For the last few years, Google’s Pixel has been a showcase of new AI features, with few hardware changes from the previous year’s devices. Similarly, the Pixel 11 series isn’t too different in design and internals from its predecessor.

However, this year’s devices have more Gemini features to complete tasks in the background, including a new Wispr Flow-like transcription feature, a live translation feature that works across content, and a new camera feature that captures the right frames.

AI advances on the Pixel 11

With this year’s Pixel 11 series launch, Google is thinking more agentic AI to complete your tasks. With Gemini, U.S.-based users will be able to order groceries, book rides, or get coffee, for instance. Plus, Gemini can call businesses on users’ behalf for table reservations or appointments. Google said that users can take over or stop tasks at any point in time and also review transcripts for AI-operated calls.

Over the next few weeks, a new slate of connected apps will be able to work with Gemini to get things done, including Granola, Otter.ai, Wix, Fever, Get Your Guide, Localiza, OpenTable (UK), Ticketmaster, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Angi, Thumbtack, and Zocdoc.

The company has also evolved the “Magic Cue” feature from last year to use Gemini, which proactively surfaces contextual information, to now display information from across your apps to help you find suggestions for things like a dinner spot or show.

In May, Google announced a dictation product called Rambler to take on competitors like Wispr Flow and Aqua. Now, that product is making its way to the Pixel phones.

The new Pixel series phones have some other helpful features that might be handy for daily usage, too. First, the device can translate videos, podcasts, and voice messages in the target language. The company is also making its “Circle to Search” gesture-based feature available directly in the camera, something that Apple also did in iOS 27 by making Siri available in the camera.

What’s more, Google is adding an accessibility feature to the camera, which uses Gemini to translate sign language into text to help people communicate with others who have hearing impairments. And the company has redesigned the live transcribe interface for improved communication.

Camera features

Google also added a few AI tricks embedded into its camera. One feature is called “Magic Capture,” which picks the best frames out of hundreds of frames it captures between when users press start and end. The idea is to take a video and get photos as a byproduct. Google said that the feature also auto-crops and unblurs the frames to make them ready for sharing.

The company has upgraded its super zoom from 100x to 120x for Pro phones, and from 20x to 30x for the base Pixel 11. With the new devices, users will be able to create custom looks for the camera, which are specialized filters that appear when users are snapping images.

The Pro phones are also getting faster capture with a feature called “Instant Night Sight,” which takes 4.5x less time than the previous-gen phone’s Night Sight. Google enhanced video shooting, too, with support for 8K resolution with video boost and better stability.

For creators, Google added a “creator suite” mode in video settings, which lets you use Pixel 11 devices as a teleprompter while shooting clips. When you are done shooting, the clip is saved in a dedicated folder, making it easier to find for editing.

Hardware upgrades

All the Pixel phones now run the latest Tensor G6 processor, which has 20% better power efficiency and
allows for 25% faster browsing, as per Google. Plus, it lets users take faster low-light photos with Night Sight Instant.

The new image signal processing on the chip also enables 120x magic zoom on the Pixel 11 Pro XL. The company said that the new processors run the latest models with lower latency, but didn’t offer any specific metrics.

The display size on all phones is the same, but the Pro models get a slightly brighter display, which could be helpful in the daylight.

Google said Pro models get an updated main camera sensor that takes higher-quality photos than the previous generation without specifying any numbers. It also said the new telephoto sensor allows for 32% more light while capturing an image.

London-based startup Nothing made its phones recognizable by Glyph bars and then a Glyph interface. Google is not that extravagant, but it has now placed an LED light on the back, which is built around the flashlight. This acts as an indicator for calls or messages from favorite contacts when Gemini is thinking or listening.

All these devices are available to pre-order starting today and will start with a base storage of 256GB.

The Pixel 11 starts at $899, the 11 Pro starts at $1,099, and the 11 Pro XL starts at $1,299. (The prices of the Pixel 11 and the Pixel 11 Pro are the same as last year’s 256GB models, but you could buy a 128 GB model at that time with a $100 lower price tag.)

With the rising prices of components, the company has bumped the price of the top model by $100 compared to the Pixel 10 XL.

A new lineup of Pixel 11 accessories is also arriving alongside the phones, including new Pixelsnap cases (which now include clear) and Pixelsnap Ring Stand colors.

At its Made by Google event on Wednesday, Google will unveil the Pixel Watch 5 with a smarter Gemini experience, as well as advanced fitness and health monitoring. The new smartwatch, which starts at $399, can track blood pressure patterns and insulin resistance, as well as deliver personalized help and better sleep tracking.

Google says it’s designed the watch to deliver personalized and proactive help right when it’s needed. For example, the watch will proactively suggest relevant actions or information based on a text message’s context, like instantly pulling up a smoothie place your sister sent you.

You can raise your wrist to ask Gemini a question, handle requests like finding a nearby lunch spot with navigation, or use Gemini offline to manage timers, alarms, and workouts with your voice.

The watch will also dynamically surface timely updates right at the bottom of the watch face, like flight info, ETAs, and other helpful reminders.

