Last year’s Made by Google event for the Pixel 10 felt like a late-night talk show, with Jimmy Fallon as host, and aired an hour after the phones were revealed. Tech dives and executive appearances were replaced by celebrity cameos and awkward skits, to the confusion of many die-hard Pixel fans. But it served its purpose of reaching a broader audience: last year’s broadcast racked up 8.4 million viewers on YouTube; the previous year’s release only managed 1.4 million. This year, Google has only stepped things up. For tomorrow night’s livestream, Fallon has been replaced by Trevor Noah, who will headline a “stacked” lineup of celebrities including basketball star Stephen Curry, podcaster Alex Cooper and DJ Peggy Gou. What the event will not have is many surprises. While the launch event begins at 6 p.m. ET, the Google Store pre-order countdown will end eight hours earlier, likely when the phones are fully revealed. By the time the Google stream begins, your most avid fans will know exactly what’s coming. On the other hand, for the most part they already do. In a world where almost every spec is leaked ahead of time, it makes sense that Google’s celebrity-focused launch event isn’t aimed at Pixel power users. Google has been one of the most adaptable companies when it comes to the modern proliferation of phone leaks. Last year, it took the unusual step of simply revealing the full design of the Pixel 10 almost a month before launch. This year it only showed glimpses of the Pixel 11 series, but in the process it revealed something that should excite most power users more than the launch itself: a notification light. The light is integrated into the Pixel 11 Pro’s camera island (though perhaps not on the regular model), where the flash is normally located, suggesting that it also serves as a flash and flashlight. It’s a small feature, but a surprisingly big part of Google’s smartphone heritage. Most of Google’s Nexus phones included hardware notification LEDs, and Google was one of the last manufacturers to remove the feature, which saw a brief resurgence in 2017’s Pixel 2 before Google scrapped it again; we think forever. The RGB lights can be used to show the phone’s charging status, flash when notifications arrive, and activate in different colors. Open source Android skins like CyanogenMod and apps like Light Flow provided even more flexibility, allowing users to set specific colors and flashing rates for specific apps or contacts. Notification LEDs went out of style around the same time the always-on display appeared. Who needs a little light when you can have real notifications on the screen at all times? Instead, some Android phones include the option for the edges of the screen to flash a certain color when notifications arrive, which may even be visible when the phone is face down, depending on the design, but dedicated lights have been few and far between. Nothing’s Phone 2 made a statement with its Glyph Lights. Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge The most notable recent examples come from Nothing, which has elevated LED to an art form. Since 2022’s Nothing Phone 1, it has built complex light arrays and dot-matrix displays into the back of its phones, allowing not just quick flashes but complex, customizable patterns or icons that can vary depending on the contact or app. I can only think of one other recent phone that features a dedicated LED, although in the case of the Trump phone, it seemed like evidence of its outdated, recycled design rather than a forward-thinking feature. The small light displayed on the 11 Pro’s camera bar is more subtle than most Nothing designs, though seemingly more colorful. Google hasn’t said what the light can do, although given that the multicolored, pulsing animation resembles the Gemini design language, it seems like a clever guess that ties into Google’s AI assistant. Leaks suggest it may turn on when you talk to the chatbot or receive calls from certain contacts, although I hope Google has more in mind than that, with the same per-app and per-contact customization that Nothing phones support. The cruelest trick of all would be to get the notification light back and then not turn it on for notifications. It’s perhaps strange that on the eve of the launch of Google’s flagship phone I’m most excited about the apparent resurrection of a feature that Google sent to the graveyard nine years ago. I’m guessing the new Pixel phones will be interesting in other ways too, with the usual chipset improvements, camera upgrades, and design language tweaks. But as the company looks for entirely new ways to launch its phones to entirely new audiences, it has the charm of giving its oldest fans what they want when it comes to the hardware itself. Somehow I doubt it’ll dig deeper and reveal a Pixel 11 with a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD card slot, or replaceable battery, but at least we can dream. Follow this story’s topics and authors to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and receive email updates. Dominic PrestonCloseDominic PrestonPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and homepage feed.FollowFollowSee all of Dominic PrestonGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and homepage feed.FollowFollowView all gadgetsGoogleCloseGooglePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and homepage feed. your home page.FollowFollowView all GoogleGoogle PixelCloseGoogle PixelPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and homepage feed.FollowFollowView all Google PixelMobileClose Mobile posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and homepage feed. FollowFollowView all mobile phonesClosePhonesPosts in this topic will be added to your daily email summary and homepage feed.FollowFollowView all phonesReportCloseReportPosts in this topic will be added to your daily email summary and homepage feed.FollowFollowView all ReportTechCloseTechPosts in this topic will be added to your daily email summary and homepage feed. start. home page feed.FollowFollowView all technology
