Entertainment
How A Movie Destroyed Sci-Fi's Greatest Story By Being Good
By Joshua Tyler
| Published
Some of the best science fiction ever written has never been adapted into a feature film, specifically because it’s so complex and so good that no one in Hollywood is sure it’s filmable. That was true of Dune for decades, and why it took so long for there to be another movie attempt after David Lynch’s version in the 80s fell flat. And it’s why a man once called the Dean of Science Fiction, Robert A. Heinlein, has had so few of his top works adapted.
In 2013, one of those unfilmable Sci-Fi masterpieces finally got the big-budget movie production fans had craved, but what was supposed to be a franchise starter turned into a disappointing misfire. It should have been a triumph for science fiction, but instead, it sputtered and faded into nothing.
This is why Ender’s Game failed.
One Of Sci-Fi’s Most Influential Works
When Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game hit shelves in 1985, it wasn’t just another sci-fi novel. It became a phenomenon, a winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, one of the most influential works of modern speculative fiction.
The story of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a child genius trained to lead humanity’s war against a deadly alien species, wasn’t just about aliens or battle tactics. It explored the complex psychological and moral dilemmas of warfare, the manipulation of youth, and the destructive consequences of sacrifice. Fans of the book could only dream of seeing it brought to life on the big screen.
Meeting The High Expectations Of A Classic
For years, Ender’s Game was considered “unfilmable.” The novel is filled with internal conflict and deeply philosophical themes, much of which takes place in the mind of its young protagonist, Ender. At its core, the story is about how far one should go in the pursuit of victory, particularly when that victory is achieved through manipulation and deceit.
The novel’s focus on the psychological aspects of war, leadership, and morality made it a challenging proposition for Hollywood. As author Orson Scott Card himself put it, the entire story takes place in Ender’s head, which made it difficult to translate into a medium that relies heavily on visual storytelling.
By the early 2000s, the appetite for sci-fi adaptations had grown, and the success of films like The Hunger Games and Divergent meant that Ender’s Game had a chance to find an audience. In 2008, the rights to the novel were purchased by OddLot Entertainment, and production was set in motion.
Gavin Hood, director of Tsotsi, which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was hired to direct. Unfortunately, Gavin Hood was also the director of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a film regarded as one of the worst superhero movies of all time.
The script was adapted by Hood and a team of writers, with Hood also taking on a significant role as a producer. The film was greenlit with a $110 million budget, and the studio set its sights on creating a new blockbuster franchise.
A Cast That Should Have Worked
The cast of Ender’s Game was stacked with both rising stars and seasoned veterans, including Asa Butterfield (Ender Wiggin), Harrison Ford (Colonel Graff), Viola Davis (Major Anderson), Ben Kingsley (Mazer Rackham), Hailee Steinfeld (Petra Arkanian), and Abigail Breslin (Valentine Wiggin). The casting seemed like a win.
Asa Butterfield, who had already impressed in Hugo (2011), was a solid choice to bring Ender to life. Harrison Ford, a blockbuster icon, was well cast as the hard-nosed military commander Colonel Graff. And Ben Kingsley, who was no stranger to playing complex roles, took on the mysterious Mazer Rackham.
Despite the talent involved, the performances themselves didn’t quite land the way they needed to. Asa Butterfield’s portrayal of Ender was solid, but the character lacked the emotional depth and ruthless intelligence that made Ender so compelling in the novel.
While Butterfield’s portrayal captured Ender’s vulnerability and youth, it didn’t do enough to convey his internal struggle and the cold logic that underpins his decision-making. This lack of depth made Ender a less sympathetic character, and that’s a critical flaw in a film that is supposed to be about the cost of sacrifice.
Harrison Ford’s Colonel Graff was the most well-executed performance in the film. Ford has always been excellent at playing grumpy figures with a hidden moral ambiguity, and his performance as Graff was no exception. Still, Ford’s talent couldn’t fully elevate the film, which was undercut by a script that failed to highlight the complexity of Graff’s role as both mentor and manipulator.
Plot Divergence
The movie version of Ender’s Game stays reasonably faithful to the basic outline of the novel. Still, the differences in tone, pacing, and emotional content were significant enough to turn off fans of the book and leave casual moviegoers cold.
