It’s a trade-off. Yes, the Google Pixel 11 models could be considerably more expensive than the Pixel 10 lineup, but it looks like consumers will receive more base storage. According to Roland Quandt, a writer for German online tech magazine WinFuture, base storage for the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL will start at 256 GB. That’s a sizeable jump from the 128 GB on the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro, although the Pixel 10 Pro XL does start with 256GB.
We’ll find out if this report is true on Aug. 12 at the Made by Google event, when the company officially announces the Pixel 11 lineup. Preorders for the new phones should begin that same day.
A Google representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Google’s vice president of devices confirmed higher prices for US consumers earlier this month. But UK shoppers might be spared the higher Pixel 11 prices, Quandt said in his Bluesky post.
The Pixel 11 will start at £879 ($1,169) with 256GB of storage, slightly less than the £899 ($1,195) Pixel 10 with the same capacity. The Pixel 11 Pro will also see a small price reduction, dropping to £1,079 ($1,434) from the Pixel 10 Pro’s £1,099 ($1,461) starting price. However, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is expected to cost more, rising to £1,279 ($1,700) compared with the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s £1,199 ($1,594) price tag.
US consumers likely won’t be so lucky, but having 256GB of storage could help them cope with paying up to $100 more for the Pixel 11.
Ever since the first Pixel launched in 2016, buyers have criticized the 128GB base storage configuration. Preinstalled apps can consume up to 30GB of storage, while popular gaming and social media apps can quickly eat up the remaining space. Photos and videos require even more capacity, leaving less room for downloads and offline media.
For budget-conscious Pixel shoppers, however, the move to higher base storage means they will no longer have the option of choosing more affordable 128GB models. Those who want the latest Pixel devices will need to pay a premium for the 256GB variants.
Buyers can currently pay $799, plus tax, for a Pixel 10 with 128GB of storage, or step up to the 256GB model for $899. That same flexibility may not be available with the Pixel 11 lineup.
Quandt also provided rumored battery specifications for the upcoming devices. If he’s right, Pixel 11 will have a 4,985-mAh battery, the Pixel 11 Pro will have 4,850 mAh, and the Pixel 11 Pro XL will have 5,115 mAh.
The Pixel 11 and Pro XL will have bigger batteries than their predecessors, whereas the Pixel 11 Pro’s is slightly smaller.
What we know about the Pixel 11
CNET has been keeping up with the flurry of leaks and rumors on the new Pixel series.
Display sizes are basically the same between the Pixel 11 and 10 series, but the big change appears to be the “Pixel Glow” — an array of LED lights around the cameras. These LEDs will reportedly be used as a notification system, with different light patterns indicating specific types of activity on your phone, such as a message, a food delivery or an incoming call.
Color options for the Pixel 11 base model reportedly will include light sterling (gray), midnight haze (black), fuchsia (pink) and moss (green). The other models could come in midnight haze, light fog (white), dune (pink) and pine (green).
However, these reported color options remain unconfirmed and could change before the devices are officially announced. Another leak reveals the Pixel 11 in frost (icy white), pistachio (yellowish green), hibiscus (red) and obsidian (black); the 11 Pro and Pro XL in canyon (orange) and obsidian; and the 11 Pro Fold in olive and obsidian.
