Rising RAM costs are pushing up Pixel 11 prices, Google confirms

Google has officially confirmed that its Pixel 11 prices will rise ahead of August 12 the company is unveiling the phone series. Google's VP of Devices and Services, Shakil Barkat, told 9to5Google that "adjustments" are coming, tied to a "severe, supplier-driven RAM memory crisis."

Barkat said memory prices have risen at a level the industry has never seen before. He cited Morgan Stanley data showing a sixfold jump in memory costs—that is, the data shows that 1GB of RAM went from $2.80 in 2025 to $12 this year. That is indeed a huge hike the industry has never seen before.

He also said Google has "shielded" consumers from supply fluctuations for as long as possible, but that the "economics have fundamentally shifted." What the company is saying, in other words, is that it can no longer absorb the higher costs for memory, consumers now have to face it, and price adjustments are coming across the Pixel phones, including the Pixel 11 series.

Base leaked prices, the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro are expected to see $100 price increase, though storage doubles to 256GB, which somewhat offsets the hike. The Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pro Fold leaks suggest a straightforward $100 increase with no storage trade-off cushion. The entry Pixel 11 Pro is rumored to drop from 16GB to 12GB of RAM. The 128GB storage tier is being dropped entirely across the line.

Speaking of the memory downgrading, doing so would soften the higher entry price and Google has began to dedicated effort to reduce how much RAM Android and the wider app ecosystem use. Apple has long implemented this strategy and the company has benefited it. The phone maker controls both the hardware and software inside its devices, which makes it easier to improve iPhones to run smoothly with less memory than many Android rivals.

Despite this, Apple has separately acknowledged "unavoidable" price increases tied to the same component pressures. Even for Google to reduce how much RAM Android and the wider app ecosystem need, Android must support a much wider range of devices, chips, and manufacturer software, making this kind of optimisation more difficult.

However, Google still stands in a good position to achieve the memory reduction strategy. This can be possible because the company controls Android, its Tensor chips, and the AI running on the device. So, making models load and operate with less memory is still achievable. Don't be surprised if your see. future Pixel phones offering the same performance with less RAM.

Meanwhile, it's still uncertain, though, whether these efficiency gains will extend to other Android phones, including those running Samsung's One UI, Oppo's ColorOS, or Xiaomi's HyperOS.  Speaking of Samsung, the company has already dropped its Galaxy S26 base storage tier and raised entry pricing by $100. All of these things happening are just pointing to one thing: the industry appears to be collectively passing memory cost inflation onto consumers rather than absorbing it the way they used to do until now.

Mobile DRAM costs rose roughly 50% quarter-on-quarter in 2026, while NAND flash surged more than 90% in the same period, per Counterpoint Research. For a flagship with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, bill-of-materials costs climbed $100–$150 in Q2 alone. Memory has now overtaken the processor as the single biggest cost component in high-end phones.

Barkat also warned that "in-market Pixel phones" will eventually feel the impact too—likely hinting the Pixel 10a's $499 starting price won't last. He added that Google won't be dropping trade-in and bundle promos to soften the impact. However, it's important to note that Google hasn't confirmed exact new prices. All the prices mentioned in this article are leaked prices. The official pricings will lands with the August 12 unveiling.