Google unveiled its Pixel 11 smartphone lineup this week at its Made by Google event in New York, introducing four new devices built around deeper integration of its Gemini artificial intelligence assistant, a new in-house processor, and camera upgrades, alongside price increases the company attributed to rising global memory chip costs.

The lineup includes the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, all of which opened for preorder August 12 through the Google Store, Amazon and Best Buy, with retail availability beginning August 20. Pricing starts at $899 for the base Pixel 11, $1,099 for the Pixel 11 Pro, $1,299 for the Pixel 11 Pro XL, and $1,899 for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Each of those prices runs roughly $100 higher than the equivalent 256-gigabyte configuration from last year’s Pixel 10 lineup, with Google eliminating the lower-capacity 128-gigabyte storage option entirely, meaning every Pixel 11 model now starts with 256 gigabytes of storage as standard.

Google VP Shakil Barkat confirmed that the price increases stem largely from a global shortage of DRAM memory chips, which has driven the per-gigabyte cost of mobile LPDDR5X memory from roughly $2.80 in 2025 to about $12 in 2026, according to analysis from IDC. That same memory shortage has driven price increases across much of the broader consumer electronics industry throughout 2026.

The headline feature across the new lineup is an expanded, more autonomous version of Gemini, which Google is calling Gemini Intelligence. The system can now handle multistep tasks across more than 40 different apps, including ordering groceries, booking rideshares, managing reservations, and even placing phone calls to businesses on a user’s behalf, functioning across apps that don’t have any dedicated Gemini integration built in. The capability relies on a technique often described as screen-parsing, in which Gemini reads and interacts with an app’s on-screen interface directly, similar to how a person would navigate it manually, rather than requiring individual developers to build custom Gemini integrations for their apps. Google has said users will be able to review transcripts of any AI-operated phone calls and can take over or halt a task at any point during the process.

Powering that expanded AI functionality is the Tensor G6, Google’s newest in-house chip and the first 2-nanometer processor used in any Android smartphone to date. Google says the chip delivers 50% more machine-learning compute power than its predecessor, allowing on-device AI tasks paired with the latest Gemini Nano model to run up to 3.5 times faster while consuming up to 3.5 times less energy. Baseline RAM across the new lineup starts at 12 gigabytes, scaling up to 16 gigabytes on higher configurations. Google says the full Pixel 11 lineup delivers more than 30 hours of battery life, with the company also touting a 15-minute charge capable of restoring roughly 15 hours of use.

On the camera side, the new Magic Capture feature analyzes roughly 400 frames during a typical shooting session, combining on-device processing with Gemini models to automatically produce well-timed, high-quality 12-megapixel photos, along with a companion video, without requiring users to switch between separate photo and video modes. A new Camera Looks feature lets users select a default visual aesthetic for their photos at the moment of capture, offering options including Natural, Shadows and Vanilla as new default looks, alongside six additional customizable styles named Digi, Black Tie, Minimal, Editorial, Classic and Velvet. A new Creator Suite adds tools aimed at content creators directly within the camera app, including social media framing gridlines, an on-screen teleprompter that scrolls automatically as a user speaks, and automatic organization of recorded video into project folders.

The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL also gain Instant Night Sight, which Google says captures low-light photos up to 4.5 times faster than before while maintaining image quality, addressing a processing-speed limitation that had affected earlier versions of the feature. Camera hardware across the lineup includes a 48-megapixel main sensor offering 56% greater light sensitivity than the prior generation, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto lens supporting up to 30x Super Zoom. The Pro models additionally introduce HiLight, a ring of LEDs surrounding the camera flash that glows in different patterns to indicate when Gemini is listening, processing or responding, and can also pulse in custom colors to signal an incoming call from a specific contact.

Beyond the core lineup, Google also introduced the Pixel Watch 5 and its first dedicated item tracker, the Pixel Tag, which supports ultra-wideband precision finding and is expected to launch later this year. All Pixel 11 devices come with a commitment of seven years of operating system, security and Pixel Drop feature updates, matching the support window Google has offered since the Pixel 8 series.

Multiple carriers have rolled out early promotional offers tied to the launch. T-Mobile is offering the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL free with a new line, or up to $1,300 in trade-in credit, while Verizon is offering up to $1,100 in trade-in credit for new lines, or $900 for existing customers, paid out over 36 months. Google Fi is offering $450 off the Pixel 11 Pro for existing subscribers without requiring a long-term contract, and both Best Buy and Amazon are including gift cards ranging from $100 to $350 with qualifying preorders.

With preorders now open and devices set to reach store shelves August 20, the Pixel 11 lineup represents Google’s most AI-centric smartphone release to date, positioning Gemini’s expanded, task-completing capabilities as the primary selling point over more traditional year-over-year hardware upgrades.

Arsenal and Manchester City meet Sunday in the FA Community Shield, the traditional curtain-raiser to the English football season, with the match carrying extra significance as Premier League champions Arsenal face an FA Cup-winning Manchester City side beginning a new managerial era.

The match kicks off at 3 p.m. British Summer Time at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, breaking from the fixture’s usual home at London’s Wembley Stadium, which was unavailable this year due to previously scheduled concerts. The Football Association confirmed the 74,000-capacity Welsh venue as the replacement host.

Arsenal enters the match as reigning Premier League champions after winning its first English top-flight title in 22 years under manager Mikel Arteta, a triumph that came alongside a run to this year’s Champions League final, where the Gunners ultimately fell to Paris Saint-Germain in May. Arsenal has been active in the transfer market since, with Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes completing a £75 million move from Newcastle United, a signing teammate Mikel Merino said has given Arsenal what he believes is now the strongest midfield in world football.

