Last week, Google confirmed that its 2026 Made by Google event will take place on August 12. The Pixel 11 series is expected to lead the announcements, alongside the fifth-generation Pixel Watch. Google has now released its first video teaser ahead of the event, and it appears to reveal both the Pixel 11 Pro and the rumored Pixel Glow feature.
What does the teaser reveal?
The most interesting part of the teaser is a multicolored glow coming from the area beside the rear cameras. The circular light cycles through several colors, offering what may be the first official glimpse of Pixel Glow.
As first reported by 9to5Google, the phone shown in the video appears to be a gold Pixel 11 Pro. Its overall design looks familiar, including the wide camera bar carried over from previous generations.
Google does not appear to have added a separate light strip or any other visible hardware to the back. Instead, the glow seems to come from the existing flash area, suggesting that Pixel Glow could use the camera flash module to create the effect. Google has not explained the underlying hardware yet.
The company has also confirmed the Pixel 11 name through a landing page on the Google Store. The Made by Google invitation also mentions Gemini Intelligence, so we can expect Google to showcase some of the advanced AI features revealed at this year’s Google I/O event on the Pixel 11 series. Preorders are expected to begin on August 12.
Pixel Glow first appeared in Android 17
We first heard about Pixel Glow in April, when references to “orbit” and “light_animations” appeared inside Android Canary and Android 17 Beta builds. Google later named the feature Pixel Glow in Android 17 Beta 4. According to the description found in Settings, Pixel Glow uses subtle lighting on the back of the device to alert users to important activity while the phone is lying face down. Two early uses were identified. The light can react when a favorite contact calls and provide visual feedback during hands-free Gemini conversations.
The settings page also indicated that Pixel Glow would not work alongside flash notifications. The teaser now suggests a possible reason for that restriction, as both features may use the same lighting component near the camera. Google still has not explained whether Pixel Glow will support regular app notifications or other uses. We should learn more when the Pixel 11 series makes its official debut on August 12.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
