News Brief
After Apple, Now Google Moves Smartphone Production To India: Pixel 8 To Be Manufactured Locally By Dixon Technologies
Google office
Google's flagship smartphone, the Pixel 8, launched in October last year, will soon be manufactured in India.
According to a report in The Economic Times, citing two executives aware of the company's plans, a local contract manufacturer will produce the Pixel 8 in the country, with the first batch of handsets expected to arrive later this year.
Earlier reports indicated that Google planned to start manufacturing its handsets in India in Q2 2024.
Dixon Technologies will manufacture the Pixel 8 in India and has recently started trial production, the ET reported.
While the Pixel 8 series is already sold in India, these handsets are currently produced in China and Vietnam.
The first batch of locally produced handsets is expected to arrive in September.
Google had last year announced last year its plan to manufacture the Pixel 8 series in India.
According to the report, Dixon will be able to produce up to 1 lakh units per month.
This announcement follows the agreement between Dixon's subsidiary Padget Electronics and Taiwan-based Compal Electronics to manufacture phones.
Compal is a global manufacturing partner for Google products.
The Pixel 8 model accounts for almost 80 per cent of all Pixels sold in India.
Google parent firm Alphabet, like Apple, plans to expand production in India in phases.
Dixon may also produce upcoming Pixel models and older devices in the country.
Alphabet is also considering a second manufacturing partner in India and has been in talks with Foxconn.
Google's move is partly aimed at capturing a share of the Indian market, which the company struggled to do in the past.
In the Rs 50,000-plus price bracket, consumers tend to prefer Apple's iPhones or Samsung's Galaxy devices over Google's Pixel lineup.
All Pixel variants put together had a 1 per cent share in the Indian smartphone market in 2023.
The move will also help the company price its phones competitively as currently imported smartphones attract an import duty of 22 per cent, increasing the price of Google's phone compared to its rivals.
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