The trials and tribulations of reviewing a Pixel

Good morning and happy Thursday. We’ve got Pixel reviews galore, a new look at Insomniac’s upcoming Wolverine game, a crazy story about prolific phone scammers, and an updated version of Qwen 3.8 that I’ll be spending the next few days tweaking to my liking.

As a reminder, Inbox is the tech newsletter you should be able to read in around 95 seconds. We cover the most important 9to5Google stories from the last couple of days along with a few highlights from around the web. We publish every Tuesday and Thursday, and if you like what you read, please subscribe.

Inbox is written by Daniel Bader. Read previous issues here, and then catch up with Ben Schoon’s excellent Weekender column.

⭐️ Starred

The big story today is, of course, Google’s new Pixel phones and smartwatches. Reviews are live, and in his famously unfiltered way, our own Damien Wilde says it best: “This probably could have been a software update.”

On one hand, that’s a bit disappointing: no big, flashy hardware upgrades to tempt new buyers. On the other hand, it’s reassuring: many of the major upgrades will eventually arrive on older Pixel phones once Google gets around to optimizing them. A handful of features may be gated to the faster Tensor G6 inside the phones — the excellent Magic Capture mode comes to mind — while others like Proactive Assistance (née Magic Cue) and Rambler will likely be backported within a few months.

But among the wider press circuit, there appears to be a prevailing ambivalence toward the new Pixel products, a consequence of rising prices and a hardware platform that feels a few steps behind its closest competitors.

Damien’s early Pixel 11 review:

The Pixel 11 is a good phone but an expensive phone. One that is tough to evaluate without all the other market factors that make it such. In a few months, it’ll become a much better buy by virtue of discounts and sales, as it has always been with Google hardware for better or worse.

Abner’s initial Pixel 11 Pro review:

Ultimately, the Pixel 11 Pro is a fine phone waylaid by narrative and circumstance (RAMageddon) more so than any specific faults. The hardware, software, and AI – they’re all quite good.

Ben’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold impressions:

There are a couple of factors really holding me back here. First, there’s the hardware itself. Google is objectively two years behind the competition in regards to overall fit and finish. I could also throw in moderate complaints around the cameras and the display crease, but neither of those really bother me personally. The biggest complaint so far has been battery life, and it might be a serious problem.

While none of these pieces are final reviews — we prefer to take our time rather than meet a company’s embargo if it’s a short turnaround — they echo what many others in the industry are saying.

Paul over at Android Authority likes a lot about the Pixel 11 Pro XL’s camera, particularly the 5x zoom lens, but complains about inconsistency in video capture. GSMArena praises the Tensor G6’s real-world performance, which is a marked improvement over the G5. And The Verge’s David Imel loves many of the Pixel 11 Pro’s new features, including Rambler and Magic Capture, but finds the time-saving claims of Proactive Assistance half-baked.

More from 9to5Google’s Pixel team:

• Pixel Watch 5 (41mm) Initial Review: New watch alert, actually
• Yes, the Pixelsnap magnets on Pixel 11 are stronger this year
• Pixel 11 introduces unified ‘Pixel search,’ hides it in the drawer

✉️ Inbox

• Google Pixel strategy is now ‘attack,’ 13 million phones in 2026, ending China production. A project that’s been going on for years is nearing completion: Google is almost finished moving its Pixel production out of China and into Vietnam, which reportedly successfully built the entire Pixel 11 lineup.
• Fairphone officially starts selling its new repairable Android phone in the US for $649. The Fairphone Gen 6 Plus is now available in the US, and despite its mediocre specs, may be one of the best long-term investments you can make in a piece of tech. iFixit gave it a 10/10 repairability rating, and its $649 asking price makes it even more tantalizing.
• Gemini in Chrome and auto browse roll out on Android in the US. Google is pushing further into do-it-for-you browsing by more tightly integrating Gemini into Chrome for Android. Just ask for something and the built-in agent will (try to) make it happen.
• Claude can now send emails in Gmail, even without your approval. Claude already works with your Google Workspace account, but now it can send emails on your behalf. Just remember that no one wants to receive AI-written emails.
• Google ‘gradually’ rolling out Android’s ‘advanced’ sideloading ahead of developer verification. Google’s long-awaited app sideloading limitations are rolling out, requiring users to wait 24 hours after unlocking the ability to perform their first installs, in an attempt to limit coercive scams.
• The reMarkable Paper Pro can technically run Android, but it’s a hassle. I love my reMarkable Paper Pro and have no intention of ruining the experience by installing Android, but I kind of love that it’s possible.
• Pixel 11 ships with Android 17’s new 3D emoji [Gallery]. A lot of people are hating on these new emoji, but I’m not one of them. You can send me a 3D distorted face emoji any day.
• GeForce Now adds Firefox support five years after Chrome, now live. I’m someone who wants to play more games, and I continue paying for GeForce Now because of it. I’m also a Firefox user. And yet I doubt I will ever play it this way.
• Gemini Live adds Deep Research as Notebooks come to AI Mode. Google’s announcing a bevy of back-to-school updates to benefit students, including free AI Pro or AI Plus accounts for a year (depending on location), and Deep Research ability inside Gemini’s voice-enabled Live mode.

🤑 Action items

Writing tablets are a dime a dozen these days, but reMarkable sits apart from the crowded market by religiously building premium hardware and spare-to-a-fault software. As I said above, I love my reMarkable tablet because of its relentless focus on writing. While it’s great you can browse and game and read on various Boox tablets, for note-taking and sketching I haven’t found anything better than reMarkable, even as competitors like Supernote and Amazon’s Kindle Scribe have sought to catch up.

What reMarkable isn’t is cheap: the devices themselves almost never go on sale, and the company keeps a strict lock on retail partner prices. Now, after launching its $399 reMarkable Paper Pure, the company is discounting its Pro devices with a stylus and matching folio cover for the price of the device alone. I wouldn’t say it’s a great deal, but it’s the best you’ll find for arguably the best writing tablets out there.

• reMarkable Paper Pro Move bundle — $469 (was $569)
• reMarkable Paper Pro bundle — $679 (was $779)

🙃 FWD:

US Army soldiers are being offered a 4-day pass to escape the base and play the most anticipated game of all time. From Task & Purpose:

According to the memo signed by Lt. Col. Ryan Hodgson, the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion commander, soldiers in the unit who reenlist between Aug. 1 and Nov. 14, 2026, will get a “special 4-day pass” that is “specifically designated to coincide with the highly anticipated release of the video game Grand Theft Auto 6.”

GTA 6 is top of mind for other reasons, too: days before a massive Netflix timed-exclusive reveal, footage from the game has been released in four separate leaks (IGN). The group behind the leak calls itself CyberLeek and is advertising a memecoin alongside the footage and blames its release on Rockstar’s decision not to release a physical disc version of the game.

I’m also ridiculously excited for the upcoming stop-motion Laika Studios film, Wildwood. Beautiful hand-crafted animation, an emotional, heart-wrenching story about love and family, and talking animals fighting the forces of evil. What else could you want from a movie?

🗑️ Trash

I first learned about the theremin in a novel called Us Conductors by fellow Canadian Sean Michaels (no, not that one), who has since written a prescient book about AI’s disruptive power called Do You Remember Being Born?.

Now you, too, can mimic the famous jazz hands of theremin creator Leon Theremin by waving them in front of your webcam to approximate the pitch- and volume-controlling powers of electromagnetic fields. Have fun!

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Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend.