Google’s set to unveil its new Pixel lineup, and we’ve heard plenty of rumors to suggest what’s coming, including an AirTag-like tracker called the Pixel Tag. Hop on over to the company’s social media channels and you’ll see some of them have already revealed — the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Pixel Watch 5 will definitely be unveiled on Wednesday. Google even teases the heavily rumored Pixel HiLight notification light that looks like it’ll be in the phone’s camera bar.
But what else is coming?
Google has traditionally unveiled its latest premium phones in the fall, settling on August in the last few years. With the Pixel flagship phones, the company has also added smartwatches, foldables, earbuds and occasional tablets to the mix. We’ll know for sure when the Made By Google event kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday in New York City.
The keynote will be hosted by Trevor Noah, making it the second Pixel keynote hosted by a celebrity. Jimmy Fallon helmed last year’s Pixel 10 event.
If you want to tune in, here’s how to watch the event. CNET, PCMag and Mashable are joining forces to host a pre-event live show on CNET’s YouTube channel, and the main event will stream on the Made By Google YouTube channel.
The Pixel 10 Pro has magnets inside the phone (around the Google logo) that support Qi2.2 magnetic accessories.
Will that upgrade pass down to the Pixel 11 — or will the price just go up?Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The Pixel 11’s starting price might be going up, but does that mean every tech spec on the lowest-priced model is getting an upgrade? Maybe not, according to information posted by insider Mystic Leaks.
The base Pixel 11 might only have 8GB of RAM, according to Mystic Leaks – a number that stands in stark contrast with the 12GB previously seen in leaked Amazon listings for the phone. It’s possible that a base model Pixel 11 with 12GB of memory was planned but shelved, thanks to RAMageddon increasing prices across the board, but we won’t know for sure until the official Google announcement.
Not everything is bad news, however: The higher starting price for the Pixel 11 may be partially attributed to the fact that the lowest model will have double the storage capacity of its predecessor. Multiple reports point toward Google dropping the 128GB models and starting every Pixel 11 with 256GB of storage.
As phone manufacturers grapple with rising hardware costs – and pass them onto us – we should take whatever win we can get.
The new AirTag sensors have raised privacy concerns, which Apple is hoping to address.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Rejoice, all ye who are klutzy, clumsy or otherwise absent-minded. If you buy into Google’s product ecosystem, there may soon be a way for you to track any items you accidentally leave behind.
One of the more interesting rumors surrounding the Pixel 11 hype cycle is that Google may introduce its first Pixel Tag, a direct answer to the Apple AirTag. According to 9to5Google, the Pixel Tag could be pill-shaped rather than round – though its functionality seems to match that of other smart trackers.
The Pixel Tag will reportedly be integrated into Google’s Find Hub for Android phones, as additional functionality gets built out for that service. According to leaked marketing details, we know the Pixel Tag will have a speaker for easy luggage searches – but we don’t yet have the finer details about its battery or technical specifications.
Last year’s Pixel 10 in its greenish “lemongrass” hue.
Celso Bulgatti/CNET
If the rumors are to be believed, Google’s Pixel 11 phone is going to ship a few new pastel variants. The color choices for the Pixel 11 models will likely be divided between serious, professional colors and fun, bright hues, just like we saw in the Pixel 10 lineup.
The Pixel 11 leaks indicate that the black and green color choices from its predecessor will return alongside a steely gray model. Most interestingly, it’s looking like the Pixel 11 is going to be pretty in pink – how’s that for an eye-popping color?
Google isn’t the first company to add fun new colors to its lineup. The iPhone 17 is available in green and purple, while the iPhone 17 Pro has a bright orange model. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra keeps things low-key by comparison, but even that phone comes in a warm rose gold shade.
Mobile phone manufacturers will always compete over who has the better hardware – but it looks like the battle over who builds the flashiest phone has only just begun.
Google wowed CNET’s reviewers and photographers last year with the Pixel 10 lineup. While we’ve tested the Pixel’s camera against other Android phones, I recently pitted Apple’s iPhone and the Pixel against each other to judge another photography-adjacent feature: AI photo-editing tools.
Photo editing has become one of the biggest areas where phone-makers are integrating generative AI. But, like any AI, the results can be hit or miss. You can check out my full testing here, including an instance where the Pixel passes my hardest test for AI.
I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if we see more AI tools added to the Pixel 11, inside Google Photos and elsewhere. But I hope Google shows some restraint. The Pixel 10 has as many useless AI image tools as it does useful ones.
Android phones have had dedicated notification LEDs for years. I fondly remember Sony having one on its Xperia phones (no longer a feature on newer models). But in 2026, I see phone-makers embracing a new wave of notification LEDs. The headline feature on Nothing phones has been its Glyph lights on the back that can light up to alert you about incoming messages. The BlackBerry-inspired Click Communicator phone, due out later this year, has a Signal LED on the side that is customizable and can light up in different colors so you know if you have a message from your wife (blue color) or your boss (red color).
And now Google is rumored to add its 2026 take to the Pixel 11 series with a light on the camera bar that does something similar. Initially thought to be nicknamed Glow, a leaked French marketing image posted on Bluesky user Roland Quant shows the feature’s name to be HiLight. The screenshot above was taken from a teaser video that Google released for the Pixel 11 Pro on its YouTube channel. Guess this means no more Pixel thermometer?!
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