Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. has announced that it will begin production of its Pixel 8 smartphones in India. Google is the latest tech giant after Apple and Samsung to manufacture its devices in the South Asian country.
The tech company aims to begin the local manufacturing with the current lineup — both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro — in India, starting next year, Rick Osterloh, senior VP of Devices and Services at Google, shared at the company’s annual tech event in India on October 19.
“We intend to start with the Pixel 8, and will partner with international and domestic manufacturers to produce Pixel smartphones locally. We expect these devices to start to roll out in 2024, joining India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative” Osterloh said.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai also announced the news on social media platform X.
We shared plans at #GoogleforIndia to manufacture Pixel smartphones locally and expect the first devices to roll out in 2024. We’re committed to being a trusted partner in India’s digital growth- appreciate the support for Make In India @PMOIndia + MEIT Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw.
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) October 19, 2023
Why Google chose India?
India is a key overseas market for tech companies as it the world’s most populous nation with 1.4 billion people. Google views India as its largest user base for many of its services, including Android, Google Search, and YouTube.
“India is a priority market for Pixel smartphones, and we’re committed to bringing the best of our hardware and underlying built-in software capabilities to people across the country,” Rick Osterloh said . “In recent years, India has established itself as a truly world-class hub for manufacturing, resulting in a thriving environment for businesses to flourish.”
Google has also been working hard to grow its Pixel service network across the nation, and now has 28 service centers in 27 cities across India. F1 Info Solutions is Google’s local partner in India.
Looking ahead, Google plans to expand its partnership with India by:
- Leveraging AI to enhance product experiences.
- Expanding the availability of formal credit options in India.
- Strengthening the online safety framework for the Indian internet.
- Enabling innovative Gen-AI solutions to further digital commerce and provide citizen-centric information services and solutions.
India is now world’s second-largest mobile phone producer
India’s Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who also attended the Google’s event, said that “Mobile manufacturing was practically negligible in India nine years ago” but the government’s Make-in-India and Digital India vision has been transformational. “Today, India boasts nearly $44 billion in mobile manufacturing, with mobile phone exports reaching $11 billion. This has also created significant employment opportunities.”
India’s relentless drive for mobile phone self-sufficiency is driven by the government’s “Make in India” initiative. Recent research from Hong Kong-based market and research firmCounterpoint underscores India’s status as the world’s second-largest mobile phone producer. According to this report:
- India shipped 2 billion domestically assembled phones from 2014 to 2022.
- In 2022, 98% of mobile phone shipments in India were domestically produced.
- Samsung and Vivo claim the top two positions among smartphone manufacturers, with Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, and Apple following closely in the rankings.
- The Indian government aims to transform India into a semiconductor hub with a planned $1.4 trillion investment.
Google’s decision to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India is likely to have a positive impact on the Indian economy. It will create new jobs and boost the local manufacturing sector.
