Google unveils Pixel 11 lineup, new AirTag rival, and Gemini features at Made by Google 2026
TechCrunch Lauren Forristal ● Covered by 5 sources
Google showed off the Pixel 11, a new tracking tag, and more Gemini features. The base Pixel now starts at $899, while the tag is Google’s first real AirTag rival.
Based on reporting by TechCrunch, Lauren Forristal — read the original for the full story.
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Google used its Made by Google 2026 event to push three things at once: new phones, a new tracker, and a fresh round of Gemini features. The Pixel 11 family, Pixel Watch 5, and Pixel Tag all got stage time, but the through line was obvious. Google wants its AI to feel less like a demo and more like part of the hardware.
On the Pixel side, the most interesting changes are about use rather than flash. Live Transcribe now supports American Sign Language through the Pixel Camera, turning signs into text. Rambler is built to understand messy speech, including filler words and run-on sentences. Circle to Search is also moving closer to the camera, so users can identify objects, translate text, or ask questions about what they’re seeing without leaving that view.
The regular Pixel 11 gets a thinner camera bar, with Google saying it’s more than 40% slimmer than before and made from glass across the phone’s width. Base storage now starts at 256GB, while the old 128GB option is gone. That shift comes with a higher starting price of $899, up $100 from the Pixel 10, and Google pointed to the RAM supply shortage as part of the reason.
The Pro models are leaning harder into durability. Google says the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL have better drop resistance and a display coating with more than twice the scratch resistance of the Pixel 10 Pro line. The Pixel 11 Pro starts at $1,099. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is nearly 10% lighter and almost 1mm thinner than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, with a 48-megapixel main camera, 30x Super Zoom, IP68 resistance, and a hinge and back cover meant to handle damage better. Google says it’s three times more durable than its predecessor.
Then there’s Pixel Tag, Google’s answer to AirTag. It costs $29, or $99 for four, and works through Android’s Find Hub network. Users can also ask Gemini through Pixel Buds to find or ring it. The Pixel Watch 5 rounds things out with monthly summaries of blood pressure trends and insulin resistance trends, plus prices of $399 for the 41mm model and $429 for the 45mm version.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
Google is doing what every big platform eventually does: turning AI into a feature list you can hold in your hand and lose under the couch. The tracker is the clearest admission here — if Apple gets a category to itself for long enough, everyone else eventually shows up with a polite copy and a better PR deck.
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