Google is justifying the higher prices of the Pixel 11 as the RAM is six times more expensive
The TL;DR
Google confirms that the Pixel 11 system will be more expensive due to a six-fold increase in RAM costs driven by the need for an AI data center.
Google has confirmed that its upcoming Pixel 11 phones will cost more than its predecessors, becoming the latest major phone maker to pass on the costs of a global memory shortage that has sent RAM prices to levels the industry has never seen. In an interview with 9to5Google published Thursday, Shakil Barkat, Google’s vice president of devices and services, said the company has protected consumers from supply fluctuations for as long as possible but the economy has now changed. The entire Pixel family, including the Pixel Watch, will see price adjustments rolled out aggressively to match what Barkat calls offer realities.
Barkat pointed to Morgan Stanley data showing that the cost of one gigabyte of RAM jumps from $2.80 cents in 2025 to $12 this year, which is nearly a sixfold increase. With the shipment of a flagship phone with 16 GB of RAM, that translates into a material bill jump from about $45 per handset to about $192, according to the bank’s analysis. The move is being driven by memory makers redirecting wafer capacity to high-bandwidth memory used in AI data centers, reducing the supply available for consumer devices.
Google will reveal some prices at its Made by Google event on August 12 in New York, but a leaked store listing has already explained what to expect. The base Pixel 11 is expected to start at $899, up $100 from the Pixel 10’s $799 entry, and the 128 GB storage will be removed entirely and 256 GB will be the new base. The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL are also expected to go up by $100 each, while leaked details suggest that the Pro models will drop from 16 GB to 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
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Samsung set the template earlier this year when it introduced the Galaxy S26 with a $100 price increase on two of its three models and similarly removed the 128 GB option, making the move as a storage upgrade. Apple has been raising prices across its product line since June, when Tim Cook called the increase “inevitable,” and is expected to raise iPhone prices when the new models arrive in September. Qualcomm has told customers that chip prices will increase by double digits for shipments after September 1.
Google’s response goes beyond prices. Barkat said the company launched what he called a dedicated effort to reduce memory requirements across Android and its ecosystem, with the goal of allowing devices to run with less RAM without degrading the user experience. The company credits its integrated approach, which includes its Tensor chip, Android software, and on-device AI models, for allowing it to load and run models more efficiently than competitors that rely on off-the-shelf components.
Whether that engineering work can fix sticker shock will become clear on August 12, when consumers find out how much they’ll pay for the privilege of keeping their phone’s RAM off the AI server.
