Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah

Comedian Trevor Noah will host Google's next major hardware launch event on Aug. 12, the company confirmed this week, taking over hosting duties for the unveiling of the Pixel 11 smartphone lineup as Google continues leaning into a celebrity-driven, show-like format for its annual product reveal.

Google confirmed Noah's hosting role through a teaser video released Wednesday, revealing an extensive list of celebrity guests set to appear at the Made by Google 2026 event alongside him, including NBA star Stephen Curry, podcast host Alex Cooper, Indian cricketer Shubman Gill, Japanese actress Ayami Nakajo, DJ Peggy Gou, YouTube creator known as Jesser, college basketball star JuJu Watkins, musician PinkPantheress, track and field athlete Chari Hawkins, former soccer manager Steven Gerrard, and actor Daniel Durant.

A Continuation of Google's Celebrity Strategy

Noah's hosting role follows a similar approach Google took last year, when former "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon led the Pixel 10 launch event, an evening that one tech reporter covering the event for The Verge described as feeling more like a live taping of a late-night talk show than a traditional product presentation. With Noah, a frequent host of the Grammy Awards, now taking the reins, Google appears to be continuing its shift away from conventional, engineering-focused keynote presentations toward a broader, mainstream entertainment format designed to reach audiences beyond dedicated technology enthusiasts.

Not all of the celebrities named in Google's teaser are necessarily confirmed to appear in person at the live event in New York City. Last year, for instance, Curry appeared only in a pre-recorded video segment rather than attending the show in person, and Google has not clarified this year whether each name listed under the event's "featuring" section will be physically present or featured through similar recorded content.

Event Details

The Made by Google 2026 event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, Aug. 12, streaming live from New York City on Google's YouTube channel and through the Google Store. For viewers in other time zones, the timing translates to roughly 3 p.m. Pacific time in the United States, and in the early morning hours of Aug. 13 for audiences in parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, continuing Google's recent pattern of favoring prime-time U.S. presentations over traditional daytime keynote scheduling.

What Google Is Expected to Announce

The event is expected to center on the formal unveiling of the Pixel 11 smartphone series, including the standard Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro and the Pixel 11 Pro XL, alongside the next generation Pixel Watch 5. In the teaser video released alongside the host announcement, Google offered a brief early glimpse of the Pixel 11 Pro featuring what the company is calling "HiLight" technology, an active RGB lighting system reportedly expected to be featured across the broader Pixel 11 lineup, along with a first official look at the redesigned Pixel Watch 5.

Notably, Google's next foldable device, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, is not expected to debut alongside the rest of the main lineup at the August event. Industry reporting suggests that device will instead be unveiled separately in October, following a pattern in which Google has increasingly staggered the release of its foldable hardware apart from its core smartphone lineup announcements.

Beyond the smartphones and smartwatch, some reports have also pointed to the possibility that Google could use the event to introduce its first Bluetooth item tracker, a product that would position the company more directly against Apple's AirTag in the growing item-tracking accessory category, though Google has not officially confirmed such a device ahead of the event.

Pricing Expectations

Ahead of the official reveal, Google has already confirmed that pricing across the Pixel 11 lineup will increase compared with the outgoing Pixel 10 series, though the company has not detailed exact figures. Industry leaks circulating ahead of the event have suggested a starting price of $899 for the base Pixel 11 model configured with 256 gigabytes of storage, a notable increase over prior generation starting prices that would place the device more directly in competition with premium flagship offerings from rivals including Apple and Samsung.

A Familiar Face for Curry, a New One for Google

Curry's continued involvement in the Made by Google event marks his third consecutive year appearing in some capacity, following his participation in last year's Pixel 10 launch alongside guests including Formula 1 driver Lando Norris and the Jonas Brothers. Curry has also previously served in an official capacity as what Google has described as a performance advisor for the Pixel brand, a role that has extended beyond simple celebrity endorsement into more direct involvement with the company's product marketing efforts.

For Noah, the hosting assignment adds to a growing post-"Daily Show" career built around live event hosting, given his frequent role at the Grammy Awards in recent years. His selection continues a two-year run in which Google has opened its flagship hardware event with a prominent television comedian rather than a company executive, a format choice that reflects the company's broader effort to position its annual hardware showcase as a mainstream entertainment event rather than a presentation aimed primarily at technology journalists and industry analysts.

International Availability

While the live event will stream globally, availability of the announced hardware itself will vary by region. In markets such as the United Arab Emirates, for instance, Google does not operate an official Google Store, meaning Pixel devices are typically sold through third-party retailers and importers rather than directly by Google, a pattern industry watchers expect to continue with the Pixel 11 lineup following its formal unveiling.

With less than a week remaining before the event, anticipation has continued building around both the confirmed celebrity lineup and the specific hardware details Google has yet to fully reveal. Viewers can expect the company to formally confirm final pricing, detailed specifications and release timing for the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel Watch 5 when Noah takes the stage in New York City on Aug. 12, with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold expected to follow as a separate announcement later in the year.

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