Google will unveil the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL, and Pro Fold tonight at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT at Made by Google 2026 in New York, and the news isn’t the phones. It’s that starting prices, per leaks, land at $899, $1,099, $1,299, and $1,899, roughly $100 above last year, and Google has decided to pre-empt the sticker shock by explaining the macroeconomics of DRAM in advance.

That work has already begun. Ahead of the event, VP of Devices and Services Shakil Barkat told 9to5Google that the cost of 1GB of RAM has risen sixfold, from $2.80 in 2025 to $12 in 2026, citing Morgan Stanley data. The framing is unusual for a consumer launch: a hardware maker walking press through a supplier-driven RAM crisis before the keynote, not after the reviews. The 128GB tier is reportedly gone across the lineup; 256GB becomes the floor.

The chip story is its own quiet realignment. The Tensor G6 is reportedly built by TSMC on a 2nm process, using Arm C1 cores and a PowerVR GPU, with the Samsung-derived modem swapped out for MediaTek’s M90. Google’s silicon stack now routes around Samsung at nearly every layer that matters.

Then there’s Pixel Glow, a light-up element sitting where the flashlight lives, cycling through colors. A teaser video also confirmed a gold finish on the Pro. It’s the kind of feature that reads as pure vibes hardware, the phone-as-object-of-affection play Apple has run for a decade and Google has mostly resisted.

The Pro and Pro XL carry a 50MP main sensor, a 48MP ultrawide with macro, and a 48MP 5x periscope with up to 120x digital zoom, plus a 3,600-nit display and new video features: improved Cinematic Blur, Ultra Low Light video, and video relighting. The Pro Fold keeps its 8-inch inner display.

Trevor Noah hosts, with Stephen Curry, Shubman Gill, and Ayami Nakajo on the cast. The Pixel Watch 5 also debuts. It’s the second Manhattan event in a row, held one week earlier than last year, which is its own signal about who Google now considers the audience: not the Bay Area press corps, but the finance and fashion desks that’ll have to explain the price.

Sources