'Early step in long journey': Google to manufacture Pixel phones in India

In a major push for the 'Make in India' campaign, tech giant Google will soon kickstart the manufacturing of Pixel smartphones in the country, a news agency said quoting a company executive.

This comes days after the Indian Prime Minister lauded Google’s partnership with Hewlett Packard (HP) to manufacture Chromebooks in India. Modi on Monday (Oct 16) virtually interacted with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and held discussions over Google’s plan to expand its electronics manufacturing in India.

While speaking at a Google for India event, Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of devices and services, said Google will collaborate with global and domestic manufacturers in a bid to produce these 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," Osterloh said.

Pixel 8 Phones to kickstart production

The production will kickstart from the Pixel 8 phones. As per reports, the first units are anticipated to become available in 2024. Earlier this month, Google launched Pixel 8 in India and other global markets. It also launched a premium Pixel 8 Pro model.

"This is an early step in a long journey of expanding our device production capacity and helping meet the country's growing demand for Pixel smartphones," Osterloh said.

It remains unclear as to where the manufacturing will take place. In another significant announcement, the company said that there are plans to allow users to book metro tickets directly from the Google Maps app.

Google already has a major base of Indians using its popular payment app, Google Pay. Google also said that it will partner with an Indian non-bank lender, DMI Finance, to secure small loans for merchants starting at 15,000 rupees ($180).

Companies across the world are vying to diversify their supply chains. As for Google, India can serve as a major growth driver.

(With inputs from agencies)

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