The Pixel 11 Launch Is a Month Away — And the Leaks Are Piling Up
With Google's hardware event reportedly landing on August 12, the leak floodgates have opened. Over the past few days we've gotten a clearer picture of two very different but equally important parts of the story: what you'll pay for a Pixel 11, and what it will actually look like in one of its new colors.
Storage Shake-Up: Goodbye, 128GB
According to a pricing leak from French deals site Dealabs, Google appears set to drop the 128GB entry-level tier across the entire Pixel 11 lineup. Instead, every model — from the standard Pixel 11 up through the Pixel 11 Pro Fold — will reportedly start at 256GB, with top-end configurations climbing as high as 1TB.
The leaked storage tiers break down as follows:
- Pixel 11: 256GB and 512GB
- Pixel 11 Pro: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB
- Pixel 11 Pro XL: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB
- Pixel 11 Pro Fold: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB
This would bring Google in line with rival flagship makers, many of whom have already phased out 128GB base models in favor of higher minimum storage.
What It'll Cost You
The extra storage doesn't come free. Leaked European pricing suggests increases of roughly €100 across most models compared to last year:
| Model | Storage | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel 11 | 256GB | €999 / £879 |
| Pixel 11 | 512GB | €1,129 / £999 |
| Pixel 11 Pro | 256GB | €1,199 / £1,079 |
| Pixel 11 Pro | 512GB | €1,329 / £1,199 |
| Pixel 11 Pro | 1TB | €1,589 / £1,429 |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL | 256GB | €1,399 / £1,279 |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL | 512GB | €1,529 / £1,399 |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL | 1TB | €1,789 / £1,629 |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold | 256GB | €1,999 / £1,799 |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold | 512GB | €2,129 / £1,919 |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold | 1TB | €2,389 / £2,149 |
Look closely and the story splits in two. For the standard Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro, the new entry price essentially matches what last year's 256GB variant already cost — you're not paying more for the same storage, you're just losing the option to buy less of it. The Pro XL and Pro Fold, on the other hand, appear to be getting straight €100 price hikes at every storage tier, with no offsetting benefit. No U.S. pricing has leaked yet, so it remains to be seen how this translates stateside.
Analysts point to rising component costs — particularly for RAM and storage chips — as the likely driver behind the industry-wide price creep.
New Colors, Confirmed: A First Look at 'Pine'
While the pricing leak paints the financial picture, a separate leak from Mystic Leaks has given us our first real look at one of the new color options: Pine, reportedly coming to the Pixel 11 Pro Fold (and likely shared across the Pro and Pro XL as well).
The render shows a darker, muted green — lighter than you might expect given the name — paired with a light gold frame and matching 'G' logo. Compared to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the rear design looks largely familiar, with the Fold retaining its satin-finish frame while the standard Pro models are expected to stick with a glossier finish.
A Redesigned Camera Bar
The more interesting details are around the camera housing. Compared to last year's Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold's camera bar appears slightly narrower, with the lens cutouts extending all the way to the edge and no excess metal framing them. The layout has also shifted:
- The main and ultrawide cameras now sit at the bottom of the bar, alongside the autofocus sensor (previously positioned above the lenses).
- The telephoto lens occupies the top-right position.
- The camera flash, top-left, appears noticeably larger than before — nearly the size of a full lens.
That oversized flash module has fueled speculation about Pixel Glow, a rumored lighting feature previously spotted in Android 17 beta builds. Some have theorized the feature could take the form of a light ring running around the perimeter of the camera bar, though based on this render it's unclear exactly where that would physically fit — so the flash-based theory may be the more plausible one for now.
The Bigger Color Lineup
Pine joins a broader list of colors rumored for the Pixel 11 family, which reportedly also includes Light Sterling, Midnight Haze, Fuchsia, Moss, Light Fog, and Dune.
What This Means for Buyers
Between the storage overhaul and the price increases, the calculus for prospective buyers is shifting. If you always intended to buy a higher-storage Pixel anyway, the new baseline might actually work in your favor. But if you were hoping to grab the cheapest possible Pixel 11, that option is disappearing.
As always, Google's past Pixel launches have been followed by steady post-launch discounts, so patient buyers — or those satisfied with the current Pixel 10 generation — may find better value by waiting rather than jumping in on day one.
With pre-orders expected to open around the August 12 event and a possible on-sale date of August 20, we won't have to wait long to find out how much of this leaked information holds up.
