Image credit: Suzanne Kantra/Techlicious
Google has taken the wraps off its 2026 phone lineup: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL, plus the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. All four are up for preorder now at the Google Store, Amazon, and Best Buy, and they'll be on shelves August 20, in colors that include Olive, Hibiscus, Canyon (a dusky rose), and a new all-matte Obsidian on the Pros. The Pixel 11 starts at $899 (includes a $100 Amazon gift card), the Pixel 11 Pro at $1,099 (includes $200 Amazon gift card), the Pixel 11 Pro XL at $1,299 (includes $200 Amazon gift card), and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at $1,899 (includes a $350 Amazon gift card).
What the new prices get you
Google has dropped the 128GB option entirely, so every Pixel 11 now starts with 256GB of storage. That means the Pixel 11 and 11 Pro start at $100 more than the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro base models did, but you're paying the same price as last year's 256GB option. The Pro XL and the Pro Fold models already started at 256GB, and those two are getting a proper $100 increase.
Apple did more or less the same last September: the iPhone 17 lineup dropped its 128GB tier and doubled base storage, and the iPhone 17 Pro starts at the same $1,099 as the Pixel 11 Pro.
The storage price hike was fine by me, but I'm not a fan of the RAM options on the base models. The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL come with 12GB of RAM as standard, and if you want the 16GB option, you'll need the 512GB or 1TB storage tiers. Last year's Pro phones had 16GB across the board. I know RAM is expensive right now, but given how AI-forward the marketing is, I would have liked Google to at least throw 16GB into the base configurations, especially with the $100 increase.
Gemini in every corner
Every Pixel 11 runs Android 17 on Google's new Tensor G6 chip, which the company says handles on-device AI tasks up to 3.5 times faster than the last generation. Google seems to have designed the hardware with extra headroom for Gemini.
There are a ton of AI features on board, some of which sound very promising. We got a preview at today's press event and came away impressed.
Proactive Assistance will pop up suggestions like live flight details or a nudge to save an event to your calendar. Live Translate can now dub podcasts and videos in near real time. There's also a new Creator Suite in the camera app, with a teleprompter and framing guides for social media apps. We found that live translation (as in Google Translate, not the above feature) seemed smoother than before, but still with a short pause before it kicks in.
We also saw a demo of a very cool new tool called Magic Capture. It analyzes frames from a video and picks out your best shots, building them into full-resolution stills from raw camera data. If the AI misses the moment you wanted, you can also go back into the captured session yourself and pull out any frame as a high-quality photo.
A single image extracted with Magic Capture during our demo.
Image credit: Suzanne Kantra/Techlicious
The Pro models also get HiLight, a ring of LEDs around the camera flash that will glow in patterns when Gemini is listening, thinking, or responding, and can pulse in custom colors when favorite contacts call. I'm particularly excited about this feature because I loved the notification LED on Android phones. It's great to see it return in some form.
Image credit: Suzanne Kantra/Techlicious
The HiLight glows yellow.
Image credit: Suzanne Kantra/Techlicious
Read More: Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra Stops Strangers from Reading Your Screen
The cameras get the biggest hardware upgrades
The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL move to a new 50-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel telephoto that Google says captures 30% more light, which should make a difference in dim restaurants and at concerts. It's a 5x optical zoom lens, and you get digital zoom of up to 120x (up from last year's 100x), and Night Sight can shoot up to 4.5 times faster. The $899 Pixel 11 and the Pro Fold get the same pair of upgrades: a new 48-megapixel main sensor that captures 56% more light for better night shots, and a bump for their 5x telephotos from 20x to 30x Super Zoom.
The backs of the Pixel 11 Pro series from the left: 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, 11 Pro Fold.
Image credit: Suzanne Kantra/Techlicious
Google is also leaning away from over-processed photos. A new Camera Looks feature lets you set a default style at the moment of capture, with the three main options (Natural, Shadows, and Vanilla) tuned to look less digitally polished.
Will any of the camera features discussed be coming to older Pixels? Google told Techlicious that Magic Capture definitely will not coming to prior Pixel models. The company had no official comment on whether Camera Looks or Creator Suite will show up on them, though.
Displays, battery life, and durability
The Pixel 11 and 11 Pro both have 6.3-inch displays, the Pro XL takes that up to 6.8 inches, and the Pro Fold pairs a 6.5-inch outer screen with an 8-inch inner one. The base Pixel 11's camera bump is also noticeably smaller in person this year, while the Pro models' bump stays about the same size as the Pixel 10's. The Pro and Pro XL screens come with a new coating that Google says more than doubles their scratch resistance. So, you may be able to get by without using a screen protector on these phones. IP68 dust and water resistance rating is standard across the whole lineup.
Image credit: Suzanne Kantra/Techlicious
Google rates the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, and Pro XL at 30-plus hours of battery life and the Fold at 24-plus. All models now supports 25W wireless charging. The Pro XL has a 45-watt quick charge feature that Google says delivers around 15 hours of use in just 15 minutes.
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is nearly 10% lighter and about 1mm thinner than last year's model, with a new gearless hinge, a first-for-Pixel ceramic glass cover on the outer screen, and a glass-fiber composite back that Google claims is nearly impossible to crack (time for a Will it Blend revival?). Because of these improvements, Google says the Fold is three times more durable than last year's model. All four phones will get seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates.
If you have a Pixel 10, the hardware alone probably isn't worth the jump, though Magic Capture staying exclusive to the new phones may tempt you. If you're coming from a Pixel 8 or older, the cameras, battery, and seven years of updates will feel like a proper upgrade.
