It’s Official: Google Pixel 11 Is Coming August 12 in New York — Here’s Everything We Know
Google made it official today. Press invites went out on July 8, 2026, confirming that the Made by Google event is happening on Wednesday, August 12 in New York City, starting at 6 PM ET. The Pixel 11 series and Pixel Watch 5 are both expected to take the stage. After months of leaks, renders, pricing speculation, and a quietly circulating rumour about the end of 128GB storage on Pixel phones forever, the countdown is now locked in at 35 days. Here is every confirmed detail alongside the most credible leaks that have surfaced ahead of the announcement.
The Official Confirmation: What Google Actually Said
Google sent press invites today confirming it is hosting the next Made by Google event in New York City on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, starting at 6 PM ET. The invite shows what looks like two phones in semi-shadow with a hint of a bronze or gold colour — hinting at a potential new hue for the Pixel 11 lineup — alongside the line “the next generation of Pixel.”
The 6 PM ET start time is notably later in the day than previous Made by Google events, which have typically kicked off in the morning. The evening format suggests Google may be planning a more polished, media-event style presentation rather than the developer-focused morning broadcast that has characterised some previous Unpacked-style launches.
This is one week earlier than last year’s Pixel 10 launch event. Google has now held its flagship Pixel hardware announcement in August for three consecutive years — a strategic positioning designed to give the Pixel lineup a full month of media attention before Apple’s iPhone announcement consumes the tech news cycle every September.
The event will be live streamed. Android News Wire will have full coverage from the moment Google takes the stage on August 12.
What Is Being Announced: The Expected Lineup
Based on consistent leaks across multiple sources, the Made by Google August 12 event is expected to cover:
Pixel 11 — The standard flagship, expected in four colourways: Light Sterling, Midnight Haze, Fuchsia, and Moss. Starting storage moving from 128GB to 256GB.
Pixel 11 Pro — The mid-tier pro model, expected in Light Fog, Midnight Haze, Dune, and Pine. Pro-level camera system with upgraded periscope telephoto.
Pixel 11 Pro XL — The large-screen flagship. Same colour options as the Pro. Expected €100 price increase in Europe.
Pixel 11 Pro Fold — Google’s foldable flagship. Expected at the same event, with the largest price premium in the lineup.
Pixel Watch 5 — Google’s next-generation Wear OS smartwatch. Expected alongside the phones with upgraded health sensors and a new design refresh.
Pre-orders are expected to open on August 11 — the day before the event — or immediately following the keynote, with general retail availability on August 20, 2026.
Hardware: What the Leaks Are Telling Us
Tensor G6 on TSMC 2nm. The Pixel 11 series is expected to be powered by Google’s Tensor G6 chip, manufactured on TSMC’s 2nm process — the most advanced chip fabrication available in 2026. This would represent a meaningful leap in both performance efficiency and thermal management compared to the Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 series. Pixel has historically faced criticism over Tensor’s thermal throttling under sustained load — the move to TSMC’s 2nm process is the change most likely to address that.
MediaTek M90 modem — ending Pixel’s Exynos modem era. One of the most significant hardware changes in the Pixel 11 is one most users will not see but will certainly feel: the move to a MediaTek M90 modem, finally ending Pixel’s six-year relationship with Samsung Exynos modems. Connectivity reliability and cellular battery drain have been Pixel’s most persistent hardware complaints across every generation. The modem swap is the change that could most meaningfully improve daily real-world performance for Pixel owners in areas with mixed or weak cellular coverage.
Pixel Glow — LED notification lights in the camera bar. Google has been rolling out the Pixel Glow indicator light feature across its hardware lineup, first with the Googlebook earlier this year and then the Google Home Speaker released last month. The Pixel 11 is expected to add Pixel Glow to the camera bar — an RGB LED strip that replaces the temperature sensor removed from the Pixel 10 generation, providing visual notification indicators, ambient light effects, and charging status lighting.
Design: thinner bezels, all-glass camera bar. Renders suggest the most visible physical change is a refinement rather than a redesign — thinner display bezels across all models, and an all-glass blacked-out camera bar that removes the aluminium accent present on the Pixel 10, reverting to a visor aesthetic closer to the Pixel 6’s original camera bar design but with modern materials and finish.
No 128GB models — minimum 256GB across the entire lineup. Both the official event context and the Dealabs pricing leak confirm that the Pixel 11 series will not offer a 128GB base storage option. The minimum storage tier across every Pixel 11 model will be 256GB, with 512GB and 1TB tiers above that. In 2026, with Gemini Intelligence features, 4K video recording, and expanding app sizes, this is a long-overdue baseline correction. The catch is that eliminating the cheapest storage tier is also the mechanism for the price increase.
Pricing: The Dealabs Leak and What to Expect
A detailed pricing leak from reliable French leaker billbil-kun, published on Dealabs on July 7, gives the clearest picture yet of what the Pixel 11 will cost — at least in Europe and the UK.
