Google announced plans to manufacture its Pixel series premium smartphones in India at the Google for India 2023 event, starting with the Pixel 8. Today, the company confirmed that ‘Made in India’ Pixel 8 devices have begun rolling off the production lines.
"We are grateful for the partnership with Hon’ble Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw as we look forward to bringing the #TeamPixel experience to people across India," said Google India.
Previous reports indicated that Google has teamed up with Foxconn and Dixon subsidiary Padget Electronics for the local manufacturing of Pixel phones, with production initially rumoured to begin in Q2 2024, starting with the Pixel 8 Pro.
Google has stated that India is a top priority market for Pixel smartphones due to their growing popularity in the country over the years. This initiative marks the beginning of Google's efforts to expand production capacity and meet the increasing demand for Pixel devices in India.
This move is also part of Google’s strategy to ship over 10 million Pixel phones this year, building on the approximately 10 million units it shipped in 2023, despite a global economic slowdown. Google's shift to manufacturing in India represents a significant change in its supply chain strategy, which previously relied heavily on China for Pixel production.
Google has already confirmed the launch of the Pixel 9 series, including the Pixel 9 Fold, in India on August 14th, just hours after its introduction at the global event on August 13th.
Since the ‘Made in India’ Pixel 8 has just begun production, we can expect the units to arrive in stores in the coming days.