The basic premise is the same: young Ender Wiggin is recruited into a military academy, where he trains in increasingly difficult simulations that ultimately lead him to command the final battle against the Formic aliens. Along the way, Ender faces harsh mentors, personal isolation, and ethical dilemmas as he rises through the ranks.
The most critical difference between the novel and the film is the portrayal of Ender’s ruthlessness. In the book, Ender is a strategist who uses extreme methods to secure victory. He’s emotionally cold, willing to sacrifice anything, including his own humanity, to ensure the survival of the human race. This makes his eventual realization of what he’s done all the more tragic.
The movie softens Ender’s character. His decisions are framed less as calculated acts of cold logic and more as mistakes or accidents. This shift in characterization removed much of the complexity that made the book so powerful.
The movie also drops a significant subplot from the book: the full exploration of Ender’s relationship with his brother, Peter, and his sister, Valentine. These relationships were central to Ender’s development in the novel, highlighting the emotional cost of his isolation and his struggle with his violent tendencies. In the film, these relationships are barely explored, and while Abigail Breslin does a good job as Valentine, the emotional stakes of Ender’s personal life are significantly downplayed.
Rushing Through The Good Parts
The production values of Ender’s Game were top-notch, with sleek visuals, futuristic sets, and impressive special effects. The movie had a grand look, and its CGI-heavy battle sequences, including the simulation-style training sessions, were visually striking. Maybe it could have felt a little more lived-in, but the movie’s look works well.
The film’s pacing, however, hurt its ability to deliver the emotional depth required for such a complex story. While the book takes its time building Ender’s character, exploring his thoughts, motivations, and moral dilemmas, the movie rushes through key moments.
The time spent on battle simulations and training montages could have been used to explore the emotional and philosophical underpinnings of Ender’s actions. Instead, the audience is left with a series of disconnected, action-heavy scenes that fail to deliver the gut-punch that makes the novel so compelling.
Ender’s Game Fails On Release
Despite the pedigree of the book, the talented cast, and the high production values, Ender’s Game underperformed at the box office. The film grossed around $125 million worldwide, just barely covering its $110 million budget. Given the expectations for a blockbuster franchise, this was a significant disappointment. The film struggled to capture the audience’s attention in a crowded 2013 marketplace.
Critics were divided, with the film sitting at 62% on Rotten Tomatoes and a slightly better 6.6/10 on IMDb. While some praised the visuals and performances, many felt the film failed to capture the complexity and depth of the source material. The softened portrayal of Ender and the lack of emotional engagement were recurring criticisms.
Why Ender’s Game Failed
Over the years, Ender’s Game has gained a small following, particularly among fans of the book. The film’s availability on streaming services has given it new life, but it hasn’t generated the cultural impact its creators hoped for. The desire for a franchise never materialized, and the film remains a curiosity in the world of sci-fi adaptations.
Ender’s Game failed because it didn’t capture the heart of Orson Scott Card’s novel. It lost the story’s soul in its attempt to soften it. The themes of leadership, sacrifice, and the morality of war were there, but they were rushed past. The film missed its chance to resonate with audiences in the way the novel did, and as a result, Ender’s Game is now another example of a great book that just didn’t translate well to the screen.
Entertainment
I put the Camp Snap 2 to the ultimate test: Capturing my honeymoon
Table of Contents
In preparation for my honeymoon, getting a camera was at the top of my list. Although my iPhone 17 Pro Max takes next-level photos, I wanted to be able to stay off my phone and stay in the moment. I needed something beginner-friendly, and while I love the look of film, I wanted the convenience of digital. That’s where the Camp Snap comes in.
Originally designed for summer campers who want a digital camera to capture camp memories, the Camp Snap is screen-free. However, the Camp Snap has attracted an audience beyond summer campers, thanks to its nostalgic-looking photos.
I own the Camp Snap, but when I tried the Camp Snap 2, I totally fell in love. It was the perfect camera to bring on my honeymoon, and now I have the sweetest photos to look back on.
Camp Snap 2 at a glance
The Camp Snap 2 is more high-tech than it looks.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The Camp Snap 2 is a screen-free digital camera, which costs $69.95. It has a playful, vintage look, but it’s not a gimmick. It has flash and five filters and is exceptionally easy to use. Without a screen, you stay in the moment; however, it does make using the filters a bit of a guessing game. It still creates stunning digital photos with a film-like look. Uploading photos is straightforward, requiring only a USB-C connection to get them on your phone or computer, even on the go.