The leak reveals European pricing rising by approximately €100 across the lineup compared to equivalent Pixel 10 configurations. The standard Pixel 11 is expected to start at €999 in Europe — up from €899 for the Pixel 10 128GB, though the comparison is complicated by the storage jump. At the 256GB tier, the Pixel 10 cost €999 last year, meaning the Pixel 11 256GB starting at €999 is effectively flat pricing for equivalent storage.
The Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL carry genuine €100 price increases across all storage tiers. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is expected to see the largest absolute price increase.
European and UK pricing does not translate directly to US pricing. Google applies regional strategies that can diverge significantly from European price points. US pricing will only be confirmed at the August 12 event itself. Given that RAM and memory component costs are rising industrywide — a trend affecting Samsung, Apple, and every major hardware manufacturer in 2026 — some US price increase is widely expected, but the exact figures remain unknown until Google makes it official.
All 1TB models across the Pixel 11 lineup are expected to be available exclusively in Midnight Haze — the deep black colourway — consistent with how premium storage tiers have been handled in previous Pixel generations.
Software: Android 17 and Gemini Intelligence Out of the Box
The Pixel 11 series will ship with Android 17 pre-installed — the same platform that has been rolling out to existing Pixel devices since June 16, 2026. For a detailed breakdown of everything Android 17 brings to the table — mandatory adaptive layouts, generational garbage collection, App Bubbles, AppFunctions, and the full privacy and security overhaul — see our complete coverage at androidnewswire.com/news/android-17-cinnamon-bun-features-release-date-2026.
The most significant software story for the Pixel 11 generation is Gemini Intelligence — Google’s proactive, ambient AI layer that anticipates user needs and automates multi-step tasks across apps. Gemini Intelligence was announced at the Android Show in May as coming first to Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel this summer. The Pixel 11 is expected to be the definitive Gemini Intelligence device at launch — with Tensor G6’s dedicated AI processing cores providing the on-device compute needed to run the full Gemini Intelligence feature set without cloud dependency.
For existing Pixel 10 owners curious about how Gemini Intelligence is rolling out now: it began appearing in system settings under All services → Others as Contextual Suggestions on Pixel 10 devices running Android 17. The Pixel 11 is expected to bring deeper, hardware-native Gemini Intelligence integration beyond what is currently available through Play Services delivery.
If you are currently on Android 17 and experiencing the touchscreen issues that emerged in the platform’s first week of stable availability, our full workaround guide is at androidnewswire.com/news/android-17-touchscreen-bug-pixel-reversed-scrolling-dead-zones-fix. Google’s July patch addressed the boot loop and app crash regressions but has not yet shipped a confirmed fix for the gesture inversion and dead zone issues.
Should You Wait for the Pixel 11 or Buy a Pixel 10 Now?
The Made by Google event is 35 days away. Here is the honest framework for deciding whether to wait:
Wait if: You are currently on a Pixel 8 series or older. The Tensor G6 and MediaTek M90 modem represent the most meaningful generational leap in Pixel hardware since Tensor’s introduction. The connectivity improvements from the modem change alone — six years of Pixel owners dealing with dropped calls, slower data, and battery drain from poor modem efficiency — could justify the wait even if every other spec stayed the same. The Pixel Glow notification light and the confirmed minimum 256GB storage are also genuine quality-of-life improvements worth having from day one.
Do not wait if: You are on a Pixel 10 already. The leaked design changes are refinements, not a redesign — thinner bezels and an all-glass camera bar are not reasons to upgrade a one-year-old phone. The Tensor G6 and modem improvements will be meaningful, but Pixel 10 owners are not being left behind on software — Android 17 and Gemini Intelligence are already running on your device.
Do not wait if: You need a phone right now. The Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro are both available at significant discounts ahead of the Pixel 11 launch, with full Android 17 and seven years of update commitment. A discounted Pixel 10 Pro today is objectively better value than overpaying for last-generation components at full price — but the Pixel 11 at its new pricing may represent a reasonable premium over where Pixel 10 prices land post-launch.
The Context: A Summer of Major Android Hardware
August 12 arrives in the middle of the most hardware-dense Android summer in years. Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked is confirmed for July 22 — just three weeks from today — where the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Watch 8, and Samsung Galaxy Glasses are all expected. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide variant, targeting a broader landscape-first form factor, has just had its detailed specs leak ahead of that event.
After Samsung’s July 22 event and Google’s August 12 Made by Google announcement, the Android hardware landscape for the second half of 2026 will be fully defined before Apple’s iPhone announcement in September. For Android enthusiasts, the next six weeks represent the most significant back-to-back hardware announcement window since Samsung and Google both launched flagship hardware in the same month in 2024.
Android News Wire will be tracking every Pixel 11 leak, spec confirmation, and pricing update between now and August 12. Check back daily for the latest as the Made by Google event approaches.