Manchester City qualified for Sunday’s match as winners of the 2026 FA Cup, and the fixture carries particular significance for the club given it marks Enzo Maresca’s first competitive match in charge following Pep Guardiola’s departure after nine trophy-laden seasons at the helm. Maresca, who previously managed Leicester City and Chelsea, took over a City side that endured what has been described as a turbulent summer as it works through its own transition period. City enters the match after completing a preseason tour of Asia.

For viewers in the United States, the match will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, with streaming available through ESPN+, the ESPN app, and Fubo, which is offering eligible new subscribers a free trial that can be used to watch the match without an upfront subscription cost. Kickoff in the U.S. is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern time, or 7 a.m. Pacific time.

Viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland can watch the match on TNT Sports, with coverage carried across both TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, as well as via streaming through HBO Max. In Canada, the match is available through Sportsnet World and Sportsnet+. Australian viewers can watch via Stan Sport, while fans in New Zealand can access the match through beIN Sports Connect.

Broadcast rights extend further across international markets as well. In India, Sony LIV and the Sony Sports Network have confirmed live coverage of the match. German viewers can watch on DAZN Germany and DAZN1, while French audiences can access the match through beIN Sports and beIN Sports Connect. In Spain, the match airs on Movistar Plus+, and Italian viewers can watch via DAZN Italia. In Brazil, coverage is available through ESPN Brazil and Disney+, while Argentine viewers can watch on ESPN Argentina and Disney+. Mexican audiences can access the match through TNT Sports and Max.

Given the wide range of legitimate broadcast partners carrying the match across different countries, viewers are encouraged to check with an official rights holder in their specific region for accurate access details, since broadcast rights and streaming availability can vary and are subject to change.

On the pitch, the two sides enter Sunday’s match with a closely contested recent head-to-head record. Their most recent meeting came in the Premier League on April 19, when Manchester City defeated Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium. Across their last five meetings, City holds a slight edge with two wins to Arsenal’s two, along with one draw. Arsenal’s most emphatic result during that stretch came in a 5-1 home victory in February 2025, while City claimed a separate 2-0 win over Arsenal in a Carabao Cup meeting in March 2026.

Both managers have emphasized that Sunday’s match should be treated with the seriousness of a competitive final rather than simply a preseason exhibition, given that it offers both clubs a genuine opportunity to open the new campaign with a trophy in hand. For Maresca specifically, a win would provide an early marker of success as he begins reshaping Manchester City following Guardiola’s historic tenure, while a victory for Arsenal would allow the club to build further on last season’s long-awaited title triumph right from the opening weekend of the new campaign.

With kickoff approaching and broadcast partners across the globe carrying the match live, fans in nearly every major market have a legitimate, officially licensed way to watch Sunday’s Community Shield clash between two of the Premier League’s most successful clubs as the 2026-27 English football season officially gets underway.

Safeway is closing additional stores as parent company Albertsons Companies reassesses its retail footprint following the collapse of its proposed $24.6 billion merger with Kroger.

Albertsons told USA Today that the company had slowed its potential “portfolio optimization” efforts while the Kroger transaction was pending, then resumed evaluating its store network after the deal fell apart. That process has included opening stores in areas where the company sees long-term demand while making what Albertsons described to the outlet as the difficult decision to close some locations.

The broader company closed 35 stores during fiscal 2025, more than triple the 10 it closed the previous year and up from eight in fiscal 2023, according to Albertsons’ latest annual filing. It opened nine stores during fiscal 2025 and ended the year with 2,244 locations across 35 states and Washington, D.C.

Those closures had a measurable impact on the grocer’s results. Store closures, net of new openings, reduced fiscal 2025 sales by $63.4 million, while costs associated with closed stores and surplus properties climbed to $45.1 million from $15.9 million a year earlier.

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Shoppers walk outside an Albertsons grocery store on Feb. 26, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Albertsons also continued investing in other parts of its store base. The company completed 94 remodels and opened nine new stores during fiscal 2025 as part of approximately $1.83 billion in capital expenditures, which also included investment in digital and technology platforms.

Albertsons operates 22 grocery banners, including Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Shaw’s and Tom Thumb, and employed approximately 280,000 workers as of Feb. 28, 2026.

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The company did not provide USA Today with a full list of planned Safeway closures. The outlet reported that Safeway locations that have closed in 2026 include stores at 231 W. Jackson St. in Hayward, California; 2220 N. Coast Highway in Newport, Oregon; and 1601 Maryland Ave. in Washington, D.C.

A customer shops at a Safeway store on June 11, 2024, in Mill Valley, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Albertsons said it is working to place as many affected employees as possible in jobs at other stores, according to USA Today.

The store review follows the breakdown of Albertsons’ planned combination with Kroger, which was announced in 2022 and would have created one of the country’s largest grocery companies.

The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion transaction, arguing that the combination would reduce competition and could lead to higher grocery prices and less competition for grocery workers.

On Dec. 10, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon granted the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking the merger. The FTC brought the challenge alongside nine state attorneys general.

A Kroger grocery store in Dallas, Texas, on Feb. 21, 2024. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The proposed deal subsequently collapsed, setting off litigation between Kroger and Albertsons.

Albertsons sought a $600 million termination fee from Kroger, while Kroger later filed counterclaims in Delaware disputing that it owed the payment and accusing Albertsons of undermining the regulatory process. Albertsons has disputed Kroger’s account.

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Albertsons did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment on the closures.

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