/ Google just locked in August 12.
Mike Alvarez Joined TheTweaks as an emerging tech , startup and launches journalist. He comes up with those things or products which are not there yet and are hardly possible to come close to. He covers the latest technology, startups and new product launches and releases. He worked 4 years in a startup company in Austin and later he joined TheTweaks and he is proving himself here with his commendable writing performance. He is also the publisher of a small consumer robotics newsletter.
The wait is finally over. Google has officially announced that its next “Made by Google” event will be on August 12, 2026, in New York City, where the tech giant is also set to reveal the Pixel 11 series, along with Pixel Watch 5. Press invitations have already been landing in inboxes and the internet is getting insane.
Google invites doesn’t explicitly mention Pixel 11 either, as the company is teasing with the term “the next generation of Pixel” but this time no one is confused. The event will also be held a week early from last year’s Pixel 10 launch on August 20, 2025. The event is taking place a bit later in the day than Google’s typical afternoon hours at 6 PM ET.
The invite’s visual says more than the words. It features a gold colored phone with a horizontal camera visor that matches leaked CAD renders that have been circulating for months. The tone and style of the whole invite is sleek and minimal. A noticeable shift for Google, which usually leans playful rather than polished for these announcements.
If the rumor mill has been reading the tea leaves correctly, the event will feature a genuinely packed lineup:
On the phone side, all four Pixel 11 models are expected to receive the new Tensor G6 chipset, Google’s first on TSMC’s 2nm process and as expected, this is supposed to finally silence the complaints of thermal throttling and battery drain issues that have plagued Tensor devices for years now. The leaks also suggest that Google has been replacing the Samsung radio used in its Pixels with a new MediaTek modem that, if true, would be the solution for the years-long Pixel owner frustration of the issue.
In terms of design, it’s not going to be fireworks. Both the Pixel 11 and Pixel Pro models are expected to have the same 6.3 inch and 6.8 inch OLED screens, with the most impressive Hardware upgrade being something Google is internally referring to as “Pixel Glow”, an RGB LED strip integrated into the camera bar will illuminate for notifications when face down. It’s an alternative to the temperature sensor that Google added in the background but appears to be ready to drop.
According to several reports, Google is eliminating the 128GB storage tier completely from its Pixel 11 family, making a new starting point of 256GB. With the global memory chip shortage already causing an increase in smartphone cost, it’s a safe bet that Pixel 11 will see an increase in pricing as well between $50 and $100 more than last year, depending on the model. The base Pixel 11 is estimated to cost around $799, Pixel 11 Pro at $999, Pixel 11 Pro XL at $1,199 and the 11 Pro Fold at $1,799.
If that price increase is accompanied by any real world utility for example a chip that does not overheat during a 4K video playback or a modem that doesn’t drop calls then Pixel fans will feel they’re getting a fair deal. If it’s not, then they’ll feel like Google’s taking on the burden of the industry’s RAM shortages.
12 August is not a random date. Google has now managed to set August as its Pixel launch month for the third consecutive year. The Pixel 9 arrived on August 13, 2024 and Pixel 10 debuted on August 20, 2025. Now the Pixel 11 is coming out on August 12, 2026. All in the same month for the last three years. The rationale is straightforward: If Google beats Apple’s fall iPhone announcement and Samsung’s usual September Galaxy announcement, then it will have a clear month for Android media coverage. It is a smart strategic move, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 by Samsung is said to arrive in late July, a mere few weeks before Google’s announcement about a foldable device.
Playing the cards close to the chest with a vague tease is all in the cards for Google, but the announcement of the date this early suggests the company wants to control the narrative before leaks do it and at this point, that’s a losing battle since there’s so much of the Pixel 11’s spec sheet already out there. This isn’t really about the phone, but rather about the storage reduction and potentially higher pricing that will come into the same package as a genuinely good chip upgrade. Given Google’s ability to deliver on the efficiency promises, it could, potentially, be worth the extra cost. Otherwise, this might be the year when Pixel fans will begin to turn their heads around. In either case, we’ll be here to let you know which version of that story is true, on August 12th.
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