Google Pixel 11 to bring back infrared camera
Google’s Pixel 11, which will launch in 2026, is rumored to revive a feature last seen on 2019’s Pixel 4. Google is apparently considering adding an under-display infrared camera to the Pixel 11 generation that will enable secure face unlock.
The last time a Pixel had something like this was on the Pixel 4 in 2019. Google then abandoned the feature, only to now consider reintroducing it in a new form. This isn’t the first time Google has done something like this, though. While the Pixel 4 had a massive top bezel above its display to house the technology, the Google Pixel 11 will place the IR camera under the display so it doesn’t take up any visible space.
Incidentally, 2026 is also rumored to be the year Apple will start using under-display IR cameras for its Face ID technology. The Tensor G6 chipset that will power the Google Pixel 11 series will support infrared face unlock via an infrared camera under the display.
Of course, the fact that the Google Pixel 11 series chipset supports this feature doesn’t necessarily mean that the feature will actually make it into the series. On the other hand, the Tensor G6 is a chip that Google is developing specifically for its own Pixel smartphones and nothing else. So it wouldn’t make sense to include such support if there wasn’t a solid reason for it.
