The likely cause can be traced to a hardware change Google made for the Pixel 11 series: HiLight, the new rear notification light that replaced the infrared temperature sensor found on earlier Pixel models. HiLight consists of eight RGB LEDs arranged in a ring around the main camera flash, with a single frosted white diffuser over them to blend the ring’s light into a smooth glow. That same diffuser also sits directly over the primary flash LED, meaning the flash no longer has a dedicated lens or microlens to focus and project its light. Diffused light scatters rather than concentrates, which would account for both the shorter throw and the softer edge visible in the flash comparison shots. The tester provided us with a microscope image of the flashlight openings on the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro.
