The short version
- The Pixel 11 starts at $1,499 and the Pixel 11 Pro at $1,849, the same money as a 256 GB Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro last year. WhistleOut and Finder both frame it as no change.
- But the entry price went up. There is no 128 GB model any more. Last year you could walk out with a Pixel 10 for $1,349 and a Pixel 10 Pro for $1,699; the ACS’s Information Age calls this year’s entry prices rises of 11 and 9 per cent, and on the cheapest-phone-you-can-buy measure that is correct.
- The base Pro and Pro XL now have 12 GB of RAM, down from 16 GB. You get 16 GB only from the 512 GB tier up. On our arithmetic the cheapest 16 GB Pixel Pro is now $2,049, against $1,699 a year ago.
- The Pro XL and Pro Fold are $100 dearer at $2,099 and $2,799. Google’s stated reason is a “severe, supplier-driven RAM shortage”, the same one Apple and Samsung have cited.
- Some of the launch does not apply here. The Pixel Watch 5’s Loss of Pulse Detection is unavailable in Australia, and the new Sign to Text feature launched for American Sign Language with no Auslan support or timeline, per iTWire.
What was announced
Four phones on one chip. All specifications below are Google’s claims as reported at launch; none has been verified by us.
The common base. Every Pixel 11 runs Google’s Tensor G6 with a Titan M3 security chip, ships with Android 17 and carries seven years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates. Google’s performance claims, as iTWire reported them, are 25 per cent faster web browsing, 15 per cent quicker app launches and 50 per cent more TPU compute than the G5. All four are IP68 and support Google’s magnetic Pixelsnap wireless charging. The camera bar is, per iTWire, 40 per cent thinner across the range.
Pixel 11. A 3,000-nit display, a claimed 30-plus hours of battery, and Digital Super Zoom extended to 30x from 20x. Finder and WhistleOut both list 12 GB of RAM; see the note on disagreements below.
Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL. 3,600-nit panels, Pro Zoom to 120x from 100x, a redesigned telephoto lens Google says captures 32 per cent more light, and an Instant Night Sight mode for faster low-light shots. The Pro charges at 30 W, which Google says reaches about 55 per cent in half an hour; the Pro XL is quoted at up to 30 hours of battery and a 45 W charge (adapter sold separately) that Google says gives 15 hours of use from 15 minutes on the cable.
Pixel 11 Pro Fold. About 10 per cent lighter than its predecessor at 239 g against 258 g, a hinge Google claims is three times as durable, and a main camera it says captures 56 per cent more light. Battery is quoted at 24-plus hours.
Gemini. The software pitch is agentic: Gemini acting across apps on your behalf, which iTWire reports covers bookings and orders across more than 40 food, retail and travel apps at launch, plus a Magic Capture mode that records photo and video in one tap, custom “Camera Looks” filters and Circle to Search from the viewfinder. We covered what handing your apps to an AI agent means for security in our agentic browser snapshot; the same questions apply on a phone.
What it costs here, tier by tier
Australian recommended retail prices, including GST, as reported by iTWire on 15 August, with the change against the equivalent Pixel 10 tier where WhistleOut and Finder give one.
| Pixel 11 256 GB | $1,499, same as a 256 GB Pixel 10 (no 128 GB model this year; the 128 GB Pixel 10 was $1,349) |
|---|---|
| Pixel 11 512 GB | $1,699 |
| Pixel 11 Pro 256 GB | $1,849, same as a 256 GB Pixel 10 Pro, but with 12 GB of RAM instead of 16 GB (the 128 GB Pixel 10 Pro was $1,699) |
| Pixel 11 Pro 512 GB | $2,049, 16 GB RAM |
| Pixel 11 Pro 1 TB | $2,399, 16 GB RAM |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL 256 GB | $2,099, up $100, and 12 GB RAM instead of 16 GB |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL 512 GB | $2,299, up $100, 16 GB RAM |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL 1 TB | $2,649, up $100, 16 GB RAM |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold 256 GB | $2,799, up $100, 16 GB RAM |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold 512 GB | $2,999, up $100, 16 GB RAM |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold 1 TB | $3,349 per iTWire; availability disputed, see below |
| Pixel Watch 5 (41 mm, Wi-Fi) | $649, up from $579 for the Pixel Watch 4 |
Read the right-hand column carefully and the pattern is that Google kept the prices people remember and changed the things they do not. The storage steps are unremarkable: $200 from 256 GB to 512 GB on every model, and $350 from 512 GB to 1 TB on the Pro and Pro XL. Unlike Apple, which made its big 1 TB and 2 TB rises the headline of its September repricing, Google has not loaded the top tiers. It has trimmed the bottom one.
