Google Pixel 11 series scheduled for August: First to feature TSMC 2nm chip

Google has officially sent out media invitations, confirming that the 2026 Made by Google hardware launch event will be held in New York on August 12th, with a global live stream starting at 6 PM EST (6 AM Beijing time on August 13th). The invitation features a gold-plated metallic render of the new phone, revealing its appearance for the first time and showcasing the design of the new device, which continues the flat frame and horizontal camera module design.

This launch event will unveil four new Pixel 11 series phones: the standard Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and the foldable Pixel 11 Pro Fold. All models will be powered by the next-generation Tensor G6 processor, manufactured using TSMC’s 2nm process, and for the first time, will start with 256GB of storage, completely eliminating the 128GB version.

The Pro model is said to feature a hidden Pixel Glow RGB lighting module for incoming calls and AI task status alerts.

Behind the storage upgrade is a price increase across the entire series. European sources indicate that each model will see a price increase of approximately €100 compared to its predecessor—the Pixel 11 Pro Fold 256GB version starts at €1999 (approximately RMB 15,536). The main reason is the continued surge in storage chip costs; Google is following Apple’s strategy of “cutting low-end configurations” to indirectly raise prices, while simultaneously simplifying its product line.

In addition to smartphones, the event will also unveil two sizes of the Pixel Watch 5 and the next-generation Pixel Buds Pro, completing a full ecosystem product update.

Editor’s Review:

Google’s pricing strategy this time is quite clever—using “doubled storage” to disguise a “price increase,” which is actually an inevitable choice under the pressure of rising storage prices. The starting price of 1999 euros for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is close to that of Samsung’s top-of-the-line foldable screen, but the Tensor G6 GPU is rumored to be “even worse than its predecessor,” which may be a weakness in gaming performance.

Google is focusing on NPU and AI experience, which is the right direction for differentiation, but whether it can support a price tag of over 10,000 yuan remains to be seen. When the “affordable flagship” is no longer affordable, the core competitiveness of the Pixel series is being tested.