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Made by Google 2026: How to watch and what to expect from the Pixel 11 event
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This Wednesday, Google will announce its new smartphone lineup: the Pixel 11 series. Hot on the heels of Samsung's latest (very successful) foldables, Google will follow up with refreshes to its own: the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, along with the Pixel 11 Pro, XL, and base model at its "Made by Google" event in New York.
Also: Is the new (pricier) Pixel 11 series still a good value compared to Samsung's Galaxy phones?
Based on preliminary information, it looks like the 11 series will feature incremental upgrades to the processor, camera, and storage, and Google seems to be doing away with the low-end configuration with 128GB of storage. On top of this, prices will likely go up for the higher-end models, putting the new starting price at $899 for the base 256GB model.
Apart from phones, Google will likely announce its new smartwatch -- the Pixel Watch 5, following up last year's device with a better battery and upgraded chip. We're also potentially looking at a new Bluetooth tracking device to rival Apple's AirTag -- potentially with support for Google's Find Hub network.
Google takes a different approach from Apple's annual iPhone event, as it's in the evening, after product announcements officialy drop that morning. Made by Google will be August 12th at 3 p.m. PST (6 p.m. EST), and will be livestreamed on YouTube at this link.
Google's new Pixel 11 lineup includes the base model, the Pixel 11 Pro, the Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, all of which will likely be incremental upgrades from last year's Pixel 10. Instead of leaps forward in design, we'll likely get slightly better processor performance with the Tensor G6 chipset, the usual range of improvements to the camera, and a focus on new features.
There is one big design change, however, and that's a new LED light module on the phone's camera bar, as teased on Google's Pixel store landing page, and reported by 9to5 Google. According to leaks, it's called the "HiLight", and resembles the rainbow motif associated with Gemini, particularly when interacting with the AI model or when it's "thinking."
Also: The new Pixel 11 isn't enough to make me give up my Pixel 9 Pro - here's why
It could also illuminate different colors based on notification or when the phone is charging, for example. Similar lights have been done on phones before, like on OnePlus devices, for example, which use "edge lighting" around the display for different notifications.