Before you know it, Google is going to announce some new Android flagship phones. Of course, there’s already info out there about them. Time to brush up.
The Pixel 11 lineup launch is all set for Aug. 12. This year, as with last year, we expect four new phones:
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Pixel 11 Pro
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Pixel 11 Pro XL
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Pixel 11 Pro Fold
Let’s focus on the Pixel 11 Pro for now, as it’s going to be the more premium. What does Google have up its sleeve this year with the Pro-grade Pixel phone?
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Google Pixel 11 Pro: Release date, price, and that Amazon leak
As previously stated, Google is going to officially unveil all of these phones at an event in New York City on Aug. 12. Mashable will be attending the launch event — Jimmy Fallon hosted last year’s event, you may remember — and we’ll be reporting live. Presumably, as with past years, the phones will be on store shelves and in customers’ hands just a couple of weeks afterward.
Thanks to RAMageddon, everyone is bracing for price increases with every major tech product, and rightfully so. Google has not yet told us the prices of these phones, but a recent and fairly extensive Amazon leak that seemed legitimate enough pointed to a $1,099 starting price for the Pixel 11 Pro. That would be a $100 price increase over the Pixel 10 Pro. Meanwhile, the Pixel 11 Pro XL (the XL model is usually basically the same phone, but bigger) is said to start at $1,299, another $100 price hike year-over-year.
Speaking of that Amazon leak: 9to5Google spotted draft Amazon listings for the Pixel 11 lineup, revealing a lot of early details:
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The listings could include placeholder information, but the overall gist looks legit.
What is Pixel Glow?
We don’t expect any massive design changes this year. Google has helped keep expectations low by actually posting a short video that shows the phone, weeks before the Aug. 12 event.
Mashable Light Speed
One thing that stood out, however, is the presence of a small, colored light in the camera bar that wasn’t there on the Pixel 10 Pro. This is rumored to be part of a new “Pixel Glow” system that will use colored lights to convey basic phone notifications while the Pixel is lying down on its face. If you want to know that someone texted you even though you’re focusing on something else and would rather not look at the screen, that’s what this is for.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Design and colors
Ultimately, the short teaser video doesn’t show much, but it does reveal one more fact: The Pixel 11 Pro’s basic design hasn’t changed much from last year. It still has a horizontal, oval-shaped camera bar on the back, and is still otherwise a normal-looking smartphone.
As for colors, leaks suggest the options this year will be:
Those don’t sound like the most vibrant colors in the world, but that sort of thing has become par for the course for “Pro” smartphones in recent years. If the Amazon leak spotted by 9to5Google proves true, the Pixel 11 will have more interesting color options, at least.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Rumored specs
Between the Amazon listings and another leak on Telegram from an account called MysticLeaks, this is the best idea we have about the Pixel 11 Pro’s specs prior to the unveiling:
The only real differences between the regular Pro and the XL, as far as leaks are concerned, are the display and battery size. Those same sources suggest a 6.9-inch display and a 5,115mAh battery on the XL, but everything else should be the same. That’s how Google has done it in the past, too.
Believe it or not, those specs actually contain at least one notable downgrade from the Pixel 10 Pro. Prior Pixel Pro devices only came with 16GB RAM, so if Google is offering a 12GB variant, that would be a somewhat significant change. It’s possible and perhaps even likely that the 12GB models will be tied to lower amounts of storage, so if you want 16GB, you may need to shell out for a 512GB or 1TB model this year.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: What about the cameras?
Last but not least, the Pixel Pro phones always have better camera specs than the base models. It’s one of the main reasons to get the Pro, even though Google did start including a telephoto lens on the base model recently.
Last year, the Pixel 10 Pro had a 50MP main lens, with matching 48MP ultra-wide and telephoto lenses. We don’t yet know what the camera modules for the Pixel 11 Pro will measure in at, but it would be a shock if they were downgraded at all from those figures.
Speaking of downgrades, though, the big Amazon leak suggested the Pixel 10 Pro will have a 13MP selfie camera. After the 48MP front camera on the Pixel 10 Pro, that would be an unpleasant surprise. We’ll see if that actually pans out, or if the leak was wrong.
Remember: Mashable will be reporting live from Made By Google on Aug. 12, so check back for the latest Pixel 11 Pro news.
