HiLight or no light: Has the Pixel 11 Pro changed your mind about face-down phones?

It’s been several months since the Google Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL, with their fancy HiLight LED, debuted. Although the phones included plenty of highlightable bullet points on their features and specs sheet, Google was clearly excited by the novel glowing orb on their camera humps.

The company told users that HiLight could signal new notifications or indicate when Gemini is in use. It sounded pretty great, and even though some readers were upset that this feature kicked the long-standing thermometer off the Pixel series, many were happy that Google was innovating.

There’s one problem with HiLight, though. Due to its position, users will have to leave their phone face down to see it. For those who usually leave their devices face-up (yours truly included), it’s tricky to accommodate this demand.

Looking at various online forums, many Pixel users do keep their devices face down, but only in certain situations. These include meetings, meals, or when they’re locked in at work. Plenty of others rarely ever leave their phone screen flush with a surface, since always-on display serves a similar purpose to HiLight and, personally, I don’t like the idea of scratching my screen or its protector unnecessarily.

This all begs the question for Pixel 11 Pro or Pro XL owners: have you changed the way you rest your phone since you purchased it — face up or face down? Is it to accommodate HiLight? Do you value the new feature, or has it become something you often forget about?

Here are some more questions:

• What is your impression of HiLight after the first few weeks of Pixel 11 Pro ownership?
• Now that you’ve experienced HiLight, how would you like to see Google improve it on future Pixels?
• Do you think that Google was right to replace the thermometer with HiLight? Should it have found a way to accommodate both?
• Please explain why you rest your phone face up or face down.
• Have the Pixel 11 Pro and HiLight changed the way you rest your phone?
• Would you like to see more Android OEMs adopt a HiLight-like LED feature?

👇 And if you have a specific comment related to your poll choice, or want to answer any of the questions posed above, be sure to have your say in the comments below.