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Google Joins Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo In Price Hikes As Memory Costs Surge Sixfold: Retail Bulls Unfazed After Q2 Capex Blow
The entire Pixel family of devices will see price “adjustments” that “will be rolled out dynamically,” a top Google executive told 9to5Google.
Yuvraj Malik·Stocktwits
Published Jul 27, 2026 | 2:20 AM EDT
- Google’s Vice President of Devices and Services, Shakil Barkat, blamed pressure from soaring memory chip prices.
- Google will announce its Pixel 11 phone on Aug. 12.
- Alphabet published an upbeat earnings report last week, but its stock fell because of the company’s decision to raise its capital expenditure target.
A top Alphabet, Inc. executive has indicated that Google will raise prices of its Pixel phones thanks to soaring memory chip prices that have triggered price hikes across products from Apple to Nintendo.
In an interview with 9to5Google, Google Vice President of Devices and Services Shakil Barkat all but confirmed that the company faces pressure to raise prices.
Barkat emphasized that, like all other consumer technology companies, Google is experiencing an unprecedented surge in costs, noting that “there’s never been an increase in memory prices like the world’s going through right now.” He pointed to Morgan Stanley data about a sixfold increase wherein 1 GB of RAM went from $2.80 in 2025 to $12 this year.
Google has “shielded our consumers from supply fluctuations for as long as possible.” However, the “economics have fundamentally shifted, and we’re not immune to that,” Barkat told the tech news site.
Pixel 11 Launches In August
As such, the entire Pixel family of devices will see price “adjustments” that “will be rolled out dynamically to match supply realities.” This includes the upcoming Pixel 11 series, though the company won’t be sharing specifics until the Aug. 12 announcement. Google’s hardware portfolio also includes the Pixel Watch.
Recent leaks suggest the clearest sign of the issue is that the base Pixel 11 Pro could ship with 12 GB of RAM instead of 16 GB. While both the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro are rumored to see a $100 price increase, a bump in base storage to 256 GB could help offset the higher cost. Meanwhile, leaked pricing indicates the Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold may simply become $100 more expensive without a similar storage-related tradeoff.
The development comes close on the heels of Apple raising prices of Macs, iPads and iWatches globally last month. The company has kept the price of the iPhones steady but has indicated that they are up for a revision as well. Nintendo raised the price of its Switch 2 gaming console back in May, while Microsoft bumped the price of its Xbox last month. Nintendo’s and Microsoft’s hikes go into effect in September and August, respectively.
GOOGL Stock Catalysts, Retail View
Google stock dipped nearly 8% last week; year to date, it remains 2.2% higher. Last week, Alphabet reported better-than-expected quarterly results, which included a record 82% growth in its cloud unit. However, the company also raised its capital expenditure forecast for the year, which ended up being a drag on the shares.
On Friday, Verizon said it had secured a more than $1 billion deal with Google to provide dark fiber connectivity for its data centers.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for GOOGL has climbed steadily since the company issued its earnings report last Wednesday and was ‘extremely bullish’ in early hours on Monday. “$GOOGL won’t stay down here much longer,” a trader said.
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