What to expect from Google’s 2026 Pixel hardware launch event

It’s that clip of year: On Wednesday, Google is group to big its yearly Made by Google hardware motorboat arena for Pixel gadgets. Google itself has already teased caller slab-style and foldable Pixel smartphones, but leaks besides bespeak that the institution could denote updated watches, a caller colour for acquainted earbuds, and possibly a marque caller AirTag-like point tracker.

However, unusually, Google’s arena is taking spot successful the evening: It kicks disconnected connected Wednesday astatine 6PM ET / 3PM PT alternatively of successful the early day aliases mid-morning, for illustration galore different tech events. And this clip it has a personage big successful Trevor Noah.

Even much strange: As noted by 9to5Google, the Google Store homepage has a Pixel 11 preorder countdown that will extremity astatine 10AM ET connected Wednesday — which is galore hours earlier than the motorboat arena itself. That could mean that each of the specifications astir Google’s caller devices will beryllium officially revealed agelong earlier the institution hosts the general motorboat event.

Here’s what we expect to spot Google denote this week. If you want to watch the arena live, you tin catch it connected YouTube.

Google has already hinted astatine its caller phones while promoting the event, including shadowy glimpses of updated Pro and foldable phones. But the caller smartphones could beryllium mostly iterative updates.

Google is expected to denote 4 caller smartphones: the Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro, the Pixel 11 Pro XL, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Based connected leaked images, they should look mostly the aforesaid arsenic the Pixel 10 lineup, though it appears they’ll person camera bars that are achromatic each the measurement crossed and colors that might rule.

Perhaps the astir notable ocular quality will beryllium a rainbow glowy ray connected the camera bar, which Google has already shown disconnected for the Pixel 11 Pro. The institution hasn’t yet specified what it’ll do aliases what it’s called. But codification successful Google’s contacts app spotted by 9to5Google indicates that it will beryllium called “HiLight” and, astatine slightest for that contacts app, HiLight tin beryllium customized pinch different colors to bespeak erstwhile definite group telephone you. Presumably, the ray will activity successful immoderate measurement pinch different apps arsenic well. Based connected a translator of a leaked Pixel 11 Pro Fold image, HiLight will besides ray up erstwhile you talk pinch Google’s Gemini AI.

Inside the phones, it seems apt that they’ll beryllium powered by a caller Tensor G6 chip. It’s rumored that the caller spot will use TSMC’s 2nm process, which is expected to bring capacity and powerfulness ratio gains. If it does motorboat pinch a 2nm chip, the Pixel 11 bid will beryllium the first smartphones connected the marketplace to do so, and perchance by a hair; Apple’s spot for its adjacent Pro phones that presumably motorboat successful September is besides expected to usage the 2nm process.

Google is rumored to raise the starting retention of the guidelines Pixel 11 and the guidelines Pixel 11 Pro to 256GB, up from the 128GB level pinch the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro. However, early Pixel 11 Pro listings have stated that the Pixel 11 Pro will person 12GB of RAM. If accurate, that would beryllium down from the 16GB of RAM recovered successful the Pixel 10 Pro lineup.

And expect the full Pixel lineup to person a higher starting price, arsenic a Google VP precocious told 9to5Google that the Pixel family will get pricing “adjustments” owed to the representation crisis.

We already cognize that Google has manufactured astatine slightest 1 instrumentality called the Pixel Watch 5 acknowledgment to, uh, Borderlands creator Randy Pitchford. In a May station that included 2 images, Pitchford said that a friend recovered the watch underwater while scuba diving. But recently, Google briefly teased the watch for an August 12th launch, truthful we should spot much soon.

Leaked renders of the Pixel Watch 5 bespeak that it whitethorn travel successful colors including black, polished silver, yellowish gold, and a brass-y color, though the wide creation looks rather akin to the Pixel Watch 4. Specs obtained by MyMobiles opportunity that the caller watch comes successful 41 and 45mm surface sizes pinch artillery life rated astatine 30 and 40 hours, respectively, matching the Pixel Watch 4. MyMobiles says that the Pixel Watch 5 will get 64GB of storage, which is double the 32GB of retention disposable previously.

On the package side, trading materials obtained by MyMobiles propose that Gemini Intelligence — which Google revealed earlier this twelvemonth for Android phones — will beryllium a large characteristic for the Pixel Watch 5 this year. One evident trading descent calls Gemini Intelligence a “personal, proactive assistant” that tin proactively aboveground adjuvant accusation for you. A characteristic called “Proactive Suggestions” will besides beryllium capable to thief you reply to messages by recommending “context-aware replies” based connected a conversation. The trading materials besides committedness that the caller watch will person Google’s “most meticulous slumber search yet.”

However, for illustration pinch the Pixel phones, expect higher prices. MyMobiles reports that the 41mm Wi-Fi exemplary whitethorn commencement astatine $399, up from the Pixel Watch 4’s $349.99, while the 45mm Wi-Fi exemplary could commencement astatine $429, up from $399.99.

Google first launched the Pixel Buds Pro 2 in 2024, but 2 years on, it seems arsenic if the institution is conscionable going to motorboat a caller colour alternatively of refreshing the product.

An evident trading image leaked by Evan Blass shows caller earbuds successful a bully oliva greenish colour that matches different renders that Blass and others person surfaced of the Pixel 11 lineup. But the headphones themselves different look conscionable for illustration the Buds Pro 2 — and they person apparently already appeared connected a Google Play rewards page pinch the sanction “Pixel Buds Pro 2.”

I conjecture there’s ever adjacent twelvemonth for the Buds Pro 3.

Google whitethorn besides motorboat thing marque new: Pixel Tag, an AirTag-like point tracker. Based connected an image 9to5Google recently obtained, it has an oval shape, meaning it could look a small spot different than Apple’s information AirTag.

Presumably, the Pixel Tag will play nicely pinch Android’s Find Hub network. A instrumentality translator of a now-removed online listing said the locator will link pinch the “Find My Device” network, which was the sanction of the web earlier Google changed it to Find Hub. But elaborate specs and an expected value haven’t leaked conscionable yet.

Some leaks for caller Googlebook laptops person besides cropped up recently, but erstwhile it first announced the Googlebooks, Google said they would beryllium launching in the fall. Google is besides moving connected smart glasses and Android XR glasses, but those are scheduled for the fall, too.

Sure, Google could propulsion curveballs. But that hardware will astir apt get afloat reveals astatine a later date.