The Pixel 11 announcement felt like watching a car crash in slow motion. For months, we’ve heard rumors of Google price hikes, but I hoped that would be the only significant change. We already witnessed Samsung raise prices on some models, but with decent upgrades. Motorola kept the specs relatively unchanged but raised the price. Unfortunately, Google opted for the worst of both worlds, raising prices while giving buyers a RAM downgrade.
The battle for the soul of Pixels was lost by enthusiasts years ago, but they refuse to leave the field. It’s why there is always so much noise surrounding the devices. There are still enough buyers around who remember the Nexus phones and the early stock Android experience on Pixel phones, and there was a time when Google devices were a haven for enthusiasts.