Google convenes its biggest hardware event of the year in New York on Wednesday evening, when the company is expected to unveil the Pixel 11 line and a new smartwatch in front of a celebrity-studded audience. The livestream begins at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) on the Made by Google YouTube channel and the Google Store, hosted for a second consecutive year by comedian Trevor Noah. Google's own promotion for the show has named podcaster Alex Cooper, NBA champion Stephen Curry, cricket star Shubman Gill and actress Ayami Nakajo among the guests expected to appear, though it remains unclear which of them will show up in person versus in prerecorded segments, as Curry did at last year's event.
The headline announcement is expected to be the Pixel 11 family, which Google has already teased will include a standard Pixel 11 alongside Pro models, with pre-orders confirmed to open today. A Pixel Watch 5 is also expected, reportedly arriving in two case sizes. Beyond confirming that a launch is happening and that pre-orders start today, Google has kept pricing, full specifications and exact model names under wraps ahead of the keynote — leaving most of what follows sourced to pre-event reporting and leaks rather than the company itself.
What's confirmed, what's still rumor
Multiple outlets tracking Google's supply chain and marketing materials expect four phones — Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and a second-generation Pixel 11 Pro Fold — built around a new Tensor G6 processor. According to a series of leaks compiled by 9to5Google, the chip would be Google's first built on TSMC's 2-nanometer process, a jump from the 3nm node used in last year's Tensor G5, and would pair with a switch to a MediaTek modem that leakers say should help battery life and thermals. Leaked marketing renders reportedly show a gold metal frame option and a new "Pixel Glow" light for notifications.
Pricing leaks, still unconfirmed by Google, point to roughly $100 increases across the lineup: a base Pixel 11 rising from $799 to $899, the Pro starting near $1,099, the Pro XL near $1,199, and the foldable Pro Fold reaching as high as $1,899. Some leaks also suggest Google is dropping the base 128GB storage tier in favor of 256GB as the new starting point. None of these figures have been verified by Google, and actual pricing will not be known until the keynote.
Pixel phones remain a small slice of global smartphone shipments next to Samsung and Apple, but the line carries outsized importance for Google as the primary showcase for Gemini-powered software features before they reach the broader Android ecosystem. Moving the Tensor line to a 2nm process, if the leaks hold, would mark the biggest manufacturing jump in the chip's five-year history, promising efficiency gains that matter for running more AI processing directly on the device rather than in the cloud. Leaked marketing materials reviewed by outlets including Android Central and Gadget Hacks reference new Gemini-powered camera tools tied to the launch, though Google has not detailed them publicly.
This is the second straight year Google has held the event in New York rather than its usual Bay Area venues, and the later-than-usual 6 p.m. start time has fueled speculation about a longer show. Tech outlets have spent the summer compiling leak trackers and "should you wait" buying guides, a sign of how closely the pricing question in particular is being watched at a moment when flagship phones across the industry have grown steadily more expensive.
What to watch tonight
The clearest open questions heading into the keynote: whether the leaked prices hold up once Google confirms them on stage, how the company frames the Pro Fold's price against last year's foldable, what exactly the new Gemini camera and assistant features do in practice, and when the phones actually ship. If Google repeats last year's roughly week-long gap between pre-orders and availability, the Pixel 11 line could reach stores around Aug. 20, though the company has not confirmed a ship date.
Also unresolved is how much of the celebrity guest list appears live versus on tape, and whether the show leans further into entertainment programming — a format shift Google has embraced since moving the keynote to New York. Pre-orders open today regardless of what's announced on stage, meaning shoppers will effectively be buying before Google discloses full pricing and specs to the public; official detail pages are expected to go live alongside the broadcast.
