The Pixel 11 Pro’s flashlight is a little bit worse because of ‘HiLight’ [Gallery]

“HiLight” on the Pixel 11 Pro doesn’t provide much utility, but making matters worse, it also worsens a common use case of every other phone’s rear LED – the ability to use it as a flashlight.

Most smartphones have a built-in rear LED that’s primarily designed as a camera flash, but doubles as a flashlight in a pinch. It’s never as good as a dedicated flashlight, but it’s good enough for navigating a dark area at night or those times when you need to shine just a bit of extra light on something.

The Pixel 11 Pro family, though, has been noticeably worse when it comes to the flashlight.

We noticed on our review units in recent days that the flashlight simply isn’t as strong as past generations or other phones on Pixel 11 Pro / XL / Fold. Personally, I noticed this while going through my home late at night, with the flashlight simply not illuminating the room at any sort of distance. Especially after the first few feet away from the device, the lighting just became useless. Will Sattelberg calls the flashlight function “unusable,” referring to a home repair where he thought the phone had somehow set the flashlight to half-brightness. Damien Wilde further pointed out that the diffuser being used for “HiLight” is likely at least part of the cause, though that is admittedly nice for using the LED as an actual camera flash. You have to be closer to subjects, but the lighting effect does visually look better.

You can see the difference pretty clearly when you compare the Pixel 11 Pro to other devices, which we’ve done in the images below. Comparing Pixel 11 Pro XL to Pixel 10 Pro XL, there’s a distinct difference in the lighting intensity, though the last generation wasn’t especially bright either. Compared to even a three-year-old iPhone 15 Pro, Apple’s flash is brighter. Throwing in Galaxy Z Fold 7 for good measure, Samsung’s flash is also a tiny bit stronger than either of Google’s, but it’s abundantly clear that Pixel 11 Pro XL is the worst out of the bunch.

As mentioned, this gets worse at distance. We ran this test similarly to one from a Redditor, but in adding some additional subjects in the background, you can see how much quicker the Pixel 11 Pro’s lighting fades away.

Meanwhile, the actual camera flash results are more or less comparable across Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro XL, though processing differences must be taken into account. The lighting is less harsh on the newer device, and it’s also warmer in color temperature.

And, to be clear, pictures can only do so much justice to this. I’d argue that the difference is bigger in real life.

What this whole thing brought to light for me – pun mostly not intended – is just how far behind Google is in this regard.

The flashlight on your phone isn’t something you think about in daily use or even when comparing devices, but when it suddenly gets worse, you can’t help but notice the difference. “HiLight” has resulted in a clear, though not major difference in the Pixel 11 Pro’s flashlight this year. Google should absolutely be taking notes, because this is one of those subtle problems that rubs users the wrong way, and I’m absolutely sure someone switching from an iPhone to a Pixel 11 will notice this and take issue with it.

What do you think?

More on Pixel 11:

• Pixel Camera adds ‘Launch control’ and new ‘Quick access’ slider controls on Pixel 11 [Gallery]
• Google Pixel screen savers add new styles and iPhone-like switching [Gallery]
• Pixel 11 Pro’s ‘HiLight’ is another half-baked feature burdened by bad first impressions

Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel