Technologies

OnePlus 11 vs. Pixel 7 Pro: Testing the Cameras on Both High-End Phones

The newest OnePlus and Google Pixel phones each have triple camera setups. We tested both to figure out which is the best at taking pictures.

The OnePlus 11 is a powerful Android phone with a slick new design and great extras like hyperfast charging. But these days, a good phone also has to take good pictures. The OnePlus 11’s triple camera array takes high-quality shots, which you can read more about in the full review for the OnePlus 11. But I also wanted to see how it stacks up against its main rival, the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

The Pixel 7 Pro earned a coveted CNET Editors’ Choice award last year because of its specs and superb camera, so I knew it was going to be a fun «shoot-out» to determine which one captures the better photos.

I charged both handsets up and headed off around beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland, to see what’s what.

The OnePlus 11’s shot above is certainly more vibrant than the image from the Pixel 7 Pro, but it looks oversaturated, with quite a teal tone to the sky. As a result, the OnePlus image looks less natural. It’s something I found generally with the OnePlus 11 camera in testing it for my review.

Switching to the ultra-wide lens, the OnePlus 11 has again produced a more vibrant shot (see above). It’s not that it’s a bad photo — if you want bright, punchy shots of your friends having fun, it’ll suit you well. But it’s worth keeping in mind if you prefer more natural-looking shots like the one from the Pixel.

Both phones captured bright and well-exposed scenes in the photos above. But the HDR on the OnePlus 11 is too aggressive in lifting the shadows, resulting in quite a «processed» look. It’s again produced a blue sky that leans more into teal tones, while the Pixel 7 Pro’s shot looks more true-to-life overall.

Take a look above where it’s exactly the same story when we switch to the ultra-wide lens; overly lifted shadows and toned down highlights resulting in quite an HDR look to the image, to my eye.

I don’t feel the OnePlus 11 has done great in the photo above either, but mostly due to the color balance which has resulted in quite a teal-colored sky and a yellow-green tinge to the buildings on the left.

One of the things I found most disappointing in my OnePlus 11 review is that it lacks a proper telephoto zoom lens, instead having just a 2x zoom for portrait shots. I love a zoom lens on a phone as it allows you to find interesting compositions in your surroundings that might be lost to your friends and their wide-angle-only phone cameras. In the photo above, the OnePlus 11’s 2x lens only goes so far in getting a closer-up view of the buildings against the river.

With its 5x optical zoom, the Pixel 7 Pro can get a much closer view. Check out the Pixel’s photo above. I always enjoy taking photos with the Pixel’s zoom lens as I feel I can get a lot more creative with the zoom than I can with just a wide-angle lens.

Where the OnePlus 11 excels though is in its night mode photos.

The OnePlus 11 has achieved a brighter image above, which is especially noticeable on the main building in the center of the frame. I think the colors look better too, and there’s generally more detail to be seen throughout the image.

And it’s the same in the photos above. The OnePlus 11 captured a much brighter shot, with clouds in the night sky being particularly noticeable.

Both images above suffer from significant flares when shooting toward bright light sources, but most phones tend to have this problem. It’s not really any worse on either phone, so it’s just something you’ll need to keep in mind when shooting at night.

Which is the better camera phone?

Throughout my testing, I’ve found that the OnePlus 11 quite consistently delivers shots that are highly saturated and show heavy-handed HDR processing that lifts shadows and tones down highlights to a sometimes unrealistic extent. By contrast, the Pixel 7 Pro’s images are more true to life, with accurate colors and more satisfying shadow areas that haven’t been ‘fixed’ (read: lightened) by the camera software.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that this is largely subjective. As a photographer, imaging skills are a top priority for me in a phone. I want a camera that takes more realistic photos, with more «neutral» contrast and exposure, so that I have a better image to potentially apply my own edits or effects to later on. As a result, I prefer the shots from the Pixel 7 Pro. But if photography is maybe less of a concern and you instead want vibrant, punchy images straight out of the camera that you can instantly share with family and friends, then perhaps you’ll enjoy the vivid look of the OnePlus 11’s pictures. It’s certainly got the edge when it comes to night mode too.

What’s not subjective though is the lack of a bigger zoom on the OnePlus 11. That 2x lens is fine for portraits, but it’s nothing compared with the superb 5x zoom on the Pixel 7 Pro, which is probably my favorite camera lens found on any of today’s top phones. The Pixel 7 Pro feels like I’m putting a full camera bag of equipment in my pocket; a superb ultra-wide, a great standard zoom and an excellent telephoto. With it, I know I can grab interesting compositions in almost any environment I find myself in and it’s why the OnePlus 11 doesn’t feel like a fully capable photography phone.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Feb. 26

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 26.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Tesla or Toyota
Answer: CAR

4A clue: What the «M» of BMX stands for
Answer: MOTO

5A clue: Leafy lunch
Answer: SALAD

6A clue: Weighing device
Answer: SCALE

7A clue: «To be,» in Latin
Answer: ESSE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Pepsi and Coke
Answer: COLAS

2D clue: Dickens’s «___ of Two Cities»
Answer: ATALE

3D clue: Took to another floor, as the [circled letters]
Answer: RODE

4D clue: Apple computers
Answer: MACS

5D clue: Dir. from San Francisco to Santa Monica
Answer: SSE

Technologies

The 8 Biggest Announcements from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2026 Event

CNET editors were on the ground at Samsung’s first big reveal of 2026. Here’s what caught our attention.

You’d think that with the number of leaks and early reveals of Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 phone lineup, the actual Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event would be just a formality. But seeing official announcements is different from piecing and parsing rumors. Today’s event had its share of big news and a few surprises.

Galaxy S26 Ultra

One expected announcement was the reveal of the flagship Galaxy phone, the S26 Ultra. In fact, Samsung barely mentioned the other two phones being rolled out today: the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is slightly lighter and thinner than the S25 Ultra, features the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor for Galaxy, has an aluminum frame instead of titanium, and incorporates new display technology, including Privacy Display.

The S26 Ultra became the hook on which almost everything else announced at the event hung, from AI features to camera technology.

CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti wrote about her first hands-on experience with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and we’ll follow up with full reviews of it and the other S26 phones as we have more time to test them out.

S26 Ultra Privacy Display

Phone display news typically centers on brightness and resolution, but Samsung Unpacked revealed a new technology that looks genuinely useful in everyday situations.

«Look» is probably the wrong word, though, because the Privacy Display feature lets you hide sensitive information on your screen. It’s like a sheet of privacy film that can be turned on or off and applied to specific apps and content.

When you turn on Privacy Display, people sneaking peeks at your phone from the sides will see just a darkened screen. Or you can choose to enable it when, for example, you’re using your banking app or sending text messages. The technology isn’t just a full-screen, all-on/all-off implementation: You can configure it so that only incoming notifications get the privacy treatment.

This is all accomplished using a clever technology Samsung calls Black Matrix. Normally, display pixels are designed to cast light in the widest possible angle for better visibility. With the Black Matrix, some display pixels include physical rings that can narrow their light output and disrupt visibility from the sides.

CNET’s Katie Collins thinks Privacy Display is the one feature that sets the S26 Ultra apart from every other phone right now, and Macy Meyer is looking forward to scrolling in peace away from «shoulder surfers.»

Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus

The S26 phones most people will buy got only a few mentions, but a few things about them stand out, as CNET’s Patrick Holland explains in his first-hand look.

The Galaxy S26 has a larger screen than the S25 it replaces, which means it’s also slightly taller and wider. However, it keeps the same 7.8mm thickness, which Holland says makes it feel slimmer overall. That design also includes a larger, 4,300-mAh battery, which is welcome news; the S26 Plus includes the same 4,900-mAh battery as its predecessor.

Not as welcome? Both phones are now $100 more expensive than the ones they replace, at $900 and $1,100 for the 256GB models. (The Galaxy S26 Ultra, however, keeps its $1,300 price tag.)

All New Samsung Browser, Including Perplexity

I know this comes as a shock, but AI featured heavily in Samsung’s presentation. And while a lot of the language is still couched in the future-tense «you will be able to,» Samsung did show off some practical applications of AI.

It introduced a new Samsung Browser that, at heart, is tied to AI vendor Perplexity. Using an Ask AI tool, the browser can research queries across all the browser tabs, and even your search history, to bring up the answers you’re looking for.

Patrick Holland got more details about Samsung’s and Perplexity’s relationship.

Now Nudge

Another AI tool announced at the event is Now Nudge, a feature intended to feel like a low-key personal assistant but not one that tries to micromanage your life.

In the example Samsung gave, when a friend mentions photos you and they shared in a chat, Now Nudge could surface those photos so you have them ready to share, instead of digging through your photo library to find them.

