The 128GB base storage tier is gone entirely. Every Pixel 11 model now starts at 256GB. That sounds like a free upgrade — until you check the price, which is going up anyway. Google is blaming the same memory shortage that’s already hit Apple, Microsoft, and Sony this year.
Google’s Pixel 11 launch event is confirmed for 12 August 2026 in New York City, at 6pm ET — a week earlier than last year’s Pixel 10 unveiling. Google has sent out press invites confirming the Made by Google event, where the company is expected to unveil the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold — alongside the Pixel Watch 5. Retail availability is expected to begin around 20 August, with pre-orders opening on announcement day. The single most consistent detail across every credible leak is a price increase. A pricing leak from French outlet Dealabs, citing well-known leaker billbil-kun, points to increases across the entire Pixel 11 lineup in Europe — with the UK expected to see a comparable jump. Google has not confirmed pricing. By contrast, the mechanism behind the increase is now familiar territory for anyone following TF’s 2026 device pricing coverage.
What’s Happening & Why It Matters
The Storage Trick
Google’s Pixel 11 launch event arrives with a specific and clever pricing structure that requires careful reading. Reportedly, there will be no 128GB variant of the base Google Pixel 11, effectively hiking the price of the cheapest model from €899 to €999. On the bright side, Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro pricing is otherwise equivalent to the Pixel 10 series when comparing like-for-like 256GB configurations. In other words, there’s no price change between last year’s phone and the new Pixel 11 devices at matching storage tiers — it’s just that buyers lose access to an ultra-cheap 128GB entry point.
By contrast, the Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold face a straightforward €100 (approximately $114) increase across every storage tier, with no storage-tier trick softening the blow. The Pixel 11 Pro‘s cheapest configuration jumps from €1,099 to €1,199 once the 128GB option disappears. This is the same storage-and-pricing move Samsung made with the Galaxy S26 — doubling base storage to 256GB while raising the price. The difference, one Samsung executive noted at that launch, is that Samsung had genuine hardware upgrades — specifically a privacy display — to justify the increase. Early Pixel 11 leaks have not pointed to comparably significant hardware upgrades.
The Same Memory Shortage Afflicting Every Device Maker
Google’s Pixel 11 launch event pricing reflects the identical structural cause TF has documented extensively throughout 2026. Consumers should expect to cough up extra cash for their next smartphone purchase, as the industry continues to deal with memory and storage-related shortages. As TF covered in its Apple, Microsoft, Sony price increases article, AI data centre demand has driven DRAM and NAND flash costs up 80-95% since the start of 2026 — squeezing every consumer electronics manufacturer simultaneously.
One report notes the irony directly: the price increases are “inevitable given ‘RAMageddon,’ but painful nonetheless — especially when you remember that Google is one of the companies that’s directly playing a role in this whole problem alongside other big names in AI.” Google is simultaneously a victim of the memory shortage as a device manufacturer and a direct contributor to it through its own AI data centre buildout — the same structural tension TF flagged in its coverage of Amazon’s data centre water disclosure and the broader semiconductor industry chaos.
The Competition: Squeezed By Samsung and Apple
Google’s Pixel 11 launch event date is not accidental. This places Google‘s next flagship Android phone right before Apple’s anticipated iPhone announcements, which are expected just weeks later — while Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8 are scheduled to launch on 22 July, just three weeks before Google’s event. That means three major hardware launches land within roughly six weeks of each other.
The timing carries a specific strategic logic given Apple‘s rumoured 2026 device: a foldable iPhone that would mark Apple‘s entry into a market Samsung has effectively owned for years, and where Google has also competed since introducing the Pixel Fold in 2023. Launching a month ahead of Apple’s expected foldable debut lets Google capture attention and sales momentum before the larger competitive story shifts to Apple entirely.
What’s Actually New — Tensor G6, Pixel Glow, and a Contested GPU
Google’s Pixel 11 launch event is expected to introduce genuine hardware changes beyond storage and pricing. The incoming Tensor G6 chip is set to address the historic thermal throttling and cellular battery drain issues that have plagued older Pixel generations. Additionally, leaked Android 17 code references a new “Pixel Glow” feature — an array of LEDs on the device back that signals notification activity when the phone is face down, extending a design language Google introduced on other hardware earlier in 2026.
By contrast, not every rumoured change is positive. The latest leaks suggest the new GPU won’t be genuinely new at all, instead using a PowerVR CXTP-48-1536 architecture that first appeared in 2021 — a disappointment for gaming performance that already lags behind Samsung‘s Galaxy S26 line. Furthermore, one concerning and unconfirmed rumour suggests the Pixel 11‘s battery capacity may actually shrink relative to the Pixel 10 — an unusual move that runs counter to the broader industry trend toward larger battery cells.
TF Summary: What’s Next
Google has not officially confirmed pricing, storage configurations, or the GPU architecture — all details remain sourced from leaks as of this writing. The event is confirmed for 12 August 2026 at Made by Google in New York City. Retail availability is expected around 20 August. US pricing has not leaked; only European and UK figures are currently available.
MY FORECAST: Google’s Pixel 11 launch event will confirm price increases substantially in line with the European leaks — likely landing in the $50 to $100 range above Pixel 10 equivalents once translated to US pricing, consistent with how Apple, Microsoft, and Sony have all already priced in the same memory cost surge this year. By contrast, the storage-tier restructuring will generate the most consumer confusion at launch — many buyers will initially perceive the doubled base storage as a value improvement before realising the net cost increase once matched against equivalent configurations. The Tensor G6’s thermal and battery improvements, if genuine, will matter more to the device’s actual reception than the pricing story — Pixel owners have tolerated storage complaints for years, but throttling and battery drain have been the more persistent source of user frustration across recent generations.
Related Stories
- Apple, Microsoft, and Sony Raise Device Prices — AI-Driven Memory Shortage Is the Cause
- Tim Cook Confirms Apple Price Rises — Memory Crunch and Intel’s US Chips Are Why
- Chip World in Chaos: $518B Investment, a Smuggling Raid, a Price-Fixing Lawsuit, and a Record Surge
FOCUS KEYPHRASE: Google Pixel 11 launch event August 12 price increase 2026
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META DESCRIPTION: Google confirmed the Pixel 11 launch for August 12, 2026 in New York City. Leaks point to price increases across the lineup as the base storage jumps to 256GB. Here’s the full story.
EXCERPT: Google confirmed its Made by Google event for August 12, 2026, where it will unveil the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Leaks point to price increases across the lineup, driven by the AI-fuelled memory chip shortage already hitting Apple, Microsoft, and Sony. The base storage tier doubles to 256GB. Here is everything we know so far.
IMAGE ALT TEXT: GP hero: “Google Pixel 11 launch event August 12 price increase 2026”
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