Google Confirms Pixel 11 Launch for August 12 as Prices Climb

Google will hold its next Made by Google event on August 12, 2026, in New York City, and the company is using the slot to formally unveil the Pixel 11 launch lineup. The invitation landed with journalists this week, and it pairs the date with a teaser image of a Pixel device in a golden sheen and the familiar horizontal camera bar.

European pricing leaked ahead of the event points to a roughly €100 hike across every Pixel 11 model. The standard Pixel 11 is tipped to start at €999 for the 256GB variant, with the Pixel 11 Pro at €1,199 and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at €1,999, according to a Dealabs leak cited by Mint. The price move lands as the AI memory chip shortage reshapes what every Android maker can put on shelves and at what cost.

Made by Google Sets August 12 in New York

Google has invited journalists to a Made by Google event on Wednesday, August 12, at 6PM ET, in New York City. The invitation frames the night as “the night the next generation of Pixel arrives.”

The evening timing is a change from past Pixel events, which Google typically ran in the morning. The shift means US viewers can watch without taking time off work. PCMag reports the company is expected to debut the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, alongside a Pixel Watch 5 and possibly new earbuds. Google has long used the Made by Google stage to lead with AI features, and Gemini chatbot automation is widely expected to take a chunk of the keynote. The August 12 invite includes an image that hints at a new gold color, with a second device partially shrouded in shadow.

The 2026 date lands a week earlier than last year’s August 20 Pixel event, which also took place in New York. The Pixel 10 generation, by comparison, hit US shelves on August 28, 2025, with starting prices of $799 for the Pixel 10, $999 for the Pro, and $1,199 for the Pro XL, per the Pixel 10 launch prices and Tensor G5 details Google published last August. Google has not yet announced pre-order or on-shelf dates for the Pixel 11.

Four Pixels, New Storage Tiers, Higher Stickers

Google is reportedly killing the 128GB base storage option across the entire Pixel 11 lineup, per a Dealabs report covered by Android Authority. Every model now starts at 256GB, and the company is adding a 1TB tier for the three Pro configurations.

The 1TB option is a first for the Pixel line, and it comes with a sharp constraint. Android Authority reports that Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold units in the 1TB storage tier will only be available in Midnight Haze (black). The new base storage floor matches what Apple and Samsung already do on their flagship lineups.

Four models are expected at the event: the standard Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro, the Pixel 11 Pro XL, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The color palette is also getting a refresh, per leaked materials. The Pixel 11 will arrive in Light Sterling (gray), Midnight Haze (black), Fuchsia (pink), and Moss (green). The Pro and Pro XL move to Light Fog (white), Midnight Haze (black), Dune (pink), and Pine (green). The Pro Fold ships in just two colors, Midnight Haze and Pine. Several of these shades are new, replacing the more restrained Obsidian, Frost, Indigo, and Lemongrass palette that debuted on the Pixel 10.

On the software side, Android 17 features have already begun landing on the Pixel 10, with Magic Cue, Bubbles, and tighter security controls shipping in mid-June, per how Android 17 features staged their Pixel rollout. The more ambitious Gemini Intelligence layer is slated for the Pixel 11 later in the year.

Leaked Pixel 11 pricing in euros and pounds, per the Dealabs report covered by Mint.

The Memory Crunch Behind the Price Hike

The single biggest reason the Pixel 11 looks more expensive is a memory chip shortage tied to the AI data center buildout. Counterpoint Research forecast in December 2025 that global smartphone shipments could fall 2.1% in 2026, versus a previous outlook of flat-to-positive growth. The same note lifted its forecast for the 2026 smartphone average selling price to a 6.9% year-on-year jump, up from a 3.6% projection. For low-end phones priced below $200, Counterpoint said the bill of materials cost has already risen 20% to 30% since the start of the year, while the mid and high-end segment has seen material costs up 10% to 15%. Counterpoint also warned that “memory prices could rise another 40% through Q2 2026, resulting in BoM costs increasing anywhere between 8% and over 15% above current elevated levels.” Counterpoint research director MS Hwang said the pinch will fall unevenly across the industry.

IDC published its own scenarios for the 2026 smartphone market in a blog post this year. In its moderate downside case, the market could contract 2.9% with ASPs rising 3% to 5%. In the pessimistic case, IDC sees a 5.2% contraction with ASPs up 6% to 8%. IDC also expects 2026 DRAM and NAND supply growth to land below historical norms at 16% and 17% year-on-year, respectively, as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron reallocate cleanroom capacity toward high-bandwidth memory for AI servers at the expense of LPDDR5X and SSD production. The full picture is laid out in IDC’s forecast for the 2026 memory chip shortage.

Apple and Samsung are best positioned to weather the next few quarters. But it will be tough for others that don’t have as much wiggle room to manage market share versus profit margins.

MS Hwang, research director at Counterpoint Research, in a note carried by CNBC.

• -2.1%: Counterpoint’s forecast for 2026 global smartphone shipments.
• +6.9%: Counterpoint’s forecast for the 2026 smartphone ASP, year on year.
• +40%: Counterpoint’s projection for memory prices through Q2 2026.
• 16% / 17%: IDC’s expected 2026 DRAM and NAND supply growth, year on year.
• -2.9% to -5.2%: IDC’s 2026 smartphone market contraction scenarios.

