The 7 biggest announcements of Google’s Pixel 11 launch

Google is hosting a Pixel launch event on Wednesday night where it will show off its latest lineup of devices. But you don’t have to wait until then for all the news: We were able to check out the devices ahead of the event and take a look at everything Google’s unveiling, including the latest Pixel phones, new health features on the Pixel Watch 5, and more.

Google will be livestreaming the event on Wednesday at 6PM ET / 3PM PT. But if you aren’t able to watch along yourself, you can catch up on all of the highlights from Wednesday’s Pixel launch below.

Google refreshed its line of Pixel phones, starting with the Pixel 11. The design didn’t change drastically compared to the Pixel 10, although it now comes in a few new colors, including a lilac-like frost, hibiscus pink, and pistachio green, along with obsidian black. It runs on Google’s new Tensor G6 chip, which Google claims offers 25 percent faster web browsing and 15 percent faster app loading. Google also says its battery lasts over 30 hours and supports 25 percent faster wireless charging than the Pixel 10.

The Pixel 11 also features an upgraded camera and a camera bump that’s over 40 percent thinner than the Pixel 10’s. It includes 48MP wide, 13MP ultra-wide, and 10.8MP 5x telephoto lenses on the back and a 10.5MP selfie camera on the front. Google says the 48MP wide lens has 56 percent more light sensitivity and the 5x telephoto lens supports up to 30x Super Zoom.

Unfortunately, the Pixel 11 also got a $100 price bump — it now starts at $899, but the base configuration has 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, rather than the 128GB of storage in the Pixel 10’s starting configuration. It launches on August 20th.

Google’s Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL include a new feature in the camera bar called HiLight, which is an LED indicator light for things like Gemini interactions and incoming calls from favorite contacts. Google says the little LED will get more capabilities down the line, like signaling message notifications from frequent contacts.

The Pixel 11 Pro also features an upgraded display that maxes out at 3,600 nits. Inside, it has Google’s Tensor G6 chip like the base Pixel 11. The camera includes a new 48MP telephoto lens with up to 120x Pro Zoom and a new 50MP wide lens, along with a 48MP ultra-wide lens and a 42MP selfie camera. According to Google, it offers over 30 hours of battery life and over 29 percent faster wireless charging compared to the Pixel 10 Pro / Pro XL.

The Pixel 11 Pro starts at $1,099 with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM while the Pro XL starts at $1,299 with the same specs. The 512GB and 1TB storage options include 16GB of RAM. The Pro and Pro XL are both available in four colors: canyon, fog, olive, and matte obsidian.

Google says the Pixel 11 Pro Fold features the thinnest bezels ever on a Fold and claims it’s three times as durable as the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, with IP68 water and dust resistance and a back material that’s “designed to be nearly impossible to crack.”

The Fold’s displays are 20 percent brighter than last year’s model and the inner display goes up to 3,600 nits of brightness like the Pixel 11 Pro / Pro XL. It also runs on Google’s Tensor G6 chip and offers up to 24 hours of battery life. The camera includes a new 48MP wide lens plus a 10.5MP ultra-wide lens and a 10.8MP telephoto lens with up to 30x Super Zoom.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold costs $100 more than last year’s model, starting at $1,899 for a base configuration with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM and two color options: olive and black.

In addition to hardware upgrades, Google’s also introducing some new features for taking photos and videos across its new lineup of phones. The Camera app has a new capture mode called Magic Capture that can pull photos and clips out of video recordings.

There are also Camera Looks, which offers customizable, stylized photo presets that change how your phone processes the photo, rather than simply applying a filter. The various Looks include styles like minimal, editorial, and “digi,” which mimics digital cameras. The Pixel 11 Pro also has a new Pro Stable Video feature Google says can record at up to 8K.

A new Creator tab in the Camera app has a “Creator Suite” with tools for trimming and reordering videos, an onscreen teleprompter, and improved Speech Enhancement.

The new Pixel Watch 5 might look essentially the same as the previous version, but it includes some major new software features. Breathing Emergency Detection, a follow-up to last year’s Loss of Pulse feature, can trigger an emergency call if the watch detects a significant, sustained drop in blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). The Pixel Watch 5 can also track nightly sleep breathing quality and sum up the data in monthly reports. Starting in September, Google’s also introducing Blood Pressure Trends and Insulin Resistance Trends.

The Pixel Watch 5 has some new workout features, as well, like AI-generated strength training plans and the option to track reps directly from your watch. Google claims it includes the “most accurate GPS route tracking for exercise, outperforming Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro.”

Unfortunately, this year’s Pixel Watch is a little pricier — it got a $50 price bump and now starts at $399. It’s available in two sizes, 45mm and 41mm, and four colors: black, white, olive green, and pink. There’s also a Steph Curry special edition that costs $579 and launches a bit later on September 3rd.

Google’s taking on Apple’s AirTag with the Pixel Tag, its own item tracker, launching on November 11th for $29 individually or $99 for a pack of four. It’s oblong rather than round, measuring 1.1 inches by 1.8 inches (the AirTag is 1.26 inches across). The tracker is IP67 water and dust resistant and Google says its replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery lasts over a year.

Google is releasing the two-year-old Pixel Buds Pro 2 in a new olive green color on August 12th, which matches the olive Pixel 11 Pro and Pro Fold. In September, Google’s also rolling out a firmware update for the Buds Pro 2 that’s supposed to improve the earbuds’ Active Noise Cancellation.