Google unveils the Pixel 11 family alongside new smartwatch and Pixel Tag, focusing on incremental upgrades and AI-driven features, with Trevor Noah adding star power to a largely evolutionary launch amid broader industry shifts in chip development.
Google used its latest Made by Google event to introduce the Pixel 11 family, Pixel Watch 5 and a new tracking accessory, with Trevor Noah fronting the launch as the company leaned further into AI-driven features and incremental hardware upgrades. The comedian’s role as host added a celebrity gloss to a product reveal that, on substance, was more evolutionary than radical. According to pre-event reporting, the line-up was expected to centre on the Pixel 11 series, a refreshed smartwatch and a device known as Pixel Tag, designed to work with Google’s Find Hub system.
The new phones appear to keep the familiar Pixel design language while adding modest improvements to the cameras, chip performance and battery efficiency. Reports ahead of the launch said the Pixel 11 line would include a Tensor G6 processor, higher base storage on some models and a new notification feature variously described as Pixel Glow or HiLight, which uses an RGB light in the camera bar to signal alerts. The Pro models are also said to gain a more ambitious zoom upgrade, while the standard versions focus on software tools and power management.
For buyers, the announcement lands at a time when premium handset prices remain under pressure from wider inflation and the increasing cost of AI features. Industry commentary ahead of the event suggested the Pixel 11 could start at a higher price than the previous generation, while older Pixel 10 models and the Pixel 10a may become the better value options for those who do not need the newest chip or camera additions. Google has also been encouraging pre-orders through its store, offering discounts to new email subscribers.
The launch also underlined a separate theme in the wider technology sector: established chip and device makers are revisiting businesses they once abandoned or deprioritised. Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan said one of his “pet projects” is exploring new memory architectures and the logic of stacking memory on top of CPUs. That marks a notable shift in tone for a company that began as a memory maker in 1968 before leaving the market around two decades later, undercut by Japanese competition.
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