Google has announced it will roll out the first Made-in-India Pixels likely next year, adding to the country’s capabilities as a global manufacturing hub.
It made the announcement at Google for India, the ninth edition of its annual India-specific event.
Starting with Pixel 8
Launched earlier this month, the Pixel 8 will be the first locally-made smartphone in the lineup.
It wrote on Twitter, “Just announced at #GoogleForIndia: @rosterloh spoke about our plan to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India intending to start with the Pixel 8, and expecting these devices to start to roll out in 2024, joining India’s “Make in India” initiative.”
The move comes at an opportune time when Indians are purchasing more premium products across various categories.
“Today, we see an even greater opportunity in making Pixel smartphones available to more people in India, and are very excited to announce our plan to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India,” said Rick Osterloh, Google’s Senior VP for Devices and Services.
Long term commitment
“When we set out with our hardware business, we committed to building and investing for the long run.
Our plan to manufacture in India is an early step in the long journey of expanding our device production capacity and helping meet the country’s growing demand for Pixel smartphones,” Osterloh said.
Intl and domestic manufacturers to be involved
We will partner with international and domestic manufacturers to produce Pixel phones locally, joining the Make in India initiative,” Osterloh further said, without adding details.
“We look forward to sharing more details in the coming months, and can’t wait to bring the magic of Pixel smartphones to more people across the nation,” Osterloh added.
Praises for India
He dubbed India a ‘priority market’ for the flagship series.
It said the country has ‘established itself as a truly world-class hub for manufacturing, resulting in a thriving environment for businesses to flourish.’
Tensor chips next?
“It’s great to see Google join the “Make in India” initiative and further strengthen India’s growth story with their plans to locally manufacture Pixel smartphones in the country,” said Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
He further said they have asked Google to start manufacturing Tensor chips for Pixel phones in an Indian fab within the next three years.
“We have asked them to bring their supply chain partners to India,” he said.
