Google hiked Pixel 11 prices by $100 across the board, killed the budget storage tier, and expects working Americans to just pay up — because in a market with no real competition, what else are you going to buy?

The search giant eliminated the 128GB entry option on its flagship phones, forcing anyone who wants a Pixel 11 to start at $899 — a full hundred dollars more than last year's base model. The Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold each got flat $100 price hikes on every storage configuration, with the Fold maxing out at an astonishing $2,249. Google's parent company Alphabet, meanwhile, has been posting record profits.

CNET reported that Google acknowledged a RAM shortage and said its pricing "reflects that current reality." Samsung used the same justification when it raised prices on its foldables last month. Funny how a RAM shortage always hits consumers' wallets but never seems to dent shareholder returns.

Here's the trick: Google didn't just raise the sticker price. It eliminated the cheaper option entirely. Last year you could get a Pixel 10 with 128GB of storage. Now the cheapest Pixel 11 comes with 256GB whether you need it or not. That's not a feature upgrade — it's a forced upsell. And on the Pro models, the base 256GB versions now ship with 12GB of RAM instead of last year's 16GB. You pay more. You get less memory. Google claims software optimizations make up the difference. Reviewers will have to verify that one.

Tom's Guide focused on carrier deals — T-Mobile offering free Pixels with select plans, AT&T and Verizon pushing trade-in promotions — which is how the industry always deflects from sticker shock: lock consumers into long contracts so they stop looking at the real price. A free phone with a mandatory unlimited plan isn't free. You're paying for it every month.

Then there's the ownership problem. Gizmodo reported on a Reddit user who lost access to a purchased copy of The Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition Trilogy after Google lost its licensing deal with Warner Bros. Google's own terms of service state the company can "remove from your Device or cease providing you with access to certain Content that you have purchased" whenever it loses the rights. The user had to fight Google support just to get a partial credit. The download links Google eventually provided didn't work without additional payment. You buy it. They take it. You get a coupon to buy something else — that they can also take.

This is the same company now asking you to spend up to $2,249 on a phone. The same company that can revoke your purchased movies at will. The same company whose dominant search and mobile operating system market shares make a mockery of the word "competition."

Both parties in Washington talk a big game on Big Tech. Neither will break up a monopoly that donates to both sides. The RAM shortage is real. The price hikes are real. The lack of alternatives is by design.