The rise you have to go looking for
Google explained the memory change in a statement quoted by Information Age: “The tech industry is navigating a severe, supplier-driven RAM shortage and we will need to adjust Pixel 11 pricing and RAM configurations to mitigate this while delivering maximum value.” That is the same shortage, driven by AI data-centre demand for memory chips, that we tracked through laptop and SSD prices in August and that Apple’s leadership cited before its own September price rises.
Our arithmetic on what that means for a Pro buyer who wants the same 16 GB of memory as last year:
| Cheapest 16 GB Pixel Pro, 2025 | Pixel 10 Pro 128 GB, $1,699 |
|---|---|
| Cheapest 16 GB Pixel Pro, 2026 | Pixel 11 Pro 512 GB, $2,049 |
| Difference | $350, about 21 per cent, though you also get four times the storage |
| Cheapest 16 GB Pro XL, 2026 | Pixel 11 Pro XL 512 GB, $2,299, $300 more than last year’s 16 GB 256 GB Pro XL at $1,999 |
Whether 12 GB against 16 GB matters to you depends on how much on-device AI you run. Reasoning beyond the sources: Google’s pitch for this generation is Gemini doing more work locally and across apps, which is exactly the workload that benefits from more memory, and the extra RAM is a large part of why last year’s Pro models were marketed as AI phones. For a buyer who mostly photographs, messages and browses, 12 GB is plenty and the base Pro is last year’s price. For a buyer keeping the phone for all seven years of updates, while Google adds more on-device AI features, it is a reasonable argument for the 512 GB tier.
Pro Fold against Galaxy Z Fold8
Samsung’s foldables went on sale in Australia six days before Google’s, on 14 August, and with the same explanation for higher prices: Finder reports Samsung attributing its rises to “rising component costs and memory prices”. Using Finder’s Samsung prices and iTWire’s Google prices:
| 256 GB | Pixel 11 Pro Fold $2,799 (16 GB RAM) · Galaxy Z Fold8 $2,699 (12 GB) · Z Fold8 Ultra $2,999 (12 GB) |
|---|---|
| 512 GB | Pixel 11 Pro Fold $2,999 (16 GB) · Galaxy Z Fold8 $2,999 (12 GB) · Z Fold8 Ultra $3,299 (12 GB) |
| 1 TB | Pixel 11 Pro Fold $3,349 (disputed) · Galaxy Z Fold8 $3,599 (16 GB) · Z Fold8 Ultra $3,899 (16 GB) |
Reasoning beyond the sources: at 512 GB the two are the same price, and the Pixel is the one that kept 16 GB of memory at every tier, which makes the Fold the only Pixel this year where Google did not trim the RAM. Both undercut the iPhone Duo at every tier: at 256 GB, Apple’s first foldable is $3,499, $700 more than the Pixel, and at 512 GB it is $3,899, $900 more. None of the three had been through an independent Australian durability test that we could find as at our capture date, and hinge life is the thing a spec sheet cannot tell you.
What does not work in Australia
iTWire’s launch report lists three gaps for local buyers. The Pixel Watch 5’s Loss of Pulse Detection, which can call emergency services if your heart appears to stop, is not available in Australia. Its breathing-emergency detection is Europe-only. And the Pixel’s new Sign to Text feature launched for American Sign Language only, with no Auslan support and no stated timeline. Several of the watch’s new health features, including insulin-resistance trends and blood-pressure monitoring, were scheduled to roll out from September; we could not confirm which of those have reached Australian accounts. We looked at why health features arrive here late, and what the TGA has to do with it, in our wearable health sensors snapshot.
