Google just cut AI Pro subscriptions by half in new Pixel 11 devices – and not in a good way

Google Pixel 11 Pro XL — (Image credit: Google)

Quick Summary

While Google used to offer 12 months of its AI Pro plan with the purchase of a 'Pro' Pixel product, the Pixel 11 series changes that.

The Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold now offer 6 months of an AI Pro plan – a reduction of 50% compared to the last generation.

Google has just revealed its all-new family of Pixel 11 devices – and very nice each of them looks, too.

From the base Pixel 11, to the step-up Pixel 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL and 11 Pro Fold handsets – the latter selection with the new HiLife feature – there's an option for everyone (who wants one of the best Android phones anyway).

But while the Pixel 11 series upgrades the internals with the latest Tensor G6 processor, one of the previous big benefits in buying a Pixel from new has been effectively downgraded.

Latest Videos FromT3

Watch full video here:

Purchase any Pixel 11 and you gain 6 months of access to Google's AI Pro plan, offering 5TB cloud storage, 4x higher usage limits with Gemini, YouTube Premium Lite and other benefits.

Previously, the Pixel 10 (Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold models only) offered 12 months of access to Google's AI Pro plan. So with the latest handset that's a reduction of 50% – which is huge.

Even more troubling is that, per Google's own Gemini Apps Help page, you could still buy a Pixel 10 Pro (including XL or Fold) right now and still gain the full 12 months of access to AI Pro – as the cut-off date for this is 31 October 2026. That's well after you can get hold of a newer Pixel 11 handset.

This feels like a big reduction in services, in what is one of Google's major strengths. Granted, AI Pro now offers more – the previous storage volume was 2TB, not 5TB, for example – but most people mid-way through a contract may find the sudden extra bill troublesome.

After all, the Google AI Pro plan is priced at £18.99 per month – it's $19.99 in the USA and AU$32.99 in Australia – which adds up to £113.94 over that 6-month difference (or $119.94 / AU$197.94).

Granted, Google has generation-on-generation reduced the price, as leaked a month ago, but the minor reduction in hardware isn't nearly compensated by this change.

This all feels like an active decision in the normalisation of AI service fees – to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if the 'Pixel 12' only offers a month of courtesy access, before the 'Pixel 13' rescinds any kind of offer at all.

What's the Pixel 11 series' price?

Here's what you'll pay for Google's latest handsets:

Pixel 11 with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £879 / $899 / AU$1,499

Pixel 11 Pro with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,079 / $1,099 / AU$1,849

Pixel 11 Pro XL with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,279 / $1,299 / AU$2,099

Pixel 11 Pro Fold with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage – £1,799 / $1,899 / AU$2,799

Mike is T3's Tech Editor. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 years and his beat covers phones – of which he's seen hundreds of handsets over the years – laptops, gaming, TV & audio, and more. There's little consumer tech he's not had a hand at trying, and with extensive commissioning and editing experience, he knows the industry inside out. As the former Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for 10 years where he furthered his knowledge and expertise, whilst writing about literally thousands of products, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more.