- A case for the Pixel 11 Pro XL has already shown up online
- We may get a bigger but thinner camera bar
- These handsets could well be launching around August time
The chunky camera bar sitting around the back of Google's flagship Pixel phones certainly makes them stand out, but it seems there may be a design tweak on the way with the Pixel 11 series that's expected later this year.
Case maker ThinBorne (via Android Authority) has already posted a listing for a Pixel 11 Pro XL case, which gives us some idea of what might be coming. The case design suggests the phone's camera bar may cover a slightly larger area, and protrude a little less.
Take a peek at our Pixel 10 Pro XL review, and you'll see the rear camera island does stick out a fair bit from the phone. That's partly to enable features like the 5x optical zoom, but the additional thickness isn't to everyone's tastes.
In 2026 it appears that Google may have found a way to trim down on this protrusion without affecting the camera specs too much — although of course we don't know yet which cameras the Pixel 11 handsets are going to be fitted with.
To be confirmed
Bear in mind that this updated design is far from confirmed, although case makers do often get a heads up from manufacturers about the dimensions of upcoming devices, so that the cases can be ready to go on launch day.
This is almost the first Pixel 11 leak to appear, although there was talk a few months ago about changes that may be coming with the Tensor G6 chipset — the processor that's expected to be fitted inside all of these phones.
If Google follows the same approach as last year, we'll get a Pixel 11, a Pixel 11 Pro, a Pixel 11 Pro XL, and a Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The current Pixel 10 flagships were unveiled in August, so their successors are likely to appear around then as well.
We've also just had the launch of the mid-range Google Pixel 10a, which — like the Pixel 9a before it — eschews the classic Pixel camera bump for a flat back casing. We'll have to wait and see which direction the Pixel design team goes in next.
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