Google readies Pixel 11 series with significant price hikes and innovative features for August launch

Google set to unveil its Pixel 11 series on August 12, featuring a price increase, larger storage options, and new hardware innovations like Pixel Glow, amid evolving foldable market competition.

Google has set August 12 for its Made by Google event, and the Pixel 11 series is shaping up to be the centrepiece. Tom’s Guide said Google has already teased the Pixel 11 Pro Fold in a short video, while retailer countdown timers suggest pre-orders will start the same day, before wider availability later in the month. That puts the new phones, along with a watch and a Bluetooth tracker, on a very short launch runway. 

The clearest early detail is pricing, and it is not gentle. Leaks reported by Dealabs and repeated by TechRepublic, Android Pure and Android Central point to a roughly $100 increase across the range, with the base Pixel 11 starting at $899, the Pixel 11 Pro at $1,099, the Pro XL at $1,199 and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at $1,899. Android Central noted that the same pattern appears in Europe and the UK, where entry prices are also expected to rise by about €100. 

Storage is changing at the same time. According to those leaks, Google is dropping the 128GB option entirely, so every Pixel 11 model will begin at 256GB. That helps explain part of the price rise, though it does not erase it. The base model is said to top out at 512GB, while the Pro models and the foldable could reach 1TB. T3 reported one wrinkle: in the UK, the 256GB versions of the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro may actually come in slightly below the previous generation’s equivalent prices, even as other configurations move up. 

Under the bonnet, the big story is Tensor G6. Reports from Los40 and other leak round-ups say Google is moving to TSMC’s 2nm N2 process, which should improve power efficiency and thermal management. In plain terms, that means the chip can do more work without generating as much heat or draining the battery as quickly. Los40 also reported that the phones will keep a familiar overall design, use a MediaTek modem and ship with 12GB to 16GB of RAM, while battery sizes are expected to stay close to current levels. 

Google is also leaning harder into small but visible hardware changes. The company has confirmed Pixel Glow, a light strip built into the camera bar that can signal notifications, charging and other status alerts. Los40 described it as a modern take on the old notification LED, and the comparison with Nothing’s Glyph-style effects is unavoidable. For the Fold, meanwhile, the value case will depend less on raw hardware and more on how well Google ties Gemini into the inner display. At $1,899, it enters a crowded premium foldable market where Samsung and others already have a head start. 