No company is going to be immune to the RAM and storage crisis that's been going on for the past year. We've known for a while now that the prices for phones and other associated products would be increasing, it was just a matter of when. Some companies have tried alternate solutions to keep prices the same, but in the end, there are sacrifices being made.
With Google's upcoming Pixel event set to take place on August 12, many were asking whether the price of the Pixel 11 lineup would rise? Well, we now have an official statement from Google, courtesy of the folks at 9to5Google, who were able to ask the brand some tough questions about the future of Pixel.
Obvious, but we now have confirmation
The news comes directly from Google’s Vice President of Devices and Services, Shakil Barkat, who explained that the brand has done its best to shield its customers from increasing prices on components. But no matter how big Google is, it's not immune to these changes.
The big takeaway from this article is that there will be "adjustments" made to the Pixel family of products. The interesting part is that the brand will make these changes "dynamically to match supply realities." So, if the price keeps going up, so will the price that you pay at the register. Unfortunately, Google did not reveal prices for the upcoming Pixel series.
For the most part, you should really pay attention to the prices of existing and future Pixel phones. Some are already skipping what's next in favor of current models that are on sale with deep discounts. The added cost of a model with iterative changes makes it a no-brainer.
The specifications used to matter, but that could change
If the experience of the phone feels good, that should be enough, right? Unfortunately, specifications really matter for some, and the reality is that companies have always delivered new hardware regardless of how the old stuff works.
I mention this because it looks like Google is going to make a change going forward, with "a “dedicated effort” to drive down memory requirements across Android." This is something that should have already been happening long ago. Just because you can, doesn't mean it's necessary.
Look out for promotions
With the upcoming release of the Pixel 11, you're going to need to face some decisions. These prices aren't going to get better any time soon. So the only option that you'll have left is to try and find the promotions that really matter.
Whether that's getting a gift card with a purchase from a retailer like Amazon or Best Buy, or signing up with a wireless carrier to get special discounts over the course of the contract. Most will also let you trade in to sweeten the deal.
Although we can't wait to see what Google has in store for the Pixel 11, the real question: will it be worth upgrading to?