While the actual Made by Google 2026 event is still eight hours away, Google has already fully detailed the Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, and Pixel Tag.
Here’s a rundown of everything announced at Made by Google 2026, covering the Pixel 11 lineup along with the new watch and tracker hardware.
Pixel 11
The Pixel 11 features an all-glass Camera Bar that’s 40% thinner than the previous generation and protrudes noticeably less. Google says the plateau “practically” disappears when using an official case.
The phone gets a larger 48MP wide sensor offering 56% more light sensitivity and a slightly wider field of view. The Tensor G6 chip unlocks 30x SuperRes Zoom paired with the 5x telephoto lens.
The chip is paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is now the new baseline configuration. This year’s base phone supports 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging, up from 15W, delivering charging speeds up to 25% faster, though the quoted 30+ hours of battery life remains unchanged from last year.
The Pixel 11 is available in Frost, Obsidian, Hibiscus, and Pistachio, starting at $899.
Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL
The edge-to-edge Camera Bar on the Pro series houses what Google calls “HiLight.” Replacing the temperature sensor after three generations, this is a ring of ambient LEDs built around the flash, designed to help users stay connected when the Pixel 11 Pro is face down. For example, it provides visual feedback confirming Gemini heard a request, using different light patterns for listening, thinking, and responding, similar to how Google Home Speakers behave. Custom colors can also be set to pulse when favorite contacts call through Phone by Google and WhatsApp, with future updates planned to add capabilities like message notifications. HiLight is enabled and customized with one of five colors directly from a contact’s page in Google Contacts.
The Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL introduce a new 50MP wide sensor and a 48MP telephoto lens, both featuring larger image sensors with 30% more light sensitivity. This enables Portrait Mode at 5x zoom and 120x Pro Zoom, thanks to the Tensor G6 chip and Google’s latest imaging models. The chip and redesigned software also enable Instant Night Sight, which is up to 4.5x faster than before.
The Super Actua display now reaches 3,600 nits of peak brightness and is twice as scratch-resistant thanks to a new coating.
The Tensor G6 is paired with 12GB of RAM on the 256GB model. Acknowledging the 4GB reduction from last year, Google credits software and silicon optimization for delivering faster, smoother performance compared to last year’s Pro devices. Upgrading to the 512GB or 1TB models bumps RAM up to 16GB.
On the 11 Pro XL, faster wired charging delivers up to 75% battery in about 30 minutes, while wireless charging is 29% faster thanks to 25W Qi2.2 support.
The phones come in Canyon, Fog, Olive, and an all-matte Obsidian finish for the first time, with Google drawing inspiration from the natural world for this year’s colorways. The 6.3-inch Pixel 11 Pro starts at $1,099, while the 6.8-inch Pixel 11 Pro XL starts at $1,299. On Pro phones, Google now only includes six months of AI Pro access.
Pixel 11 Pro Fold
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is nearly 10% lighter, dropping from 258g to 239g, and 0.7 millimeters thinner than last year’s model. The foldable is now 3x more durable thanks to a new glass fiber composite back cover in matte finish that Google describes as “nearly impossible to crack.” A redesigned hinge also protects the inner display from accidental drops.
The outer 6.5-inch display now uses Super Actua technology, 20% brighter than before, and is protected by a glass ceramic cover. The inner Super Actua Flex display, now reaching 3,600 nits, features thinner bezels and thicker ultra-thin glass with dual layers of anti-impact film for improved crease performance.
A new 48MP wide camera sensor improves light sensitivity by 56%, while the telephoto camera supports 30x Super Zoom. HiLight is also included on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
The Tensor G6 is paired with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Battery capacity has shrunk from 5,015mAh to 4,750mAh, but the device remains rated for 24+ hours of usage, with 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging support.
Live Transcribe in Gboard now supports American Sign Language. Sign-to-Text lets users “sign into the front camera while the viewer sees the transcription on the outer display.” This is joined by Android 17’s Bubble Bar in the bottom-right corner and two new Made You Look animations in the Camera app.
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold sees a $100 price increase to $1,899, though it now comes standard with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Tensor G6
The new Gemini Nano 4 model benefits from a TPU with 50% more compute and 2x the memory bandwidth. This translates to on-device AI tasks running up to 3.5 times faster while using up to 3.5 times less energy.
Meanwhile, the CPU delivers 15% faster app loading and 25% faster web browsing.
An upgraded ISP (Image Signal Processor) unlocks camera features like expanded zoom ranges and low-light improvements. A new custom accelerator is designed to capture and render portrait video for 4K Bokeh video.
There’s also a new Titan M3 security chip designed to help protect against future quantum computing threats.
New Pixel Camera and Video Features
While the Camera app mostly looks the same, Google has made a number of changes to support the new features. Quick access controls now expand beyond white balance, exposure, and shadows to include new sliders for Looks, Focus, Shutter Speed, and ISO. The new interface also lets users choose which apps appear on the left and right edges of the viewfinder after a tap.
