The Pixel 11 line: seven years of updates, and the only foldable sealed against dust

Google announced four phones on 12 August and put them on sale on the 20th. Here's the short version, and one number where Google genuinely got ahead of Apple and Samsung.

The line-up and the real prices

• Pixel 11 — $899, 6.3-inch, 4,985 mAh
• Pixel 11 Pro — $1,099, 6.3-inch, 4,850 mAh
• Pixel 11 Pro XL — $1,299, 6.8-inch, 5,115 mAh
• Pixel 11 Pro Fold — $1,899, 6.5-inch outside and 8.0-inch inside

A word of warning on pricing: Google's own store leads with numbers like "from $549" on the Pixel 11. Those are after trading in a phone, and what they'll actually give you depends on what you hand over. The sticker prices are the ones above.

If you're going to trade something in, it's worth finding out what your old phone is genuinely worth first, rather than taking the first number you're offered. We'll price yours in a couple of minutes and pay cash, and you can compare.

Like everyone else this year, all four start at 256GB. The 128GB tier is gone across the industry.

Seven years of updates

Every Pixel 11 gets seven years of OS and security updates. Samsung matches this on the S26 line, and between them that's changed the calculation on buying used Android.

A three-year-old Pixel still has four years of support ahead of it. That makes a good used one a far better buy than it used to be — and it makes fixing the one you have an easier decision, because the phone won't be abandoned by software long before the hardware gives up.

The Pro Fold is the sealed one

If you want a folding phone and you're at all rough on your things, this is the one to look at, and the reason is one spec.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is IP68. Samsung's foldables and Motorola's Razrs are IP48 — which sounds similar and isn't. The 4 means dust protection only against objects a millimeter or larger. Sand, grit and pocket lint are all well under that, and the hinge is exactly where they end up.

Google got there with a new gearless hinge and a glass-ceramic cover on the outside, and the phone is about 10% lighter than last year's while being better sealed. That's a real engineering win, and it's the kind of thing that shows up two years later as "my hinge still works."

We'd still say what we say about every foldable: an inner screen is a serious repair. But dust is the failure that creeps up on people, and this is the one foldable that's properly guarded against it.

What we see come through the door

Pixels are well built and we don't see an unusual number of them. What we do see:

• Cracked screens, the same as every phone. Nothing unusual here.
• Batteries after two or three years — normal, and a cheap fix that makes an older Pixel feel new.
• Charging ports, usually full of lint rather than broken. We clean far more than we replace.
• Back glass, which on Pixels is glass front and back and does crack.

All of those are jobs we do, mostly the same day. Bring it in or get a price online first.

The short advice

If you have a Pixel from the last few years, it's supported for ages yet — put a battery in it and keep it. If you're buying new and you want a foldable, the Pro Fold's dust sealing is a genuine advantage worth paying for. And if you're trading in, get a second number before you accept the first.