Google’s $1,300 Pixel 11 Pro XL will need one aggressive move to justify its price

Recent rumors point to the Google Pixel 11 Pro lineup getting a price hike this year. And that is despite the entry-level models reportedly shipping with less RAM.

Google has a perfectly reasonable explanation for this as well: memory and storage costs have exploded in the last year or so.

But if Google expects people to happily pay $1,300 for a Pixel, it must offer something more compelling than newer hardware and a handful of AI features.

Every phone is getting more expensive this year

And Google’s upcoming Pixel phones are no exception

Google has already warned that Pixel prices will go up. The company’s vice president of devices and services, Shakil Barkat, blamed a “severe, supplier-driven RAM memory crisis” for this.

The explanation makes sense. Almost every Android phone and consumer device has become more expensive this year.

Even Apple, known for its supply chain management, could not…