Korea opens Pixel 11 pre-orders tomorrow, August 21, with retail on August 28. That makes this the second year Google has sold Pixel here officially.
Every model costs $100 more than last year. Both Pro models start with 12GB of RAM instead of 16GB. You pay more and get less memory.
The Pros cost more and lost 4GB of RAM
Pixel 11 is $899. Pixel 11 Pro is $1,099. Pixel 11 Pro XL is $1,299. Last year those were $799, $999 and $1,199.
Base storage doubled. All three now start at 256GB instead of 128GB.
RAM went the other way. Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro both started at 16GB. Pixel 11 Pro starts at 12GB.
You reach 16GB only at the 512GB tier. Google’s own spec sheet says so. The 1TB model also carries 16GB.
AI servers took the memory, and Google said so first
Google admitted this three weeks before launch. Shakil Barkat, VP of devices and services, spoke to 9to5Google on July 24.
There’s never been an increase in memory prices like the world’s going through right now.
Shakil Barkat, Google VP of Devices and Services (9to5Google, 24 July 2026)
He gave a number too, citing Morgan Stanley. One gigabyte of RAM cost $2.80 in 2025. This year it costs $12.
The cause is AI data centres. Samsung, SK hynix and Micron hold over 95% of DRAM output. All three moved production lines to server HBM.
Phone-grade LPDDR supply shrank behind them. TrendForce put DRAM contract prices up 90-95% in Q1 2026, then another 58-63% in Q2.
E Ink cut its 2026 forecast in half for this reason. We wrote about that on Tuesday. Phones and e-readers are drinking from the same well.
Readers were not gentle about it. That interview drew 59 comments. The most upvoted one, at 56, reads like this.
The irony. Justifying the price increases because of a problem they helped create.
Top comment on 9to5Google, July 2026
Korean forums ran the same way. Ruliweb’s thread is titled, plainly, “RAM capacity reduced across the entire Pixel 11 line.”
The cameras and the chip really did improve
Not everything shrank. All three phones got camera work.
The base Pixel 11 has a larger 48MP main sensor. Google claims 56% more light sensitivity. Its 5x telephoto now reaches 30x Super Zoom.
The Pro telephoto was redesigned. It is 48MP with a bigger sensor and 30% more light. Portrait Mode now works at 5x. Pro Zoom goes to 120x.
Night shots got faster. Google says Night Sight captures up to 4.5x quicker than on Pixel 8, 9 and 10. Less standing still after the shutter.
Tensor G6 numbers are up as well. Google claims 25% faster browsing, 15% quicker app launches and 50% more TPU compute.
The reviewer who used it disagreed about how that feels. 9to5Google wrote that the CPU gains are not noticeable day to day.
HiLight only does two things so far
HiLight is new hardware, and only on the Pro models. Coloured LEDs ring the camera flash. They glow when the phone is face down.
Two functions work today. Gemini status – listening, thinking, responding – and calls from contacts you assign a colour.
Message notifications do not work yet. Google says they are coming. No date.
Scratches are worth a mention. Google says the Pro coating is twice as scratch resistant as last year. A 9to5Google staffer already scuffed one with a pocket keychain.
Battery barely moved. The Pro holds 4,850mAh, twenty less than the Pixel 10 Pro. Google changed the label from “24+ hours” to “30+ hours.”
What Korean buyers should check before Friday
Pre-orders run through Coupang, Naver Shopping, 11st and Gmarket. Pixel Buds Pro and a Google One AI Premium subscription are the expected bundles.
Korean pricing is not official yet. Pre-order trackers list the Pro around 1,390,000 won. Treat that as an estimate until tomorrow morning.
If you are importing instead, check the SIM tray first. The US Pixel 11, Pro and Pro XL have no physical SIM slot at all. They are eSIM only.
Models sold outside the US keep a nano SIM tray. The Pro Fold keeps one even in the US. Korean MVNO users should confirm eSIM support before ordering.
Then do the customs maths. Korea’s duty-free ceiling on US shipments is $200. An $899 phone is taxed on the full amount, not the excess.
So what would I actually do
Unless your current phone is dying, wait for tomorrow’s Korean price. Exchange rates plus memory costs could push the Pro past 1.4 million won.
Buy it for the camera and the money makes sense. If 12GB bothers you, the 512GB tier is the fix. The question is what that upgrade costs.
Nobody knows when memory prices come down. TrendForce expects another 10-15% rise in Q3. Next year’s phones are the real worry.
Sources
- Google — The Pixel 11 series: Your most personal Pixel yet (12 Aug 2026)
- Google Store — Pixel 11 Pro & 11 Pro XL technical specs
- 9to5Google — Google confirms Pixel 11 price increase (24 Jul 2026)
- 9to5Google — Pixel 11 Pro Initial Review (19 Aug 2026)
- 9to5Google — The Pixel 11 series is still eSIM-only in the US
- Engadget — Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL have less RAM despite price increases
- Tom’s Guide — RAM price crisis 2026 (TrendForce DRAM contract prices)
- Ruliweb — RAM capacity reduced across the Pixel 11 line (Korean forum)
- Mosa.kr — Pixel 11 Pro Korean pre-order and release dates
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