After Apple, Google Now Plans To Make Pixel Phones In India

Google is planning to produce its Pixel phones in India by moving the production units to the country, according to reports. The reports also mention that the tech giant has solicited bids from manufacturers to assemble around 10-20 percent of annual production in the country which sits around 500,000 and over 1 million units of the Pixel smartphone.

Reportedly, Google is planning to expand its hardware footprint globally, and considering that India is the second largest smartphone maker, it gets prominence. The development has come amidst the reports that the tech giant’s biggest competitor, Apple has also been moving away from China and is shifting its production units to other countries that include India.

The move is also said to be the result of disruptions that the company had to face in the Chinese market because of lockdowns citing the Covid-19 pandemic and the continuously increasing tensions between China and the United States (US). Reports suggest that Google is planning to invest over $10 billion in India in the next two years.

However, this information has brought relief for the people who wish to buy the Pixel smartphones as the indigenously assembled smartphones will help the company remove import duty from the smartphones, making them affordable for many people. The company will also be eligible for the benefits under the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ scheme which offers a range of incentives for the companies who are manufacturing hardware in the country. 

Although, it is yet not clear which Pixel smartphone will be produced in India. Notably, Google has been selling only mid-range devices including Pixel 4a and 6a. While the company’s flagship launches like Pixel 5 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro are yet not available in the Indian market. Also, that tech giant will soon be launching its Pixel 7 series and Google Wear OS-powered Pixel Watch in October. But whether the devices will be launched in India or not, stays unclear.

Apart from Google, some Android-powered smartphone companies have already been manufacturing their smartphones in India under the ‘Make in India’ scheme. These companies are, Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo, and Vivo. In alignment with this, iPhone maker Apple had taken the decision of moving its manufacturing units to India much before the year 2017.

Notably, Apple manufactures iPhone models, like iPhone SE, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12 in the country. According to the reports the company is also planning to manufacture it's latest launched iPhone 14 at its Foxconn unit in the Tamil Nadu state of India.

The tech giants making their way out of China are much motivated by the ongoing tensions between the US and China as well as the Pandemic. However, it is also considered that although the mentioned factors are making the companies shift their units out of China which is profiting countries like India, Mexico, and Vietnam. Because apparently these countries have come out as the major and important contract manufacturers suppliers for the US brands and successfully diversified the production unit from China.