Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL has entered the top five of DxOMark’s global smartphone camera ranking, scoring 168 points in the lab’s latest evaluation. The result puts Google’s flagship alongside the iPhone 17 Pro and OPPO Find X8 Ultra, while several Chinese smartphones rank above it.
The Pixel 11 Pro XL’s score is also a five-point improvement over the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which scored 163 points. That makes the new model one of the strongest camera phones DxOMark tested this year, even if Google still falls short of the current leader.
Chinese flagships control the top of the table
According to the latest ranking, Huawei’s Pura 80 Ultra leads with 175 points. Vivo’s X300 Pro follows at 171, while the OPPO Find X9 Ultra and Vivo X300 Ultra sit on 170 points.
The Pixel 11 Pro XL is next with 168 points, tied with the OPPO Find X8 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro. The result is notable because the top of DxOMark’s ranking is heavily weighted toward Chinese manufacturers.
That leaves Google and Apple as the only US smartphone brands represented among the leading group. The distinction matters because several of the Chinese flagships near the top are not widely available through official channels in the US.
Photography remains the Pixel’s strength
The Pixel 11 Pro XL scored 171 points for photography and 162 for video. DxOMark praised its exposure, dynamic range, natural skin tones, autofocus, and detail rendering across different lighting conditions.
The biggest hardware change this generation is the telephoto camera. Google uses a 48MP periscope unit with 5x optical zoom, while the sensor is larger than the previous generation. DxOMark also reports a 30% improvement in light sensitivity compared with the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
Portrait photography has also improved, with better subject separation and more natural blur transitions. Google has also increased its AI-assisted Pro Zoom reach from 100x to 120x.
Video is less convincing. DxOMark found issues with stabilization, motion rendering, and low-light performance, while the ultra-wide camera can lose detail in some conditions. Those weaknesses help explain why the Pixel’s video score remains well below its photography result.
Fifth place does not mean fifth for every buyer
DxOMark’s global ranking helps compare tested camera systems, but availability changes the practical picture. A phone can rank above the Pixel while being difficult to purchase officially in the US, which makes a global leaderboard different from a US buying guide.
The Pixel 11 Pro XL therefore occupies an interesting position. It does not lead the benchmark, but it delivers a 168-point result while competing directly with the iPhone 17 Pro and several much less accessible Chinese flagships.
For Google, the more interesting question may now be how far the Pixel can climb without a major overhaul of its camera hardware. The Pixel 11 Pro XL has improved by five points over its predecessor, but Huawei still leads by seven points. The next Pixel generation will have to close that gap through either stronger sensors, better processing, or both.
