NEW DELHI: Technology giant Google on Thursday announced the manufacture of its flagship smartphone, Google Pixel, in India.
The company, at its annual Google for India event, said the newly-launched Pixel 8 will be its first Made in India phone and would be available in the Indian market from 2024.
"We shared plans at Google for India 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," Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Google said it will partner with international contract manufacturers to manufacture Google Pixel phones in India. The US-based company is also in talks with homegrown contract manufacturers like Dixon, Lava and Bharat FIH.
"We will start manufacturing Google Pixel series smartphones in India. 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," said Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice-President at Google.
Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was present at the event, said it is good for both India and Google that its Pixel 8 phones will be manufactured in India.
The Minister informed that India has taken big strides in smartphone manufacturing with $44 billion worth of mobile phones being manufactured in the country.
Vaishnaw also said that within one year of the 5G launch, the country already has installed 375,000 5G sites across the country. He said the country is among the top two countries with a 5G ecosystem.
Google Pixel has struggled to attract consumers in India.
Google introduced Pixel smartphones to the Indian market in 2016 but currently holds less than a 1% market share. Meanwhile, its competitors have strengthened their market positions in the mobile market.
According to CyberMedia Research, Google enjoys a 1% market share globally but only a negligible 0.3% market share in India.
Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research (CMR) called it strategic moves essential for Google to establish a strong presence in the Indian market.
"Google's Make-in-India gambit for the Pixel phones marks the beginning of a series of strategic moves essential for Google to establish a strong presence in a highly competitive smartphone market, which offers substantial growth opportunities," he said.
Faisal Kawoosa, Founder and Chief Analyst at Techarc, said with this announcement Google is upping its game with regards to Pixel in India.
"This is a really very significant step. We have all seen somewhere Google has been shying from the Indian market in terms of commitment, or I would say in terms of faith. With this announcement, the company has shown faith in the Indian market. I would say it's a big step big leap of faith in India which reinforces its journey in India," said Kawoosa.
Google recently launched in India its Pixel devices, the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, priced at Rs. 75,999 and Rs. 106,999, respectively.