As someone who reviews smartphones for a living, upgrading every year isn’t optional. It’s part of the job, and as an iPhone user, it’s an easy call. This year, I expected to move from my baseline iPhone 17 to Apple’s next baseline model, the iPhone 18. Except Apple might not even launch it this September.
Pegatron, one of Apple’s suppliers, indicated on an August 12 earnings call that the standard iPhone 18 isn’t coming next month (via Deccan Chronicle). Only the Pro, Pro Max, and the rumored foldable “Ultra” are expected, with the base model pushed to early 2027. That alone would derail my plans. But it’s just one domino in a longer line for Apple: the Pixel 11.
Pixel 11 vs. iPhone 17: It doesn’t feel like a tie anymore
| iPhone 17 | Pixel 11 | |
| Price | $799 | $899 |
| Display | 6.3″ OLED, 120Hz ProMotion | 6.3″ OLED |
| Chip | A19 | Tensor G6 (2nm) |
| RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
| Base storage | 256GB | 256GB |
| Battery | 3,692 mAh | 4,985 mAh |
| Rear cameras | Dual 48MP (main + ultrawide) | Triple: 48MP main, 13MP ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x telephoto |
Here’s the kicker: the Pixel 11 isn’t even the cheaper alternative anymore. Google just increased the starting price to $899 (up from $799), making this a tougher sell, not an easier one.
I’m low-key rooting for the Pixel 11 this year, and the iPhone 18 delay just gave me one less reason to talk myself out of it. The other three have more to do with what Google is offering on its entry-level flagship, starting with the cameras.
This is where the Pixel 11 starts pulling me away
Apple’s iPhone 17 offers a dual 48MP camera array on the back. Although it captures excellent pictures, even if a candle is the primary light source in the frame, the camera setup lacks a dedicated telephoto sensor. The Pixel 9 didn’t have one either, but Google broke that pattern with the Pixel 10, and the Pixel 11 keeps it going with a proper triple system.
I’m talking about a 48MP main, 13MP ultrawide, and a 10.8MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom. Yes, I’d take a hit on the selfie camera, as there’s no match for Apple’s Center Stage experience yet, but since I capture one selfie for every 100 or 150 photos from the rear camera, the math is pretty clear.
The time I spent with the base Galaxy S26 earlier this year simply rewired my expectations from my daily driver. A dedicated telephoto camera puts more emphasis on the subject, bringing out the texture of skin, the fine details on a flower petal, the arch at the top of a building, or the person standing on the other side of the street. It simply feels more intentional.
| iPhone 17 | Pixel 11 | |
| Main | 48MP, f/1.6, sensor-shift OIS | 48MP, f/1.7, OIS |
| Ultrawide | 48MP, f/2.2, 120° FOV | 13MP, f/2.2, 120° FOV |
| Telephoto | None — 2x “optical-quality” zoom is a digital crop from the main sensor | 10.8MP, true 5x optical zoom, OIS |
| Selfie | 18MP Center Stage | 10.5MP, 95° FOV |
| Max zoom | 10x digital | 5x optical, up to 30x Super Res Zoom |
| Video | 4K Dolby Vision | 4K, including new 4K portrait video |
Google’s software pitch is harder to ignore
Then there’s the software side, which caught me off guard. Android 17 didn’t chase a flashy redesign this cycle. Instead, Google spent its energy sanding down the friction, and the rebuilt Android Switch tool is the clearest proof. It’s wireless now, built directly into both iOS and Android with no separate app required.
The best part is that it now migrates passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi credentials, alarms, even full text threads. That matters to someone like me who’s hesitant to switch. Task automation via Gemini Intelligence is still an open question for me, but it’s intriguing enough that I want to learn its real-world use cases.
Even otherwise, there are too many Google AI features to explore, especially the ones related to photography. The one that has me sold is something called Magic Capture, which analyzes around 400 shots to determine the best picture and video from the scene you point to. Then there’s Creator Suite, which basically includes built-in AI video editing tools.
| Apple Intelligence (iOS 27) | Gemini Intelligence (Android 17) | |
| Assistant | Siri AI, still rolling out, routes complex queries through ChatGPT and, per some reports, Gemini itself | Gemini, native to the phone from day one |
| Hardware requirement | A17 Pro or newer | Flagship Tensor chip, 12GB RAM minimum |
| Writing | Writing Tools: rewrite, proofread, summarize | Gboard Rambler: cleans up natural speech into text |
| Camera AI | Genmoji, Image Playground | Magic Capture, Creator Suite |
| Screen understanding | Visual Intelligence for screenshots and camera | Android Halo, persistent AI status in the status bar |
| Translation | Live Translation in Messages and FaceTime | Live Translate, real-time voice and video |
The battery could be the Pixel 11’s sleeper advantage
Finally, the physically larger battery could solve one of my biggest complaints with the iPhone 17. Google has crammed a 4,985 mAh battery into the base Pixel 11. Combined with the new Tensor G6 (2nm) chip, which the company claims is 20% more power efficient than the previous chip, the Pixel 11 might outlast the iPhone 17
Google’s own claim has gone up from “24+ hours” battery life on the Pixel 10 to “30+ hours” on the Pixel 11. I’m not buying those numbers at face value, but I’m eager to take the Pixel 11 on a spin and check the screen-on time I get between chargers.
This isn’t me pretending the iPhone 17 suddenly became a bad phone for me. In fact, its video remains excellent, the display is still fantastic, performance is more than enough for everything I do, and the Continuity features I get with the MacBook Air M5 make the two devices feel almost inseparable.
I’d wait for more hands-on experience before making my decision
However, for the first time, those advantages aren’t as appealing as what I could get with a Pixel upgrade. For me, that justifies the $100 premium over the iPhone 17. You’d argue that I can stop crying about it and go with the iPhone 18 Pro instead, but I simply don’t want to spend around $1,200 on my smartphone.
I’m not abandoning iPhone. I’ve just never had this many real, specific reasons pulling me toward the other side at once. And this year, the Pixel 11 is making the better argument. I’m waiting for more hands-on experience with the device, which will actually help me make up my mind before Google gets money from my wallet.
