Made by Google 2026: How to watch and what to expect from the big Pixel 11 event

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Google will announce its latest smartphone lineup, the Pixel 11 series, at its "Made by Google" event on Aug. 12. Hot on the heels of Samsung's latest foldables, Google plans to follow up with its own, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, along with the Pixel 11 Pro, XL, and base model.

Also: Is the new (pricier) Pixel 11 series still a good value compared to Samsung's Galaxy phones?

Based on preliminary information, it looks like the 11 series will largely feature incremental upgrades to the processor, camera, and storage, while costing more as Google looks to be doing away with the low-end configuration with 128GB of storage. That would probably put the starting price at $899 for the base model.

Apart from phones, Google appears set to launch a new smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 5, following up last year's device with a better battery and upgraded chip. As far as its new Googlebooks go, we are likely to get some kind of teaser, but we wouldn't be surprised if Google devotes a separate event to the new premium Android/ChromeOS laptop lineup.

Google takes a different approach from Apple's annual iPhone event, airing in the evening, after the news drops that morning. Made by Google will be Aug. 12 at 3 p.m. PST (that's 6 p.m. EST), and will be livestreamed on YouTube at this link .

Google's new Pixel 11 lineup includes the base model, the Pixel 11 Pro, the Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, all of which will likely be incremental upgrades from last year's Pixel 10. Instead of leaps forward in design, we'll likely get slightly better processor performance with the Tensor G6 chipset, the usual range of improvements to the camera, and a focus on new features.

There is one big design change, however, and that's a new LED light module on the phone's camera bar as teased on Google's Pixel store landing page , and reported by 9to5 Google . The light resembles the rainbow motif associated with Gemini, particularly when interacting with the AI model or when it's "thinking."

Also: The new Pixel 11 isn't enough to make me give up my Pixel 9 Pro - here's why

It could also illuminate different colors based on notification or when the phone is charging, for example. Similar lights have been done on phones before, like on OnePlus devices, for example, which use "edge lighting" around the display for different notifications.

We also have some idea of pricing based on an Amazon leak as reported by Android Authority last month, putting the base Pixel 11 with 256GB of storage at $899 -- and doing away with the 128GB model altogether. The Pixel 11 will likely feature the same-sized 6.3-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh, 4,985mAh battery, and 13MP front-facing camera.