The countdown to the Pixel 11 launch has officially begun

by · Android Police

Google's next Pixel event will take place on August 12 in New York. The company is sending out invitations to the event to select influencers and media outlets. It comes within hours of a leak revealing the alleged pricing and release date of the Pixel 11 lineup.

In the last couple of years, Google has moved the Pixel launch timeline from October to August. So, the Pixel 11 debuting in the second week of August is not a surprise.

The New York event on August 12 will start at 3 PM PT/6 PM ET, a few hours later than usual.

Based on leaks, the Pixel 11 Pro family may not include any radical design changes. The Pro models may sport a "Pixel Glow," which seems to be an LED strip surrounding the camera bar, but that's about it.

Most of the changes will be internal, including a Tensor G6 chip with updated CPU, GPU, and NPU. More importantly, rumors indicate that the Pixel 11 will mark the end of Google's use of Samsung's problematic Exynos modem, switching to a MediaTek baseband instead. That could finally address one of the Pixel lineup’s biggest weaknesses: poor 5G performance and excessive power consumption.

Unfortunately, the new Tensor SoC may use the same PowerVR GPU found in the Pixel 10 Pro. The GPU received heavy criticism for its poor graphics performance, and it doesn’t appear Google will do much to improve the situation this time around.

A new gold color?

Google's event invite shows the Pixel 11 in a gold/copper-like color. That's not a shade that has come up in previous leaks, so it seems the company may at least have some surprises in store for the event.

Alongside the Pixel 11, Google should also announce the Pixel Watch 5 at its NYC event. While it may retain the same design as the Pixel Watch 4, it could feature a new in-house Tensor chip for better performance and longer battery life.

With just over a month to go before the Pixel 11 launch, we should be hearing more details about Google's upcoming flagship phones and the Pixel Watch through leaks and rumours.