A camera made for amateurs
The only screen on the Camp Snap 2 displays your photo count and filters.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
You know when someone hands you their camera, and there are so many buttons that they need to point out the right one to hit snap? Well, that’s not an issue on the Camp Snap 2 because there are so few buttons, it’s obvious which ones do what. There are exactly three buttons: an on/off/flash switch, the shoot button on top of the camera, and a filter button.
There’s no guessing on which button does what on the Camp Snap 2.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
There’s a viewfinder and a tiny screen that displays the photo count and the filter the camera is set to. There are no lens details to futz with; you just turn it on and shoot. There’s no learning curve to worry about. It also takes photos in a 3:4 or 4:3 ratio.
This meant that on our honeymoon, we could whip out the camera, snap the shot, and go. Plus, if we ever handed the camera to someone so we could get a couple shot, it was self-explanatory. It has a little shutter sound that clicks when the photo is taken, so you know you’ve got the shot.
The photos have a sweet, nostalgic feel to them
Camp Snap 2 photos look like film but still have the convenience of digital.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
Camp Snap’s photos are just as charming as the camera itself looks. It has a vintage-inspired design, and the Camp Snap 2 now comes in colorful jelly shades.
The photos the camera takes also have a nostalgic look, most reminiscent of photos from a disposable camera digitized. It looks like film, but it has the convenience of digital. Don’t expect crisp, detailed photos; everything has a slight fuzz to it, but that’s part of the style to just embrace.
Camp Snap 2
Lake Vouliagmeni captured on the Camp Snap 2.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Lake Vouliagmeni captured on my iPhone.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
Without a screen, you’re always taking a gamble on a bad shot, but since it’s digital, it’s not the same stakes as with a film camera. But out of the hundreds of photos I took, none of them were true duds.
Camp Snap 2
On the Camp Snap 2, the foreground is too dark compared to the sunset.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
iPhone 17 Pro Max
The iPhone gives a more balanced photo.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
It doesn’t perform well on high-contrast images. For example, a crowded street in the shade with a bright sunset behind it lost much of the detail that a similar photo I took on my iPhone did. As long as you have bright, well-balanced sunlight, you’ll have beautiful photos. If not, make sure to turn on flash.
Upload to any device on the go
With its easy uploads, I could look at photos from the day as soon as I took them.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
On vacation, I didn’t have a full computer setup, just my phone and a USB-C cord, but that’s enough to upload photos. While we were traveling between destinations, I plugged the Camp Snap 2 into my phone, watched the photos appear in the Photos app, uploaded them, and even deleted them to free up space on the camera. It was so simple, required no WiFi connection, and was really quick.
While I tested the Camp Snap on iOS and Mac devices, it’s also compatible with Android and PC.
No worries about battery life or storage
There were plenty of devices I had to worry about charging during our honeymoon: my phone, iPad, and portable fan. But the Camp Snap wasn’t one of them. It has extensive battery life, and one charge gets you 500 photos. With the included MicroSD storage, the camera stores 2,000 photos; however, if you need even more space, you can swap out cards.
There’s a bit of a learning curve with the filters
This is the standard shot taken on the Camp Snap 2, without filter.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
Photos taken in bright light will have a darker tint to them even without filter.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The biggest upgrade between the Camp Snap and Camp Snap 2 is the inclusion of filters. The Camp Snap 2 comes with six built-in filters: standard, vintage 1–3, analog, and black & white. The filters are a nice touch, but I never found myself reaching for them.
Trying out the filters with my dog, Milly.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
Since there’s no screen, you can’t see what the filter looks like until you upload it later. This means you’ll need to spend a little time playing around with them to see how they look and what you like.
Is the Camp Snap 2 worth it?
The Camp Snap 2 adds instant nostalgia to photos.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The Camp Snap 2 is 100 percent worth it. At $69.95, it’s about half the price of a standard digital camera, and although it definitely has some drawbacks, like no screen or zoom, it makes up for them with ease and charm. It’s so easy to use, whether you’re an amateur photographer or a summer camper. The upload process is just as simple, too.
