Google confirms the Pixel 11 date: everything that is known before August 12
Google has set a date for its big annual event: the Made by Google event will be held on 12 August in New York, and the company has already confirmed through its own store that reservations for the Pixel 11 family will open that same day. The official invitation does not mention names, but the teaser image leaves no room for doubt: a new Pixel will arrive with the series’ characteristic design, although rumours point to this generation bringing important changes in storage, prices and, above all, in the chip that powers everything.
Four models and a chip manufactured at 2 nanometres
According to leaks from 9to5Google, the family will consist of four devices: the Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro, the Pixel 11 Pro XL and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Alongside them, the Pixel Watch 5 is expected to be presented, which could make the leap to a Tensor chip designed by Google itself instead of the Snapdragon from Qualcomm it has used until now.
The Tensor G6, the big bet
The Tensor G6 processor will be the heart of the new generation. According to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News reported on 13 July and picked up by 9to5Google, TSMC will manufacture this chip on a 2-nanometre process, which would make the Pixel 11 the first major smartphone to debut this manufacturing technology, even beating the next iPhone by about a month. A smaller node means denser transistors and, in theory, better energy efficiency and less heat, something especially relevant because Tensor chips have historically dragged problems with temperatures and signal. Rumours also point to a MediaTek modem replacing Samsung’s, a change users would welcome if it fixes the connectivity problems of previous generations.
Goodbye to 128 GB: minimum storage rises to 256 GB
One of the most talked-about leaks is the disappearance of the 128 GB base model. According to Dealabs and Android Authority, both the Pixel 11 and the Pixel 11 Pro will start at 256 GB of storage, a capacity that in 2025 was only available by paying extra. The leaked colours include Light Sterling, Midnight Haze, Fuchsia and Moss for the standard model, while the Pro adds Light Fog, Dune and Pine, with the 1 TB variant available only in black.
Price rise: memory makes phones more expensive
The least pleasant news is the price. European leaks point to an increase of about 100 euros across the whole range: the Pixel 11 would start at 999 euros, the Pro at 1,199 euros, the Pro XL at 1,399 euros and the foldable Fold would reach 1,999 euros. In the United States, the Pixel 11 could cost $899, 100 more than its predecessor.
The reason is none other than the component crisis. Artificial-intelligence data centres are absorbing the world’s production of DRAM and NAND memory, and according to Counterpoint Research memory already accounts for around 40% of the manufacturing cost of an $800 phone, up from 14% at the start of 2025. Samsung already raised the prices of its new foldables for exactly the same reason, and Apple has done the same this year. Nobody escapes this increase.
Pixel Glow and the return of the notification light
In Google’s teaser video, a small circular light can be seen on the camera bar that changes colour and that leakers have dubbed Pixel Glow. It would be a notification light for when the phone is face down, a feature that disappeared from Androids when screens took over the entire front and that Google seems determined to bring back.
An open question: RAM and AI
One important unknown remains: the RAM of the base model. Google requires at least 12 GB of RAM for its Gemini Intelligence, the set of AI features that already arrived on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8 on 22 July, but leaks do not agree on whether the base Pixel 11 will have 8 GB or more. If the cheapest model stays at 8 GB, Google’s own phone would not meet Google’s AI requirements, a detail that will shape the user experience.
In any case, we will have to wait until 12 August to confirm all the data. The presentation will begin at 18:00 New York time, reservations will open that same day and, according to Dealabs, the first shipments will reach the shops on 20 August. Two figures will summarize the essentials of the keynote: how much RAM the base Pixel 11 will have and whether the 128 GB has disappeared for good.