Tensor G6 Lands on TSMC’s 2nm Node

The Pixel 11 series is tipped to ship on Google’s Tensor G6, built on TSMC’s 2nm process. That would make it one of the first smartphone chips on the 2nm node, a step up from the 3nm Tensor G5 that powered the Pixel 10.

Leaks covered by Mint describe the Tensor G6 pairing the new CPU with an upgraded TPU for AI workloads, a new GXP imaging coprocessor, and a MediaTek M90 modem. The Titan M3 security chip from the previous generation carries over.

Display sizes are not expected to change this year. The standard Pixel 11 keeps a 6.3-inch OLED at 120Hz with up to 2,200 nits of peak brightness. The Pro and Pro XL move to 6.3-inch and 6.8-inch LTPO OLED panels, respectively, with adaptive 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rates and up to 2,450 nits of peak brightness. The Pro Fold pairs a 6.3-inch outer screen with an 8-inch foldable inner display. Tensor G6 is the story Google’s silicon team wants to lead with, but on paper the screen story is largely a holdover from the Pixel 10 generation.

Apple and Samsung Get the Better Cushion

Google does not get the same protection in this memory cycle as its two largest rivals. Apple and Samsung are structurally hedged by cash reserves and long-term supply agreements that let them lock in memory 12 to 24 months in advance, per IDC.

That leaves everyone else closer to the open market, where prices are moving against them. IDC’s analysts flag TCL, Transsion, Realme, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo, Honor, and Huawei as the vendors with the thinnest margin cushion, since memory can be 15% to 20% of the bill of materials on a mid-range device. For a high-end flagship like a Pixel, memory is closer to 10% to 15% of the bill of materials, but the dollar hit on a $1,000 phone lands harder in absolute terms than on a $200 one.

The Pixel 11 pricing math reflects both pressures. The standard Pixel 11 starts at €999 in Europe, up from the €899 starting price Google charged for the 128GB Pixel 10 last year, but the comparison is uneven because the new base storage is 256GB. The Pixel 10 Pro started at €1,099 in Europe for 128GB and $999 in the US, and the Pixel 11 Pro’s leaked €1,199 starting price for 256GB is roughly in line with the 256GB Pixel 10 Pro’s US price. The Pro Fold faces the steepest climb, with the leaked €1,999 entry price sitting well above last year’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold launch numbers.

Engadget framed the August 12 Pixel event as one expected to be more subdued than usual given the memory backdrop, and CNBC’s coverage of Counterpoint’s December 2025 forecast on smartphone pricing tracks the same pass-through pressure across the Android field.

What Google Hasn’t Confirmed Yet

The Pixel 11 specs, prices, and release dates remain unconfirmed by Google. The Dealabs numbers are leaks, not a Google filing, and they could shift between now and August 12.

What Google has confirmed is narrow: the date, the venue, the 6PM ET start time, and the invitation language. What leaks suggest but Google has not said publicly: a four-model lineup, the 128GB cut, the new color palette, the Tensor G6 silicon, and the European price grid. Pricing in particular is a moving target. Counterpoint’s own models flagged another 8% to 15% of bill of materials pressure through Q2 2026, which would push the numbers Google lands on even higher than what the Dealabs leaks now suggest. US dollar pricing has not leaked in the same detail as the European grid, and Google has not signaled how it plans to absorb the new memory cost on its home turf.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Google Pixel 11 launch event?

Google’s Made by Google event is scheduled for August 12, 2026, in New York City, starting at 6PM ET, per the company’s invitation covered by Mint. The event is expected to host the full Pixel 11 lineup reveal.

How much will the Pixel 11 cost in Europe?

A Dealabs leak cited by Mint puts the Pixel 11 at €999 for 256GB, the Pixel 11 Pro at €1,199 for 256GB, the Pixel 11 Pro XL at €1,399 for 256GB, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at €1,999 for 256GB. UK pricing leaks in the same report run from £879 to £1,799 across the lineup. Google has not confirmed these numbers.

Is Google dropping the 128GB Pixel 11?

Yes, per the leaks covered by Android Authority. Google is reportedly killing the 128GB storage tier across the entire Pixel 11 lineup and replacing it with a 256GB base. The Pro models gain a new 1TB storage tier in Midnight Haze only.

What’s new in the Tensor G6 chip?

Leaks point to a Tensor G6 built on TSMC’s 2nm process, up from the 3nm Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10. The new silicon reportedly pairs the upgraded CPU with an improved TPU for AI workloads, a new GXP imaging coprocessor, a MediaTek M90 modem, and the Titan M3 security chip.

Why are Pixel 11 prices going up?

An AI-driven memory chip shortage has lifted smartphone bill of materials costs across the industry. Counterpoint Research forecasts a 6.9% jump in smartphone average selling prices in 2026, with memory prices rising another 40% through Q2 2026. Apple and Samsung are best hedged against the pressure, per Counterpoint, while mid-tier Android makers face the tightest margin squeeze.