Recently, we’ve seen mobile brands hiking the pricing of their mobile offerings after being impacted by the memory crunch from the AI boom.
Samsung is the latest example, with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra flexing an exorbitant price tag compared to their predecessors.
I feel Google has a high chance of being impacted by the same scenario with its upcoming Google Pixel 11 series.
However, I still wish Google would skip the hike this year if it really cares about its fans, even if it means trading off by taming the specs, particularly the memory of the next-gen Pixel.
Frankly, I would gladly take less memory to avoid paying more for this year’s Pixel 11.
Google has changed my perspective on what a flagship is
But AI has also transformed the playing field
For much of my time as an Android user, I based my smartphone purchases strictly on hardware. I always longed to have the most powerful processor or the largest memory in my phone.
I can’t blame myself. Android wasn’t built for efficiency back then, and the only way to get a smooth experience was to rely on a top-tier flagship.
Google changed my perspective when it started offering its in-house chipsets, along with system-level changes that made Android faster and leaner without requiring a heavy-duty SoC or chunky memory.
However, it started offering more RAM with the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and that trend continued with the Pixel 10 Pro.
There’s a valid reason for bumping up the memory: to support new features and handle faster artificial intelligence and machine learning processing.
However, the memory crisis has caused out-of-control price increases across major mobile brands. Now, it appears Google won’t be spared either.
Because of that, I’m hoping it skips giving the Pixel 11 16GB of RAM, or at least offers the base model with lower memory to dodge this price hike.
I don’t need 16GB RAM in my phone anymore
Google has proven this in its Pixel phones
Google has proven that not every Pixel needs a top-tier chipset or the largest amount of RAM.
Look at the Pixel 8 series. It only offered a modest 8GB to 12GB of RAM depending on the model, while the competition at the time flaunted massive numbers, like 24GB on the OnePlus 13.
The same goes for the standard models of the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10. They are equipped with 12GB, or even less on the Pixel A models, yet run as reliably as their Pro counterparts.
When you put them side by side, the difference in performance is barely noticeable, especially for everyday tasks like streaming, browsing, or snapping photos.
The advancements Google made in its chipsets helped make this possible. It started offloading most processing to hardware components like the NPU or to the cloud for certain features.
I can’t deny how these steps made Android feel genuinely optimized without relying entirely on over-the-top raw power or memory.
I felt this firsthand on my Pixel 9 Pro XL. Its Tensor G4 processor isn’t as fast as the Exynos 2500 SoC in my Galaxy Z Flip 7, but my Pixel consistently feels smoother and more stable.
While I understand my device has 16GB of RAM under the hood, I always feel its full potential hasn’t been unlocked, even when running intensive processes or power-demanding apps.
Sure, this gives the Pixel Pro models extra headroom when running on-device AI features and complex tasks. But does that headroom actually matter or show up in day-to-day usage?
Besides making AI slightly faster, I wonder what actual benefits bigger RAM brings to Pixel devices.
If 12GB is already plenty for other Pixel models, it’s certainly viable for the Pro line.
I want to see Google give buyers options
I’d trade memory for a reasonable price
If Google made 12GB of RAM work on other Pixel devices, it could easily pull it off on the Pixel 11 Pro.
It doesn’t need to force everyone onto a 12GB RAM downgrade, either. It could simply reserve the 16GB RAM pairing for higher storage variants.
If Google insists on pushing 16GB alongside jacking up the price, I’d rather see it offer base Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL models with smaller memory configurations to freeze the starting price.
I’m sure plenty of buyers would make that trade, happily shaving off some memory if it saves them $100.
We’ve seen Google pull this move before, and other manufacturers have done it too, including Samsung.
Samsung started locking 16GB of RAM to the highest storage variants of its flagships, including the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the new Z Fold 8, which pairs 16GB of RAM with 1TB of storage.
And like those users, I didn’t see any fierce backlash over the lower memory figures on the entry-level options.
Google has ways to freeze the Pixel 11 pricing
Google always has an out to avoid a price increase on the Pixel 11. It can easily find a workaround through minor hardware adjustments.
Admittedly, I am willing to take that trade-off if it keeps the entry point reasonable.
Plus, buyers wouldn’t be the only ones benefiting from this, as Google stands to gain, too. If it can keep the same price tags for the upcoming Pixel generation, it would massively undercut rival flagships.
With that, I would gladly trade a fraction of raw speed and future-proofing for a price tag I’m actually willing to pay.
I don’t particularly care to shoulder the cost of an AI boom that manufacturers largely built themselves. Sure, users love seeing flashier Gemini tools, but I’m not eager to foot the bill for them.
Still, Google doesn’t need to freeze prices across the entire lineup. It could offer bigger starting storage options if it really wants to justify a higher cost.
Presently, that seems to be the direction, based on rumors that Google will drop the 128GB option on the Pixel 11 Pro.
Similar to the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which came in $100 pricier than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, that wasn’t pure price inflation.
If Google wants to keep me loyal, letting me opt out of paying extra for RAM I don’t need is certainly one way to do it. Otherwise, I might start looking at the competition while Google loads its devices with excess tech.
- SoC
-
Google Tensor G5
- RAM
-
16GB
- Storage
-
128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS
- Battery
-
4870mAh
- Operating System
-
Android 16
The Google Pixel 10 Pro is a versatile flagship camera phone and it’s cheaper than ever thanks to a deep discount at major retailers.
