Unlock	Fingerprint and face	Face ID

Android or iOS decides most of it

Pixel 11 Pro launched on Android 17 with Google’s promise of 7 years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates. Apple doesn’t put a number of years on iPhone 17 Pro’s updates. iPhone 17 Pro arrived in 2025, and Apple’s specs for it still refer to iOS 26.

Unlocking differs: the Pixel takes your fingerprint or face, or a pattern, PIN or password, while iPhone 17 Pro uses Face ID and has no fingerprint reader. In the US both are eSIM-only. The Pixel runs two eSIMs at once and stores eight or more, and the US iPhone won’t accept a physical SIM card.

Both have Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, ultra-wideband, Thread and NFC; Apple lists its own N1 chip and second-generation ultra-wideband for the iPhone. The Pixel uses dual-band GPS, GLONASS and Galileo, and the iPhone’s dual-frequency GPS also lists QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC. Google lists G7SWN and GBC0H as the Pixel’s US 5G millimeter-wave models; Apple lists A3256 and A3257 for the iPhone.

For emergencies, the Pixel has Satellite SOS (country and setup limits apply), Emergency SOS, Car Crash Detection and Safety Check. The iPhone has Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My over satellite, plus Crash Detection. Apple’s satellite terms have included two years of free service on iPhone 14 and later, so check what the current plan includes.

Cameras: Google’s 5x zoom and 8K, Apple’s video tools

Main. The Pixel’s main camera has 50 megapixels on a 1/1.3-inch Octa PD sensor (f/1.68, 82 degrees). The iPhone’s 48-megapixel Fusion Main sits at 24mm (f/1.78) and doubles as a 12MP optical-quality 2x at 48mm.

Ultrawide. Both are 48 megapixels. The Pixel’s uses a 1/2.51-inch Quad PD sensor (f/1.7, 123 degrees) with macro autofocus; the iPhone’s Fusion Ultra Wide is 13mm (f/2.2, 120 degrees).

Telephoto. The Pixel’s 48-megapixel telephoto zooms 5x optically, on a 1/1.95-inch Quad PD sensor (f/2.8, 23 degrees) with optical stabilization. The iPhone’s 48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto uses a tetraprism at 100mm (f/2.8), which Apple calls 4x, and gives a 12MP optical-quality 8x at 200mm. Google lists optical-quality steps at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x and 10x, and Pro Zoom, its name for zooming past the optical range, reaches 120x. Apple quotes a 16x optical-quality range and digital zoom up to 40x.

Front. The Pixel has a 42-megapixel camera with Dual PD autofocus (f/2.2, 103 degrees); the iPhone has an 18MP Center Stage camera with autofocus (f/1.9).

Video is where they split most. The Pixel shoots 8K at 24 or 30fps with Video Boost, 4K at up to 60fps and Super Zoom Video up to 20x, plus 4K at 30 or 60fps from the front. The iPhone records 4K Dolby Vision at up to 120fps on the main camera and ProRes up to 4K at 120fps to an external drive. It adds ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, ACES, genlock with compatible gear, Dual Capture and Cinematic mode at 4K and 30fps, and Action mode at 2.8K and 60fps. The iPhone also has a LiDAR scanner and the Camera Control and Action buttons.

The Pixel’s extra is HiLight, colored LEDs around the flash that show Gemini status and caller colors while the phone lies face down.

Screens and build

The Pixel’s Super Actua screen is 161mm on the diagonal in a 20:9 shape, at 1280 × 2856 and 495 pixels per inch, refreshing from 1Hz to 120Hz, with contrast over 2,000,000:1 under Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Google rates it for 2,400 nits in HDR and 3,600 nits peak, and says the anti-scratch coating has more than double the previous generation’s resistance. The iPhone’s Super Retina XDR screen is 2622 × 1206 at 460 pixels per inch, with ProMotion, the Dynamic Island, Ceramic Shield 2 and an anti-reflective coating. Apple rates it for 1,000 nits typical, 1,600 in HDR and 3,000 outdoors, and down to 1 nit. Google’s peak and Apple’s outdoor figure are each company’s own rating, so the gap between them isn’t a like-for-like measure.

Pixel 11 Pro measures 152.7 × 71.9 × 8.4mm (6.0 × 2.8 × 0.3 inches) and weighs 204 grams (7.2 ounces). iPhone 17 Pro is 150.0 × 71.9 × 8.75mm and 206 grams. The Pixel has a spacecraft-grade aluminum frame, matte on Obsidian, and a silky matte Victus 2 back, in Canyon, Olive, Fog and Obsidian. The iPhone is a brushed 7000-series aluminum unibody with a laser-welded vapor chamber inside, in Silver, Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue. Both are IP68, and Apple rates iPhone 17 Pro to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes.

Google says Pixel 11 Pro is at least 31% recycled material by weight, with 100% recycled aluminum in the housing and 100% recycled cobalt and lithium in the battery. Apple says iPhone 17 Pro has 30% recycled content, including 50% recycled aluminum in the enclosure, 100% recycled cobalt and 95% recycled lithium.

Battery and charging

Google and Apple rate batteries in different terms. Pixel 11 Pro has a 4,850mAh battery (4,707mAh minimum) that Google rates for 30+ hours. Apple doesn’t give iPhone 17 Pro’s capacity; it rates the phone for up to 33 hours of video, or 30 hours streamed. Neither figure translates into the other, so treat them as each company’s own claim.

The Pixel gets to about 55% in 30 minutes with a 30W USB-C PPS charger and charges wirelessly at up to 25W on Pixelsnap (Qi2.2). The iPhone reaches 50% in 20 minutes on a 40W adapter, takes up to 25W from MagSafe or Qi2 chargers, and gets to 50% in 30 minutes on a MagSafe Charger with a 30W or higher adapter. Each box has the phone and a USB-C cable 1 meter long, and neither includes a power adapter.

Price, and which one is current

Both launched at $1,099 in the US, with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage. Apple called the 256GB starting point doubled entry storage, and neither phone comes in 128GB; there’s no 2TB iPhone 17 Pro either. The Pixel’s 512GB and 1TB models use Zoned UFS storage.

The iPhone’s $1,099 is a 2025 launch price. Now that iPhone 18 Pro is Apple’s current compact Pro, a discounted or used iPhone 17 Pro can cost less than a new Pixel, and Google Store trade-in offers aren’t the Pixel’s list price either. Compare what you’d actually pay for each before you buy.