The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is hours away from being officially revealed to the public, but that's not what we're here to talk about. Instead, we've got an alleged confirmation Google is already working on its 2026 Pixel line-up and a suggestion of what the codenames for the devices are.
An exclusive reveal from Android Authority citing "a source inside Google" claims there will be four phones in the Pixel 11 series. That's probably not surprising since Google landed on a four-phone approach with last year's Pixel 9 family and will likely do so again with this year's Pixel 10.
The regular phone comes as the entry-level option while the Pro sits in two different flavors: Pro and Pro XL, the latter catering to those wanting the biggest, most performant device. Finally, for the enthusiasts, you get the folding option at the top of the price scale.
Bear necessities
All of Google's Pixel phone generations have used animal-based codenames during their development. According to Android Authority's source, the species chosen for next year is the bear. Here's what the phones are allegedly being called inside Google:
- Pixel 11 — “cubs” or “4CS4”
- Pixel 11 Pro — “grizzly” or “CGY4”
- Pixel 11 Pro XL — “kodiak” or “PKK4”
- Pixel 11 Pro Fold — “yogi” or “9YI4”
The four phones will reportedly use Google's second generation Tensor G6 in-house chip and is expected to launch towards the latter half of 2026. In addition, the site reported that a Pixel 10a is in development (we're still awaiting the Pixel 9a) for a likely budget option to round out its 2026 offering.
Anyone who's owned a cell phone at this point is probably aware of the cyclical nature of the industry so it probably won't come as any surprise that Google is already planning for the phone-after-next right now.
What's perhaps of more interest to phone buyers is how the Pixel 10 fares with the the Tensor G5 chipset that's likely to power it. According to rumors this is set to be the first chip Google has made entirely from scratch since previous Tensors were based on existing Samsung hardware. How that plays out in terms of AI features and overall price will likely be the talking points on Pixels for the next twelve months or so.
In the meantime, we'll find out exactly what Samsung has been working on a little bit later today with Galaxy Unpacked starting at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. GMT. We're covering the event live here, so you can hear the all the news as it happens.
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