the date of the conference is official, and a historical version disappears

Google confirms that its Made by Google back-to-school conference will be held on August 12, 2026. The Pixel 11 range will be unveiled there with a complete overhaul of prices and basic storage.

The summer of smartphones is in full swing and Google has decided not to let Samsung occupy the media space for long. The Mountain View firm has officially sent its invitations for its back-to-school conference Made by Googleprogrammed for August 12, 2026 in New York. Unusually, the festivities will begin in the evening, at 6:00 p.m. local time (midnight in France).

If the animation accompanying the invitation feigns mystery by revealing the golden silhouette of a future device, the leaker car car-only dampened the suspense by exclusively publishing the entire calendar on Dealabscolors and the European price list of the range Pixel 11.

The end of 128 GB of storage

This is undoubtedly the most important change and the best surprise of this 2026 vintage. Google has chosen to remove the basic 128 GB configuration. From now on, the standard Google Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro, the Pro XL and the folding Pro Fold all start directly at 256 GB of storage.

By adjusting its technical sheet to align with high-end competition, Google is doing double duty. If we compare the prices of the 256 GB versions with those of the Pixel 10 generation, prices remain strictly unchanged for the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro. Excellent news for users’ wallets in the midst of soaring memory chip costs.

On the other hand, the pill will be a little harder to swallow on very large format models. The Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold see a net increase of 100 euros across their entire storage capacities compared to their predecessors.

Here is the European price list which should be made official during the event:

A refined design and the appearance of “Pixel Glow”

On a purely material level, leaks shared earlier this year by OnLeaks are confirmed. The standard Pixel 11 should offer thinner screen borders, while the Pro and Pro Fold versions will offer a slight slimming treatment to gain finesse.

The horizontal photo block would also undergo a visual overhaul by abandoning the aluminum area surrounding the flash for a uniformly black module. Google would integrate a major novelty: the disappearance of the infrared temperature sensor in favor of a RGB LED called Pixel Glow. Spotted in the Android 17 beta, this rear light strip will serve as an indicator for notifications or the status of the device.

Under the hood, the whole family would come alive thanks to the chip Tensor G6 engraved in 2 nm by TSMC. Unfortunately, fans of biometric security will probably have to be patient: the Project Toscanawhich was supposed to introduce a 3D infrared facial unlocking system hidden under the screen to match Apple’s Face ID, has reportedly been pushed back to a later generation.

Pre-order calendar and new colors

To accompany this announcement, Google is renewing its aesthetic catalog with new names. The Pixel 11 will be available in gray (Light Sterling), noir (Midnight Haze), rose (Fuchsia) and green (Moss). The Pro and Pro XL versions will swap pink for a beige-pink shade (Dune) and a misty white (Light Fog). The folding model, the Pro Fold, will have to be limited to black and forest green (Pine). The 1 TB version will be exclusive in black color for all devices.

In terms of calendar, the overall presentation of the conference and the immediate opening of pre-orders will take place on August 12, 2026. The final marketing and the first deliveries to stores will take place a week later, August 20, 2026.

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Source :

Ars Technica