Google is about to take a storage option away from you, and honestly, that’s the more interesting story than the specs bump. According to a report from CNET, the entire Pixel 11 lineup will start at 256GB of storage, meaning the cheaper 128GB base models that have been around since the very first Pixel in 2016 are likely gone for good.
On paper, that sounds like progress. And in some ways it is. Anyone who’s picked up a Pixel with 128GB knows the pain: preinstalled apps alone can eat through 30GB before you’ve even downloaded anything. Add a few games, some social media apps, your camera roll, and you’re suddenly doing the awkward storage shuffle. So yes, bumping the floor to 256GB makes sense. It’s long overdue, actually.
But here’s the catch. Right now, US buyers can pick up a Pixel 10 with 128GB for $799, or step up to 256GB for $899. That $100 gap matters to a lot of people. With the Pixel 11, that choice disappears entirely. You’re paying for 256GB whether you want it or not. And Google’s vice president of devices already confirmed that US prices are going up, so Pixel 11 buyers are looking at paying more, full stop.
UK shoppers might actually get a small break, weirdly enough. Leaked pricing from Bluesky suggests the Pixel 11 will start at £879, slightly below the Pixel 10’s £899 starting price for the same 256GB tier. The Pixel 11 Pro is also expected to drop slightly to £1,079 from £1,099. The Pro XL, though, goes the other direction, jumping to £1,279 versus the current £1,199. So it’s a mixed bag depending on which model you want.
Beyond storage and pricing, the leaks keep piling up ahead of the Made by Google event on August 12, where the Pixel 11 lineup is expected to be officially announced. Preorders should open the same day. The rumored battery specs are worth noting too: 4,985 mAh for the Pixel 11, 4,850 mAh for the Pro, and 5,115 mAh for the Pro XL. The standard and Pro XL are getting bigger batteries than their predecessors, while the Pro actually shrinks slightly. Slightly odd, but not alarming.
The other big design story is something being called “Pixel Glow,” a ring of LED lights around the camera array that reportedly acts as a notification system. Different light patterns for different alerts, whether that’s a text, a food delivery, or an incoming call. It’s a fun idea, and if it works well it could be genuinely useful. But it also has the potential to be a gimmick that drains your battery and annoys everyone around you. We’ll see.
Color options are still swirling around in leak territory, with names like frost, hibiscus, pistachio, and obsidian floating around for the base model, and canyon and obsidian for the Pro variants. None of this is confirmed yet and could change before August 12.
The removal of the 128GB option fits a broader trend in the industry. Flagship phones have been slowly pushing their base storage up for years, partly because it justifies higher pricing and partly because storage costs have dropped enough to make it viable. But Google positioning itself more firmly in premium territory means budget-conscious Android fans have fewer places to go. That’s the real shift here, and it’s worth paying attention to as we get closer to the official launch.