Or, it can bring up calendar events related to a conversation: When a friend asks if you’re free on a specific date to go out for dinner, Now Nudge can pop that day up without you leaving the chat app. According to Samsung, «it helps you stay in your flow.»

It’s certainly interesting to see at least a partial acknowledgment that not everyone wants AI to handle every task.

Galaxy Buds 4 Series

It wasn’t all phones at the Galaxy Unpacked Event. Samsung introduced the Galaxy Buds 4 earbuds, showcasing a fresh look and numerous internal changes. The woofer design is wider, with 20% more vibration area for deeper, richer sound.

CNET’s David Carnoy, in his review, says the $250 Galaxy Buds 4 Pro offer excellent sound with upgraded drivers, updated noise cancelling and top-tier voice calling and transparency mode.

They’re available for preorder on Feb. 26 and begin shipping March 11.

Smarter Circle to Search

Samsung and Google really, really want you to shop for clothing using AI, it seems. The Circle to Search feature, which lets you identify an item in a photo and get more information about it, has been updated to let you select multiple items within the circle.

In Samsung’s example, you can draw a circle around someone’s entire outfit and it will identify all the pieces… shirt, jacket, pants, shoes and the like. Are clothing stores seeing an uptick in sales from features like this, or does it just make for a good demo? We’ll have to see for ourselves.

Galaxy AI Photo Editing

Cameras are always a big part of new phone announcements, and although the camera hardware in the Galaxy S26 phones remains largely unchanged (the S26 Ultra has wider apertures to let in more light on its main and ultrawide cameras), the AI features continue to press ahead.

One thing that stood out is the ability to use AI to edit photos by making voice requests or text prompts. This is what the company mentioned before the event when it teased a new «Galaxy camera experience» was coming. In one example, the presenter showed how a cupcake with a bite taken out could be repaired (with a not-so-subtle upbraiding of the unnamed friend who dared to chomp before a photo was taken).

The upside is that people who don’t know how to edit photos or are intimidated by the various controls can ask for a result and let the generative AI engine create it for them.

Google showed off similar features when it introduced the Pixel 10 Pro last year.

See Andrew Lanxon’s look at what’s changed in the S26 camera systems.

Technologies

On Expands Robot Factories to Manufacture Its Cloud-Like Sneakers

This is the second factory the Swiss brand is banking on to produce its shoes.

Popular sneaker brand On announced on Wednesday that it’s expanding its robotic production facility and opening up a new location in South Korea.

The Swiss brand is most known for developing running, training and lifestyle sneakers with a heavily cushioned, cloud-like sole. On opened its first robotic factory in Zurich in July 2025, after four years of development, and began production with four robots to make its first laceless LightSpray Cloudboom Strike LS shoe.

A representative for On did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The process involves a robotic arm that sprays On’s signature LightSpray material onto the shoe, creating a light, one-piece upper in just a few minutes. With the new location, the company plans to increase production by using 32 more automated robots.

As robots and AI continue to move more deeply into companies, there’s controversy about what this could mean for human workers. As recently as this year’s CES event, it’s evident that robots are here to stay, with Hyundai unveiling its Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot among other robot demos. Robot manufacturing companies are also expanding by using humanoid robots to take over specific tasks, and possibly for home use; however, the technology has not yet advanced enough to rely on them completely.

Supporters say robots could help in certain instances, such as social robots assisting kids to build confidence when reading aloud. In other cases, it could increase efficiency in a warehouse or factory setting and help around the home. But critics say automation could lead to more job loss, and even eliminate entry-level jobs.

In addition to the location announcement, On is launching the LightSpray Cloudmonster 3 Hyper, which is the first shoe upper designed at the new factory. According to On, the shoe is an ultimate super trainer for long runs and tempo runs, which are specific training runs where you’re running at a moderate-to-hard pace. The new shoe will be available first in North America on March 5, and then globally on April 16.

On says using robots to manufacture its latest shoes reduces waste and carbon emissions, plus cuts the time it takes to design an upper compared to handcrafted shoes.

«The beauty of LightSpray is that we can precisely program each robot, whether in Zurich or Busan, to execute precisely choreographed movements to craft each shoe’s unique look and feel,» said On’s chief innovation officer, Scott McGuire, in a statement.

On chose South Korea for its second factory location because of the country’s advancements in automation and robotics, and hopes to continue expanding its factories globally over the next few years. The company aims to eventually start production in the Americas and increase production in Europe.