Google has confirmed its next Made by Google hardware event for August 12, 2026, in New York City, where it is expected to unveil the Pixel 11 smartphone family. The Pixel 11 series is expected to run a Tensor G6 processor built on TSMC’s 2nm process, a shift that industry reports say would make it the first smartphone processor to reach consumers on that manufacturing node.
Earlier event, bigger silicon leap
Made by Google 2026 is officially taking place on Wednesday, August 12, a week earlier than last year, with Google once again opting for an earlier Pixel hardware unveil. The event returns to New York City for a second consecutive year.
The keynote will start at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET, which is much later in the day than usual.
Google is officially teasing “the next generation of Pixel,” and the company is expected to unveil the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. A leak from French outlet Dealabs points to a price increase across all Pixel 11 models in Europe. Last year Google announced the Pixel 10 series on August 20, 2025, and commenced sales on August 28; if a similar gap is planned, the Pixel 11 could hit shelves on August 20, 2026. Pre-orders are expected to open on announcement day.
Taiwan’s Economic Daily News reported on July 13, 2026, that TSMC will manufacture the Tensor G6 chip in the Pixel 11, expected to launch in mid-August, using its 2nm process. That would make the Pixel 11 the first series of smartphones to hit the market with this new process, a milestone that is usually held for the latest iPhone, but Apple’s September release gives Google a month of exclusivity.
What the Tensor G6 chip changes
All devices in the range are expected to run the Tensor G6 chipset, built on TSMC’s 2nm process, and include Google’s Titan M3 security chip and a MediaTek M90 modem. Separately leaked specifications point to a PowerVR GPU. All chip specifications remain unconfirmed ahead of the official unveil.
The Tensor G6 chip is reported to bring TSMC’s 2nm process and Gate-All-Around transistors to Android, delivering meaningfully better efficiency than the Pixel 10’s Tensor G5. No specific efficiency figures have been confirmed.
That puts Google in an unprecedented position: the Pixel 11 is on track to ship with the same process-generation silicon as the iPhone in the same calendar year, as Apple’s A20 chip will debut in the iPhone 18 series, launching approximately a month later. For the first time, Google would not be trailing Apple’s chip manufacturing generation.
The move puts Google ahead of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600, and Apple’s A20 Pro, all of which are expected to arrive in devices announced in September 2026.
Official benchmarks are not yet available, but a 2nm chip combined with a new modem should deliver noticeable gains in efficiency, sustained performance, and AI processing. The biggest improvements are expected in battery life and thermal consistency rather than dramatic raw speed increases.
One quietly significant change from the leaks: every model reportedly starts at 256GB as the base variant, as the 128GB variant has been discontinued. European pricing has leaked via Dealabs: the base Pixel 11 starts at €999, the Pro at €1,199, the Pro XL at €1,399, and the Pro Fold at €1,999, all at 256GB minimum storage, representing roughly a €100 increase over the Pixel 10 family. UK pricing has not been officially confirmed. Anyone sitting on an older handset may want to check its trade-in value before the new pricing lands, since older smartphones often hold more residual value than their owner realizes.
Devices revenue already climbing
Google’s “subscriptions, platforms, and devices” segment, which includes hardware, Play Store, and non-advertising YouTube revenues, reported $12.91 billion in Q2 2026, compared to $11.2 billion in the same quarter last year.
Alphabet reported second-quarter revenue of $119.8 billion, up 24% year over year. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, pointed to the company’s AI strategy as a key driver of growth. Google Cloud revenue climbed 82% to $24.8 billion, driven by demand for AI infrastructure and enterprise AI solutions.
The company launched new AI models, including Gemini 3.6 Flash and 3.5 Flash Lite, described as cost-effective and efficient.
The Tensor G6 processor is built on TSMC’s N2 manufacturing node, the commercial 2nm process that represents the current frontier in chip fabrication. The Gemini 3.6 Flash model is among the tools expected to run locally on the new chip, in line with Google’s broader push to embed its AI tools directly into consumer hardware.
What comes next
Pixel launches are not just phone events anymore: Google increasingly uses them to show where Android, Gemini, device security, and cross-device workflows are heading next.
Sundar Pichai is expected to take the stage with a couple of new smartphones, a foldable, a smartwatch, and possibly a pair of wireless earbuds.
The August 12 event will be livestreamed via the company’s official YouTube channel. The date itself is confirmed by Google; almost everything about the Tensor G6 chip remains leak-based ahead of the official unveil. Full specifications and confirmed pricing are expected the night of the event.
