Once again, the memory crisis is taking its toll, and the smartphone industry is bearing the brunt. Google has officially announced that its Pixel devices will undergo price adjustments, as confirmed by Shakil Barkat, Vice President of Devices and Services at Google, in an interview with 9to5Google. This news arrives just weeks ahead of the much-anticipated unveiling of the upcoming Pixel 11 generation, set for August 12.
Memory Crisis: Google Confirms Price Adjustments
In his conversation with 9to5Google, Barkat explained how the ongoing memory crisis is causing an unprecedented increase in costs for consumer technology companies. “We have never seen such a spike in memory prices globally,” he noted, referring to data from Morgan Stanley, indicating that the average price of 1 GB of RAM has skyrocketed from $2.80 in 2025 to nearly $12 today.
Despite Google’s efforts to shield its customers from supply fluctuations for as long as possible, the changing economic landscape has compelled the company to comply with this “dictate.” According to Barkat, price adjustments will affect the entire Pixel family, including the Pixel Watch.
Nonetheless, Google is working hard to implement countermeasures, emphasizing its commitment to “offering premium experiences at an affordable price.” Barkat reassured buyers that they could still expect promotions, trade-in options, and package deals such as Google One, which are core components of their strategy to make the Pixel product line accessible. Furthermore, there will be efforts to reduce the memory demands of Android and the app ecosystem, allowing users to function with less RAM, which could mitigate pricing pressures.
What to Expect Pricing-Wise with Pixel 11
While Barkat did not disclose the specific prices that will be affected, past leaks have hinted at anticipated pricing and a reduction in memory. Reports suggest that Google plans to reduce the RAM of the Pixel 11 Pro from 16 GB to 12 GB. Concurrently, prices are expected to rise, with a $100 adjustment forecasted for both the Pixel 11 and Pro models. However, the storage will increase to 256 GB, and an additional $100 increase is expected for the Pixel 11 Pro XL and Fold models.
If these changes go into effect—a concrete timeline for the price adjustments has yet to be announced—the retail prices for the Pixel 11 series may look as follows:
- Pixel 11: from $799 to $899
- Pixel 11 Pro: from $999 to $1,099
- Pixel 11 Pro XL: from $1,199 to $1,299
- Pixel 11 Pro Fold: from $1,799 to $1,899
These price adjustments would position the Pixel 11 lineup similarly to Samsung’s Galaxy S series while remaining below the upcoming iPhone 18 prices set to be unveiled this September. However, like Google, price adjustments for Apple and Samsung are also not off the table.
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Source: Google via 9to5Google
