Google's Pixel 11 and Watch 5 Are Getting Pricier — Here's Why

Google will announce the Pixel 11 phone lineup and Pixel Watch 5 on August 12, 2026, in New York City. Leaked pricing suggests that almost everything will cost more than the current generation PhoneArena.

The details come from French deal-tracking site Dealabs and have been confirmed by other outlets like 9to5Google and The Verge. On the watch side, the 41mm Pixel Watch 5 with Wi-Fi is rumored to start at $399, a $50 jump from the Pixel Watch 4's $349. The 41mm LTE version would go from $449 to $499. The larger 45mm models see smaller increases: the Wi-Fi model rises $30 to $429, while the LTE version climbs $30 to $529. In Europe, the 41mm Bluetooth/Wi-Fi model is listed at €419, or £369 in the UK Dealabs.

What's notable is that this breaks a two-year pattern: the Pixel Watch has kept the same price since its launch, so this rumored jump marks the first significant increase.

For the phones, the leaks suggest a bigger shift. Google may drop the 128GB storage option from the base Pixel 11 entirely, meaning the entry model would start at €999 with 256GB as the minimum. The current Pixel 10 starts at €899 with 128GB. The Pixel 11 Pro is rumored to jump €100 to €1,199 from the Pixel 10 Pro's €1,099. The Pixel 11 Pro XL and foldable Pixel 11 Pro Fold would see similar €100 bumps, landing at €1,399 and €1,999 respectively. Interestingly, if you step up to 256GB on any Pixel 11 model, the price stays flat versus last year — so the increase hits mainly at the entry level, driven by that storage bump.

The core reason for these price increases appears to be the global shortage of memory chips. The Verge reports that rising demand for DRAM and NAND flash — the components that store data and run programs — is pushing costs up The Verge. This shortage isn't just about Google; it's rippling through the entire industry. Tech giants building AI infrastructure and companies making AI chips are all competing for the same limited supply from manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron. That means any smartphone or watch maker sourcing these same components faces the same cost pressure, regardless of their own AI plans.

On design, 9to5Google reports new color finishes: "Pyrite," a "Natural Silver – Polished" option for both 41mm and 45mm watches, and "Dark Anthracite – Matte" only for the 41mm 9to5Google. Regulatory filings from India's certification database suggest the Pixel Watch 5 is already entering mass production ahead of the August launch AOL.

These are all leaks, not official announcements. Pricing in leaked retail lists often shifts — sometimes significantly — before the actual reveal. Google has only confirmed the event date and location so far; nothing else is set in stone.

The broader context here is what this memory shortage means for the rest of the industry. If the cost of memory chips is rising fast enough to push prices up across Google's lineup, other manufacturers like Apple and Samsung will face identical cost pressures. Whether they pass those costs to consumers remains to be seen, but they're buying from the same factories and facing the same supply constraints.

There's also a practical angle worth considering. If Google actually drops the 128GB option, anyone with a large photo and video library won't have a cheap way in anymore — you'll be forced to jump straight to 256GB. That kind of storage shift, while technically just moving up the "base" model, can meaningfully change what "affordable" actually costs at the checkout counter. It's the sort of quiet change that often affects regular buyers more than a headline price bump does.

Google's August 12 event will confirm whether these leaks hold up. Until then, the numbers are directionally useful but not final. Multiple outlets reporting similar figures lends them credibility, but they remain unconfirmed by Google itself.