![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Google-Pixel-10-hero-image.jpg\"\/ "\\"Google")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Robert Triggs \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
Yeah, I said it \u2014 and I\u2019ll stand by it. I know the dust hasn\u2019t even settled on the end of 2025, nor have we named our editor\u2019s choice picks for phone of the year, but I already know what the best phone of next year will be. It\u2019s going to be the Google Pixel 11<\/a>, and I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much you can do to convince me otherwise.<\/p>\n On the one hand, I think it\u2019s good news for Google. I really, truly believe that the Pixel is in its best position in several years, with a steadily improving chipset and cameras that continue to get smarter. The real reason I\u2019m willing to make this declaration so early, though, is that I think everyone else is a mess. Here\u2019s why I think Google can simply coast to greatness while everyone else spins their wheels.<\/p>\n Samsung is stuck, and OnePlus is in reverse<\/p>\n Tushar Mehta \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Oplus_20119584<\/p>\n Remember, just a few months ago, when it seemed like Samsung was set to overhaul its Galaxy S26<\/a> lineup? The Plus was set to become the Edge, and the base model was going to adopt a Pro moniker to complement the already well-rounded Galaxy S26 Ultra. For once, it seemed like Samsung had significant changes in the works. Then, the leaks began to flow.<\/p>\n Slowly but surely, the Galaxy S26 Pro<\/a> took shape \u2014 or rather, a distinct lack thereof. Instead of picking up upgrades that we might expect to go with its new name, it began to sound like little more than a base Galaxy S25 with a few tweaks. While the widely expected larger battery is a positive sign, the same old, same old cameras and thoroughly underwhelming 25W wired charging speeds are anything but pro-grade.<\/p>\n The Galaxy S26 series looks like more of the same, and the OnePlus 15 is neither a killer flagship nor a flagship killer.<\/p>\n Now, it doesn\u2019t even matter. Samsung has already ditched the Pro branding, and it\u2019s walking back on plans for the Galaxy S26 Edge, too. In its place? Get ready for the Galaxy S26 Plus. And, by \u2018get ready for,\u2019 I mean take another look at the Galaxy S25 Plus, because it seems that next year\u2019s phone will be almost identical to the one from early 2025, according to this new leak<\/a>. If that leak proves true, you can probably just reread our Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus review<\/a> in early 2026, too, because there won\u2019t be much need to write a new one.<\/p>\n And then, there\u2019s OnePlus. Sure, its OnePlus 15 was the first to bring Qualcomm\u2019s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5<\/a> chipset to market, but it\u2019s hardly been smooth sailing. The ending of its partnership with Hasselblad and downgrade in sensor sizes has knocked the overall camera experience back a step, and the squared-off, stone-textured design has erased just a little of the OnePlus personality we (or at least I) previously loved so much.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the current state of Oxygen OS doesn\u2019t do OnePlus any favors, either. Its once-light animations now feel like they\u2019ve been pulled directly from parent company OPPO\u2019s Color OS, while its main AI-powered feature, Mind Space<\/a>, feels like a clone of Nothing\u2019s Essential Space, just without most of the helpful organization bits like automatic checklists and reminders. Tack on an update commitment that lags behind Google and Samsung (four years of Android updates, six years of security patches), and it becomes an even harder sell.<\/p>\n Google sounds like my winner by default<\/p>\n C. Scott Brown \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n So, for Google\u2019s Pixel 11 to land as a smash hit \u2014 at least in my eyes \u2014 all it has to do is anything but all of that. I\u2019m pretty confident that Google could simply stay the course that it established with the Pixel 10<\/a> and be just fine. It\u2019s already added a telephoto sensor, a battery that\u2019s larger than the one in the Galaxy S25 Plus, and Gemini-powered features that actually work, putting it comfortably ahead of its Android-powered rivals.<\/p>\n And yes, I realize that staying the course is precisely what I said Samsung can\u2019t do. The difference here, though, comes from the respective courses that the Galaxy and Pixel series are on. While Samsung has been stuck in neutral (at best) for what seems like three generations, Google has been making an effort to erase the gap between its base Pixels and its Pros.<\/p>\n The Pixel 11 is playing with house money, and it just needs minor tweaks to stay ahead.<\/p>\n Besides, if we\u2019re comparing the Pixel 10 to the expected Galaxy S26 Pro-Turned-Not-Pro, I think Google is already a winner. It already has a battery that\u2019s 600mAh larger, charging that\u2019s a few watts faster (and supports Qi2 charging<\/a> without a specific case), and I\u2019ll reach for the clean simplicity of Pixel UI over One UI any day. Factor in better AI features, such as Pixel Studio and Help Me Edit, which work like a charm, and it\u2019s hard to see where Samsung makes up ground.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be fooled, though, I don\u2019t want Google to simply do nothing with its Pixel 11 series. I want it to make its typical set of year-over-year upgrades, bringing a performance boost with the Tensor G6<\/a> and new AI features powered by its updated models. What I don\u2019t think it needs is as big a rebuild as its rivals \u2014 at least not on the non-folding lineup.<\/p>\n The Pixel 11 Pro Fold, however, could use some love. After a massive leap from the original Pixel Fold to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, this year\u2019s upgrade felt like a half-step at best. I\u2019d love to see Google take most of the energy it would otherwise put into the base Pixel 11 and even the Pros and put it right into the Fold. It needs to give its most expensive flagship a proper set of cameras, slim down its footprint, and speed up its charging just a bit. If it does, I don\u2019t see how the Pixel 11 series doesn\u2019t sweep our 2026 editor\u2019s choice awards.<\/p>\n![\"Oplus](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/OnePlus-15-vs-Galaxy-S25-Ultra-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"Oplus")
<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Google-Pixel-10-in-Frost-vs-Google-Pixel-10-Pro-in-Moonstone-1-of-5.jpg\"\/ "\\"Google")
<\/p>\n