As for the new health features, the tech giant says the smartwatch uses sensors and machine learning to track blood pressure patterns before they can put strain on your heart. Google says the feature was tested against 24-hour blood pressure monitors and uses an advanced waveform model trained on more than 1 billion minutes of data from over 500,000 people.

The insulin resistance feature is designed to identify changes in metabolic health that may be associated with insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The feature combines signals from sleep, heart rate, physical activity, and other health data. A large sensor model then analyzes these signals over time to identify long-term changes in insulin resistance.

Google will give users a summary of their blood pressure and insulin resistance trends every month.

There’s also a new feature that can detect a persistent drop in oxygen saturation and will contact emergency services if the watch determines that a breathing emergency may be occurring. This feature is launching in select European countries before expanding to additional regions.

Additionally, the watch’s sleep-stage tracking is 15% more accurate and there’s also a new bedtime watch face that reduces nighttime distractions. A new “Smart Wake” feature wakes users at an optimal point in their sleep cycle, while a new sleep breathing quality metric tracks minute-by-minute changes in blood oxygen levels.

As for fitness, Google says the Pixel Watch 5 delivers its most accurate GPS route tracking yet, with route mapping that’s two times more accurate than previous generations. The improved accuracy is designed to provide users with more precise workout and running data, including a closer match between your recorded route and the actual course.

The Pixel Watch 5 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 platform and has 12% more CPU performance and 50% more RAM than the previous platform. Google says the Watch 5 is 20% faster overall.

The Pixel Watch five supports up to 40 hours of battery life and is available in new colors, including Canyon Fog and Olive. The 41mm version starts at $399, while the 44mm starts at $429. The smartwatch is available for pre-order starting Wednesday and will be available on August 20.

Google held its Made by Google 2026 event on Wednesday, unveiling the Pixel 11 series, the Pixel Watch 5, and even a competitor to Apple’s AirTag. The tech giant also used the event to show off new Gemini-powered features across its devices.

Gemini gets more useful on Pixel

Google spent a good portion of the event talking about Gemini and other AI features coming to its devices.

One of the more notable accessibility updates is an expansion of “Live Transcribe” to support American Sign Language. Using the Pixel Camera, users can have sign language translated into text, giving people another way to communicate without relying on typing.

Google also introduced “Rambler,” a new voice-input feature designed to better understand the way people actually talk. Rather than requiring carefully phrased sentences, Rambler is designed to handle run-on sentences, filler words, and less structured speech while still figuring out what the user is trying to say.

There are a few smaller additions, too. “Circle to Search” can now be accessed more directly from the Pixel Camera, allowing users to identify objects, search for things in the distance, translate text, or ask questions about what’s around them without leaving the camera experience.

Pixel 11

The standard Pixel 11 gets a redesigned camera bar that is thinner than the one on the previous generation. Google says the new camera bar is more than 40% thinner and now uses an all-glass surface that stretches across the width of the phone. Google is also increasing the base storage to 256GB, doubling the previous starting capacity.

The starting price for the new model is set at $899, reflecting a $100 increase compared to the Pixel 10. This price hike comes with the decision to drop the 128GB storage option. Plus, the ongoing RAM supply shortage plays a part in this increase.

The Pixel 11 will be available in Frost, Hibiscus, Pistachio, and Obsidian.

Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL

Google is making durability a bigger part of the Pro lineup. The company says the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL have improved drop resistance and a new anti-scratch display coating that provides more than twice the scratch resistance of the Pixel 10 Pro models.

The Pixel 11 Pro starts at $1,099, compared to $999 for the Pixel 10 Pro.

The phones are available in Canyon, Fog, Olive, and Obsidian. Notably, this year’s Obsidian option gets an all-matte finish.

Pixel 11 Pro Fold

Google says the new foldable is nearly 10% lighter and almost 1mm thinner than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. It also has slimmer bezels, a 48-megapixel main camera, and 30x Super Zoom.

The company is also building on the IP68 water and dust resistance introduced with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold uses a glass-fiber composite back cover designed to better withstand cracking, while a redesigned hinge offers additional protection for the inner display. Google says the changes make the model three times more durable than its predecessor.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold comes in Olive and Obsidian.

Google takes aim at Apple’s AirTag

Google finally has its own tracking tag. Called Pixel Tag, the small device is designed to help people keep tabs on things such as keys, wallets and luggage. It connects to Android’s Find Hub network, allowing users to see the tag’s location through the Find Hub app (similar to Apple’s Find My).

The tag, priced at $29 (or $99 for a four-pack), can also be located from a Pixel Watch. Pixel Buds users can ask Gemini to find or ring a Pixel Tag, adding a voice-controlled option for tracking something down.

Pixel Watch 5

The Pixel Watch 5 is getting several health-related updates. The Google Health app will provide monthly summaries of blood pressure trends, with the goal of helping users notice patterns over time. It will also provide monthly summaries of insulin resistance trends.

The 41mm Pixel Watch 5 starts at $399, while the 45mm version starts at $429. Google is also offering a Stephen Curry edition for $579, with an exclusive design built for workouts. (This is featured in the image above.) 

Meanwhile, the Pixel Buds Pro is arriving in a new Olive color.