Entertainment
Review: The unbeatable M5 MacBook Air might be too powerful for its own good
Table of Contents
At a glance
Key specs: A speedy M5 chip, Touch ID, HDR Liquid Retina Display, and Neural Accelerators to support AI workloads — all in a body that’s just 2.7 pounds and 0.44 inches thick
New starting price: 13-inch model is $1,299 (originally $1,099); 15-inch model is $1,499 (originally $1,299)
Colors: Midnight black, sky blue, silver, starlight
Our 100-word review: “The M5 MacBook Air is an impressive piece of machinery. It’s incredibly thin and light, and I’m a big fan of macOS 26 Tahoe and Liquid Glass, no matter what the haters say. The default screensaver that plays is completely mesmerizing, and sometimes I find myself staring at it for minutes on end, enjoying a nice moment of zen in the middle of a workday. On top of that, you get all the premium features you expect in a modern MacBook. My one caveat: If I already had an M3 or M4 MacBook Air, I’d probably hold onto it for awhile longer.”
Apple MacBook Air (M5): Our updated review
The newest MacBook Air from Apple is a damn near-perfect machine. And for a few glorious days in late May, when it was discounted to just $899 at Amazon, it was a true 10/10 product. Unfortunately, thanks to the global memory crisis, Apple has since increased the starting price of this laptop from $1,099 to $1,299, and that changes how we feel about this machine.
To be clear, from an engineering, user experience, performance, and design standpoint, the M5 MacBook Air is nearly flawless.
And as a long-time product reviewer, I try to avoid using words like “perfect” and “flawless” in my reviews at all costs. But after spending five months with this laptop, it keeps impressing me.
In my initial review of the M5 MacBook Air, I wondered whether this laptop was actually too powerful for its own good. I still think it’s overpowered (and thus slightly overpriced) for the average Air customer — especially after the recent price increase — but this is undoubtedly one of the best laptops and MacBooks in the world right now.
So, after stress-testing the newest MacBook Air — and watching many hours of Dropout TV shows after work — I’m ready to lock in this product as a Mashable Choice Award winner.
The new MacBook Air (M5): By the numbers
Liquid Glass looks particularly good on the MacBook Liquid Retina display.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
For this review, I tested the 15.3-inch version of the MacBook Air with 1TB of storage. You may see some slight variations in performance with the 13.6-inch model. Overall, this laptop has impressive specifications:
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Processor: M5 (10-core CPU, 8‑core GPU, Neural Accelerators)
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Colors: Sky blue, silver, starlight, midnight black
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Memory: 16GB (configurable to 24GB or 32GB)
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Storage: 512GB SSD (configurable to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB)
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Display: 13.6 or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display
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Video playback: HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, and HLG
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Resolution: 2,560 x 1,664
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Brightness: 500 nits
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Battery life: 17 hours, 40 minutes in video playback test
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Ports: MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4, USB-C 4
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Connectivity: Apple N1 chip, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6
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Webcam: 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View
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Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches
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Weight: 2.7 pounds
The MacBook Air (M5) performs like a Pro
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Despite all the accolades I’ve given it, the new MacBook Air is definitely an iterative upgrade in many respects. Like its predecessor, it comes in 13.6 and 15.3-inch models, and you can choose from silver, sky blue, starlight, and midnight black. At a mere 0.44 inches thick and a measly 2.7 pounds, it’s remarkably thin and lightweight, yet it never feels fragile or flimsy in the slightest. On the contrary, the MacBook’s signature all-aluminum body makes it a very durable laptop.
The big difference, of course, is the M5 chip inside. When we put it through the Geekbench 6 benchmark test, it scored 16,099 on the multi-core test. On the single-core test, it scored 4,025, even higher than we expected. The multi-core score puts it within spitting distance of the M5 MacBook Pro released late last year. For almost all intents and purposes, it is a MacBook Pro. Minus the fans, of course.
The single-core score is a good proxy for everyday performance (what our laptop expert calls “snappiness”), and that lines up perfectly with my testing. When exporting or importing large files, it barely flinches. It can handle video editing software, complex Apple Shortcuts, and even some gaming.
Is the MacBook Air (M5) too powerful?
Apple introduced the M1 chip in 2020, its first in-house processor, kicking off a revolution in the laptop world. The M1 chip destroyed the competition, and the original M1 MacBook Air is probably the most award-winning laptop ever. It’s a legendary device that was still popular six years later, an unheard-of feat.
