Google's New Pixel 11 Phones: What You Get and What You'll Pay
Google announced four new phones at its Made by Google event on August 12th: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Pre-orders opened the same day, and shipments start August 20th (The Verge).
Every model costs $100 more than last year's version. The base Pixel 11 starts at $899 with 256GB of storage. Google has dropped the cheaper 128GB option entirely, so there is no lower storage tier to choose. The Pixel 11 Pro is $1,099, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is $1,299, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is $1,899 (Mashable). In Europe, the series ranges from €999 to €1,999 (Android Headlines). All versions of the standard Pixel 11 come with 12GB of RAM, while the higher-end models offer 16GB (The Verge; Android Headlines).
All four phones run on Google's new Tensor G6 chip, which uses up to 20 percent less power than the previous generation. Google says battery life is over 30 hours across the lineup. The Pixel 11's screen is an Actua OLED display (Android Headlines).
The camera saw the biggest visible change. The camera bar on the back of the Pixel 11 is now a single piece of glass, more than 40 percent thinner than last year's. The main 48MP camera uses a new sensor that Google says captures 56 percent more light. The telephoto lens has 5x optical zoom and can digitally zoom to 30x, powered by a new image processor built into the Tensor G6 chip (The Verge).
Google added two new camera software features. Camera Lets lets you choose stylized looks for your photos, similar to the film simulation modes found on Fujifilm cameras. The difference is that Camera Looks adjusts how the camera processes the image at the sensor level, rather than slapping a filter on top of a finished photo. Magic Capture, the second feature, takes both photos and short video clips from a single shooting session so you end up with both formats at once. Google also added a Creator Suite inside the camera app with tools like framing guides for social media posts (The Verge).
These camera features build on a pattern of regular software updates Google calls Pixel Drops. The June 2026 Pixel Drop added text-to-video tools, a new screen recording feature, and better multitasking (Google). The March 2026 drop brought new Circle to Search features, safety tools for the Pixel Watch, and restaurant suggestions (Google). At Google I/O 2026 in May, the company announced new AI models, agents, and tools for building, searching, creating, and shopping (Google).
This software push goes back further. The October 2024 Pixel Drop improved camera features, added new controls for the Pixel Tablet, and expanded health tools (Google). In April 2024, Google merged its Android software team and Pixel hardware team to bring AI more deeply into both (AP News).
The pricing change is worth thinking about carefully. By removing the 128GB option and raising every model by $100, Google has raised the entry point for the Pixel line. If you previously bought the cheapest Pixel, you are now paying more than just the $100 increase, because you also have to accept 256GB of storage whether you need it or not.
The camera technology is more interesting than the price changes alone. Most phone cameras apply filters and effects after the photo is taken. Camera Looks is different because it changes how the phone processes the image while the photo is being captured, before it becomes a finished picture. That approach is something you usually see in dedicated cameras, not smartphones.
The broader picture across all these updates is that Google is building its phones to be the main way people experience its AI tools. The decision to combine the Android and Pixel teams, made over two years ago, means new hardware features and new AI software now arrive together more often than they used to. Whether that helps Google win more customers from Samsung and Apple is still an open question, but the strategy is clear: focus on camera technology and AI features, raise prices to cover the cost, and keep adding value through software updates between new phone launches.