Where the sources disagree
The Pro Fold 1 TB. iTWire lists a $3,349 1 TB Pro Fold and Finder describes a $60 rise on the 1 TB tier; Information Age reports that the 1 TB Pro Fold was discontinued, and WhistleOut lists the Fold in 256 GB and 512 GB only. We could not load Google’s Australian store to settle it. Treat the 1 TB Fold as unconfirmed and check the store before relying on it.
The standard Pixel 11’s RAM. Finder and WhistleOut both give 12 GB; iTWire’s wording suggests 16 GB. We have used 12 GB, the figure two of three outlets agree on and the same as the Pixel 10.
We also could not verify any specification. The camera, battery and charging figures are Google’s claims.
What to do with this if you are buying
- Compare like with like. A 256 GB Pixel 11 is last year’s price; a Pixel 11 is not last year’s cheapest Pixel. If your budget was $1,349, the options are a discounted Pixel 10 while stock lasts or waiting for the Pixel 11a, which Information Age says is expected in 2027.
- Decide on RAM before storage. If you want 16 GB in a Pro, the decision is made for you: it is the 512 GB model or more.
- Check the discounts. Five weeks after launch, telco and retailer offers are common on both Pixel and Galaxy phones; TechRadar and WhistleOut track the current plans. Recommended retail is a ceiling, not a price.
- If Loss of Pulse Detection is why you want a Pixel Watch 5, it does not work here yet.
The bottom line
Google had the same memory problem as Apple and Samsung and chose a quieter answer: hold the numbers on the box, remove the cheapest configuration, and take 4 GB of RAM out of the phones where most buyers will not notice. For the typical buyer of a 256 GB Pixel 11 or Pixel 11 Pro, nothing has changed. For anyone who bought a Pixel on price, or a Pro for its memory, the phone is effectively $150 to $350 dearer. That is still gentler than the rises at the top of Apple’s range, and at 512 GB the Pro Fold now matches Samsung’s Fold8 on price while beating it on memory. It is also the third flagship launch in two months where the component market, not the manufacturer, set the price.
Sources
Figures and quotes above are drawn from these sources, captured 26 September 2026:
- iTWire - Google’s Pixel 11 lands in Australia from $1,499 (15 August 2026): the full Australian price table by tier including the $3,349 1 TB Pro Fold, the Pixel Watch 5 price, the Tensor G6 performance claims, the camera bar, the Pro and Pro XL charging and battery claims, the Gemini app actions, the Pixel Watch 5 features and their Australian unavailability, and the Sign to Text Auslan gap.
- Information Age (ACS) - Google hikes prices, trims RAM on Pixel 11 line (Tom Williams, 13 August 2026): the 11 and 9 per cent entry-price rises, the 16 GB to 12 GB reduction on the base Pro and Pro XL, the Pixel Watch 5 against the $579 Pixel Watch 4, the reported discontinuation of the 1 TB Pro Fold, Google’s RAM-shortage statement and the 2027 Pixel 11a timing.
- WhistleOut - Google Pixel 11 devices are unsurprisingly all more expensive (Alex Choros, 13 August 2026): the Pixel 10 256 GB comparison prices, the no-128 GB observation, the storage tiers by model and the 12 GB standard Pixel 11.
- Finder - Google Pixel 11 series: the price increase and all the biggest changes (Mariam Gabaji, 13 August 2026): the 20 August on-sale date, the Tensor G6 and Titan M3, display brightness, zoom and telephoto claims, the Pro Fold weight, durability and camera claims, battery claims, seven years of updates, the year-on-year price changes and the Gemini camera features.
- Finder - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8: a new foldable joins the lineup, but prices are up (Mariam Gabaji, 22 July 2026): the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra Australian prices and RAM by tier, the 14 August release, and Samsung’s component-cost explanation.
- TechRadar - The best Google Pixel 11 plans in Australia: referenced for current plan and retailer offers.
- New Technology - Apple’s September event in Australian dollars (16 September 2026) and our RAM and SSD price snapshot: our earlier coverage of the memory shortage referred to above.