I discovered something peculiar during Google’s ‘The Android Show I/O Edition 2026’ stream: a strange inconsistency on one of the phones being used to demonstrate Android 17’s new build tools. Is this just a strange editing choice, or has Google inadvertently given us a sneak peek at the Pixel 11 or Pixel 11 Pro?
The inconsistency occurs during the ‘Expression’ segment of the broadcast, on the Pixel device used by actress and So Positive founder Ananya Panday.
- 17:22: We clearly see the back of the phone. From the shape and design of the camera bar, this appears to be the Pixel 10 Pro
- 17:40: We are shown an image on the phone’s screen, but the black space above the image means that the front camera is not easily visible (if it is there).
- 17:50: We get a much clearer view of the screen and there are no cutouts for the front camera
- 17:56: However, cut back to the phone, and the selfie photo is suddenly clearly visible, but we’re not done yet…
- 18:13: The camera is still present for all to see, as Ananya demonstrates the Screen Reactions feature
- 18:20: But after a quick cut to Ananya, we go back to the phone and the camera has mysteriously disappeared again.
Check out this gallery of still images from each timestamp to see what I mean.
Image 1 of 6
So what’s going on?
Regardless of how you look at the two main possibilities at play here, it’s a strange decision by Google.
The first scenario, and the most plausible if I’m honest with myself, is that Google intentionally edited out the selfie camera in some scenes. Because? Perhaps to draw more attention to the tools displayed on the screen. But if that were the case, I would expect it to be edited out of all the scenes where the tools are used.
The second scenario is more fantastical, but not completely out of the realm of possibility: This could be our first look at the Pixel 11 series and, more specifically, the Pixel 11 Pro. If so, does this tell us that the next Pixel phones will include under-screen selfie cameras?
This is something I’ve been waiting for since I reported on the technology in 2019, and aside from a few mediocre commercially available devices that feature the technology, it has remained largely dormant for the better part of a decade.
Mind you, some reports have suggested that Google could include a new under-display infrared camera in the Pixel 11 series to power an advanced facial recognition system similar to Face ID. Did Google just leak that same system?
Unfortunately, if that is the Pixel 11 Pro in Google’s video, the design hardware looks identical to the Pixel 10 Pro, which defeats my theory. I would love it to be true, but I may have too much hope.
What do we know about the Pixel 11 series?
In short, very little. Google hasn’t officially commented on anything related to its upcoming smartphone series, but that hasn’t stopped rumors about the Pixel 11 from starting to circulate online in recent months.
In addition to the aforementioned under-display camera rumor, we’ve seen a possible Pixel 11 case leak that suggests the camera bar could be larger, rumors of an illuminated backlight supposedly called ‘Pixel Glow’, plus a claim that Google may have accidentally revealed a pair of wallpapers for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
Aside from these little snippets, there hasn’t been much else going on so far, although we’d expect the next generation of Pixel devices to launch in August this year (depending on the arrival of the Pixel 9 and 10 series).
Hi @Google / @Android: Why did you edit the Pixel 10 Pro’s front camera in some #TheAndroidShow scenes, but not others? Unless Ananya has an unreleased phone and unreleased Android features… 👀🤔📱 pic.twitter.com/rS3tDMePRTMay 13, 2026
I’ve posed the question about this inconsistency to Google and Android, and I’ll let you know if I get an explanation. In the meantime, if you have any wild theories about what’s going on here, say them in the comments.
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