As Apple introduced the M2, M3, M4, M5, and now M5 Pro and Pro Max chips, the MacBook Air and Pro laptops have become extremely powerful. The new M5 Max chip scored 29,000 on the Geekbench 6 test, making it so powerful that pro laptop reviewers struggled to test it properly. I know professional film editors who are still working on M1 and M2 laptops. And in 2024, my colleague Stan Schroeder wrote that “Apple’s M series chips are too good for their own good.” That’s doubly true today.
The new MacBook Air also has a much higher starting price of $1,299, or $300 more than the previous generation. Yes, Apple doubled the starting storage, but Apple experts like Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman say that’s just Apple’s way of softening the blow of a price increase.
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Traditionally, the MacBook Air has been a popular laptop for college students, early-career professionals, and more casual users. If you’re running complex programs like Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Adobe Suite, then you opt for the Pro.
On the Geekbench 6 tests we ran, this laptop achieved 92.5 percent of the power of the latest MacBook Pro. Only hardcore superusers are going to come close to taxing the M5 Air, and those kinds of users will probably be buying a Pro or Mac Studio anyway.
So, in a world with the $699 MacBook Neo — a surprisingly capable laptop that matches the M1 Air in performance — I’m not quite sure we needed a newer, even more powerful Air. The recipe was already just right.
So, am I seriously telling you that this MacBook would be better if it were worse? Kind of! I may be in the minority on this one, but I think the average Air buyer would be better off with a slightly less powerful but more affordable device. I miss the days when the M3 and M4 Air went on sale for $799 or $899.
Unfortunately, laptops are getting more expensive across the board. The top alternatives to the MacBook Air have also gotten price increases in 2026.
MacBook Air (M5) review: Speakers, display, and design
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been using this laptop to watch Dropout TV, which isn’t available on my smart TV, sadly. Not only does it have enough processing power for most workloads, but it’s also a great entertainment laptop. The HDR Liquid Retina Display looks fantastic, even if it’s not quite at OLED level.
Similarly, the speakers sound strong and clear when listening to music or watching TV shows and movies. When using the four-speaker sound system, the laptop supports spatial audio and Dolby Atmos; spatial audio is also supported when listening with AirPods.
For video calls or voice recording, you’ll benefit from a three-mic array, directional beamforming, voice isolation, and a 12MP Center Stage camera.
Of course, as strong as they are, none of these components has been upgraded from last year’s M4 MacBook Air.
MacBook Air (M5) review: Battery life
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
When testing a laptop’s battery, we evaluate how long it lasts while using the laptop as our daily driver — doing work, browsing the web, streaming music and TV. And we’ve been able to get consistent all-day performance out of this device. However, we also test the battery life during video playback. (We conduct a battery rundown test by playing the 1080p version of Tears of Steel on loop, at 50 percent brightness and 50 percent volume.) And this is the one area where the new MacBook Air didn’t quite meet our expectations.
Typically, we expect new MacBooks to achieve 19 hours of battery life (the smaller and more affordable MacBook Neo is the exception). However, when running down the 15-inch MacBook Air (M5), the battery only lasted 17 hours and 40 minutes. That’s more than enough power for virtually all use cases, but we have tested other MacBook and Windows laptops with better battery life.
The M5 Air has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MagSafe charging port, and a headphones jack.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
M5 MacBook Air review: Is it worth it?
As much as I hate the new $1,299 price, this laptop is definitely still worth buying.
Sure, for $899, or even $949, I’d find this laptop irresistible, and it would get a perfect 5.0 score from me. But here’s the bottom line: For the new $1,299 price — and with Windows laptops also getting price hikes — this laptop still justifies its price with premium components, the newest WiFi and Bluetooth tech, and a fast chip with no true competition in the Windows market.
Personally, I’d wait and see what this laptop’s new sale price will be during events like Black Friday. Before the price hike, it was discounted to $899 to $949, but I suspect we won’t see this laptop for under $1,000 for a long while, if ever. So, if you have the coin, and if you want near-MacBook-Pro-level performance but in a lighter and more portable body, then spring for the new and improved Air.
$1,049
at Amazon
$1,099
Save $50
Entertainment
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Everything we know before the official Aug. 12 reveal
Before you know it, Google is going to announce some new Android flagship phones. Of course, there’s already info out there about them. Time to brush up.