Magic Capture works a bit like Google Clips, letting users start a session while Google automatically picks the best HDR+ photos and videos. Accessed from a new tab next to the camera and video modes, it analyzes around 500 frames to find the right shot, with optional cropping, straightening, Unblur, and other light edits available. The goal is to let people simply point the camera and stay in the moment.
Camera Looks lets users set a default aesthetic at the time of capture. Google made adjustments to its camera pipeline, including “merging fewer frames than usual for a minimally processed feel” and “rewriting color lookup tables at the sensor level to emulate classic film chemistry.” The Pixel 11 offers these alternate HDR options:
- Natural: Relaxed details
- Shadows: Deeper contrast
- Vanilla: Warmer, softer tone with a golden hue
There are also Stylistic Looks, including Digi, Black Tie, Minimal, Editorial, Classic, and Velvet, with further editing available on top of each.
On-device video processing benefits from refined sharpening, noise reduction, and detail handling, while Pro Stable Video on the Pixel 11 Pro activates automatically in shaky, brightly lit scenes. A new Creator Suite adds several tools to the Camera app:
- Teleprompter: Scrolls as you talk, adjusting for pacing and pauses to match delivery
- Project Folders: Save clips to a specific location
- Audio Visualizer: For microphone checks in the Camera viewfinder
- Storyboard: Trim and rearrange clips, powered by Google Photos
- Social Media Grid Lines
Gemini Intelligence
Task automation on the Pixel 11 series now works across more apps, letting users offload orders and bookings. Gemini can also dial businesses directly to complete tasks on a user’s behalf.
Gboard Rambler goes beyond literal speech-to-text by filtering out run-on sentences and filler words like “umm” or “ah.” When active, Rambler takes over Gboard’s suggestion strip with a new waveform animation, capturing intent for a cleaner, more concise voice transcription.
Proactive Assistance, previously known as Magic Cue, now provides contextual suggestions across more scenarios with a richer interface. Tapping these chips brings up a new bottom sheet showing rich flight details with links to live status, Google Maps listings, a preview of the Calendar when scheduling, tasks like booking a table, and comparisons. Gemini Intelligence can also suggest saving events to Calendar and other details to Google Wallet.
Google is also previewing a new At a Glance capability that uses location data to surface loyalty cards at stores and relevant Google Maps listings when at restaurants.
Last year’s Live Translate feature for phone calls is now extending to podcasts and videos on YouTube and other supported apps, enabling real-time audio dubbing thanks to the Tensor G6.
New Pixelsnap Accessories
The latest Pixelsnap Cases now match the phone colors, and a new Clear Case is available this year. The Pixelsnap Ring Stand comes in Canyon, Olive, and Obsidian.
Pixel Tag
The Google Pixel Tag is a Find Hub tracker priced at $29, or $99 for a 4-pack. It’s pill-shaped with a “G” logo and a removable coin cell battery on the back. This accessory won’t be available until November 11.
Pixel Buds Pro 2 Update
There’s a new Pixel Buds Pro 2 color option in Olive. More notably, a significant software update for the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Pixel Buds 2a is coming in September. The new Pro 2 firmware improves noise cancellation based on how the buds sit in the ear, with Google saying it “will adjust to compensate when subtle shifts in the seal happen.”
Both the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Pixel Buds 2a will also gain Gemini audio control, letting users adjust settings through voice commands like “Hey Google, turn up the bass.”
Pixel Watch sleep sync detects when a user falls asleep to pause music, disable touch, and silence notifications. Upgraded Live Translate lets users tap to “trigger listening mode and understand over 70 languages in near real time.”
Pixel Watch 5
The Pixel Watch 5’s external design remains unchanged from last year. Inside, it’s now powered by the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated, delivering a 12% boost in CPU processing power, with RAM increasing from 2GB to 3GB. These upgrades, combined with the new M55 co-processor, make the device 20% faster overall. Google also doubled onboard storage to 64GB.
The Pixel Watch 5 offers 2x more accurate route tracking and mapping in downtown areas, trails, and other challenging environments, with Google claiming it beats the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro in this regard.
Health upgrades this year improve the strength and HIIT workout experience, introduce Bedtime Automations, add Breathing Emergency Detection, and enable blood pressure and insulin resistance trend tracking.
This year brings two new watch faces, Weave and Chronograph, along with new complication styles. Generative UI watch faces are also included, functioning somewhat like AI-generated wallpapers for the watch face itself.
Gemini Intelligence brings At a Glance to the bottom of the watch face for flight details, boarding passes, and transit stops. Proactive Suggestions can appear in apps like Google Messages as one-tap actions. Support for offline Gemini commands also lets users control timers and alarms, as well as start workouts, without a network connection.
The Pixel Watch 5 starts at $399 for the 41mm model (a $50 increase) and $429 for the 45mm model (a $30 increase), with cellular versions costing $100 more.
Google Pixel Watch 5 (45mm)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8
Robert Haba is the founder and editor-in-chief of Droid Tools. A lifelong gadget enthusiast with over a decade following the Android ecosystem, he built this publication to cut through the noise and give readers honest, real-world coverage of the tech they actually use.
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