Google is planning to produce some of its Pixel phones in India. According to a report by The Information, the company is aiming to manufacture around 500,000 to 1 million units of Pixel phones in India. Going by the report, this makes up to 10 to 20 percent of Google’s annual Pixel shipments.
Google has not launched its flagship phones in India for past three years citing various reasons including global demand and supply issues. The move to locally assemble the Pixel phones, if at all it happens as nothing is confirmed yet, could help Google skip the heavy 20% import duty that India levies on smartphones. Additionally, the government also gives incentives under its production-linked incentive (PLI) package to boost the domestic manufacturing of phones and its parts.
Google started manufacturing Pixel phones in China but in 2019 decided to shift the location to Vietnam amid the US-China trading tensions. However, it returned to China for Pixel 6 series assembly due to the Covid impact. Reportedly, the company is once again planning to move its Pixel lineup production from China due to delay in procuring for some of its devices. There are also talks that Vietnam could serve as another manufacturing base alongside India this time. Google isn’t alone here. Apple also has plans to start manufacturing iPhone 14 in India. While the company hasn’t confirmed anything, there are talks that the company could pull itself out from China due to looming unrest and covid-impact in the country.
Coming back to Google, the company is set to release its new Pixel phones and its first smartwatch, at an event in Brooklyn on October 6. It will launch Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones along with the first ever Pixel watch and Pixel Buds Pro at the event.
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