The Pixel 11 lineup launch is all set for Aug. 12. This year, as with last year, we expect four new phones:
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Pixel 11 Pro
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Pixel 11 Pro XL
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Pixel 11 Pro Fold
Let’s focus on the Pixel 11 Pro for now, as it’s going to be the more premium. What does Google have up its sleeve this year with the Pro-grade Pixel phone?
We asked you to predict what Apple will do next. See the results and find out how to get a shot at winning an Apple Watch!
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Release date, price, and that Amazon leak
As previously stated, Google is going to officially unveil all of these phones at an event in New York City on Aug. 12. Mashable will be attending the launch event — Jimmy Fallon hosted last year’s event, you may remember — and we’ll be reporting live. Presumably, as with past years, the phones will be on store shelves and in customers’ hands just a couple of weeks afterward.
Thanks to RAMageddon, everyone is bracing for price increases with every major tech product, and rightfully so. Google has not yet told us the prices of these phones, but a recent and fairly extensive Amazon leak that seemed legitimate enough pointed to a $1,099 starting price for the Pixel 11 Pro. That would be a $100 price increase over the Pixel 10 Pro. Meanwhile, the Pixel 11 Pro XL (the XL model is usually basically the same phone, but bigger) is said to start at $1,299, another $100 price hike year-over-year.
Speaking of that Amazon leak: 9to5Google spotted draft Amazon listings for the Pixel 11 lineup, revealing a lot of early details:
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The listings could include placeholder information, but the overall gist looks legit.
What is Pixel Glow?
We don’t expect any massive design changes this year. Google has helped keep expectations low by actually posting a short video that shows the phone, weeks before the Aug. 12 event.
Mashable Light Speed
One thing that stood out, however, is the presence of a small, colored light in the camera bar that wasn’t there on the Pixel 10 Pro. This is rumored to be part of a new “Pixel Glow” system that will use colored lights to convey basic phone notifications while the Pixel is lying down on its face. If you want to know that someone texted you even though you’re focusing on something else and would rather not look at the screen, that’s what this is for.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Design and colors
Ultimately, the short teaser video doesn’t show much, but it does reveal one more fact: The Pixel 11 Pro’s basic design hasn’t changed much from last year. It still has a horizontal, oval-shaped camera bar on the back, and is still otherwise a normal-looking smartphone.
As for colors, leaks suggest the options this year will be:
Those don’t sound like the most vibrant colors in the world, but that sort of thing has become par for the course for “Pro” smartphones in recent years. If the Amazon leak spotted by 9to5Google proves true, the Pixel 11 will have more interesting color options, at least.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Rumored specs
Between the Amazon listings and another leak on Telegram from an account called MysticLeaks, this is the best idea we have about the Pixel 11 Pro’s specs prior to the unveiling:
The only real differences between the regular Pro and the XL, as far as leaks are concerned, are the display and battery size. Those same sources suggest a 6.9-inch display and a 5,115mAh battery on the XL, but everything else should be the same. That’s how Google has done it in the past, too.
Believe it or not, those specs actually contain at least one notable downgrade from the Pixel 10 Pro. Prior Pixel Pro devices only came with 16GB RAM, so if Google is offering a 12GB variant, that would be a somewhat significant change. It’s possible and perhaps even likely that the 12GB models will be tied to lower amounts of storage, so if you want 16GB, you may need to shell out for a 512GB or 1TB model this year.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: What about the cameras?
Last but not least, the Pixel Pro phones always have better camera specs than the base models. It’s one of the main reasons to get the Pro, even though Google did start including a telephoto lens on the base model recently.
Last year, the Pixel 10 Pro had a 50MP main lens, with matching 48MP ultra-wide and telephoto lenses. We don’t yet know what the camera modules for the Pixel 11 Pro will measure in at, but it would be a shock if they were downgraded at all from those figures.
Speaking of downgrades, though, the big Amazon leak suggested the Pixel 10 Pro will have a 13MP selfie camera. After the 48MP front camera on the Pixel 10 Pro, that would be an unpleasant surprise. We’ll see if that actually pans out, or if the leak was wrong.
Remember: Mashable will be reporting live from Made By Google on Aug. 12, so check back for the latest Pixel 11 Pro news.
Report: Mets scratch RHP Freddy Peralta ahead of trade deadline
Inside the London hacker house taking a stand against founder burnout
