Google Pixel 8.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
In October 2023, Google announced to offer made-in-India Pixel 8 series phones in 2024.
Keeping true to its words, the search engine giant has reportedly tied up with a local supplier in South India to set up a production line to assemble the top-end Pixel 8 Pro in the coming weeks.
And, if things go as planned, the devices will rolled out in the next quarter (April-June, 2024), reported Nikkei Asia citing reliable sources who have direct knowledge of Google's plans.
The company has also tied up with a supplier to have another dedicated plant for standard Pixel 8 in North India by mid-2024.
Google Pixel 8.
DH Photo/KVN Rohit
With locally-made devices available in India, the prices of Pixel phones are expected to come down. Currently, all the Pixel 8 series phones are imported from China and Vietnam. Due to high customs duty, the devices' price starts at Rs 75,999 in India.
Google Pixel 8 series.
Photo Credit: Google India
Google is the latest big tech company to have a China +1/+2 strategy, as the ties between the communist country and the US have not been that good for the past few years. More companies including Apple, Samsung, HP, and others, have prioritised ties with Indian domestic suppliers, as they see the subcontinent with a 140 crore population as their next big engine of growth.
Also, the Indian government's Production-Linked Incentive Scheme (PLSI) is too lucrative to pass on the opportunity.
Google has a lot to catch up in India, as it has less than per cent share in the smartphone market. With local assembling of Pixel phones, it may turn things around for good in India.
Last year, Apple made a record iPhone shipment worth one lakh crore in India. Apple's supplier Foxconn has begun a new mega factory at the massive 300-acre plot in Bengaluru near Kempegowda International Airport.
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