Google plans to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India, report says
Google plans to move some production of its Pixel line of smartphones to India, report says, the latest in a string of phone makers with growing ambitions to assemble locally their handsets in the world's second largest market.
The Android maker has solicited bids from manufacturers to assemble between 500,000 and 1 million units of the Pixel smartphone, The Information reported on Monday. The proposed supply represents 10-20% of Pixel's annual production, the report adds.
If Google goes ahead with the plan, it signals the company's growing commitment to its smartphone business. It will also likely help the company boost Pixel smartphone sales in the country, which is the company's biggest market by user and where it has committed to spending $10 billion over a few years.
Google has skipped launching flagship versions of its phone in India for the past three years, instead focusing on servicing the market with the mid-range a-series range. By producing the phones locally in the country, it will be able to avoid the heavy import duties that New Delhi currently levies on its smartphones. Additionally, the Indian government also offers a range of incentives to companies producing hardware locally in India.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has not made a final decision to move some Pixel manufacturing to India, the report warned.
Like Apple, Google has also moved some of its manufacturing efforts outside of China. Nikkei Asia earlier reported that Google also plans to move some Pixel manufacturing to Vietnam.
Google's rival Apple started assembling iPhones in India five years ago and is expected to start producing the iPhone 14 lineup in the country later this year. Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo and Vivo - the phone makers that currently dominate the market in India - have been producing ranges of smartphones locally along with a range of other gadgets in the country for several years.
India is the second largest smartphone maker. More than 120 million units of smartphones go on sale in the country each year and the national smartphone install base exceeds 600 million, according to research firm Counterpoint.
Google plans to move some production of its Pixel line of smartphones to India, report says, the latest in a string of phone makers with growing ambitions to assemble locally their handsets in the world's second largest market.
The Android maker has solicited bids from manufacturers to assemble between 500,000 and 1 million units of the Pixel smartphone, The Information reported on Monday. The proposed supply represents 10-20% of Pixel's annual production, the report adds.
If Google goes ahead with the plan, it signals the company's growing commitment to its smartphone business. It will also likely help the company boost Pixel smartphone sales in the country, which is the company's biggest market by user and where it has committed to spending $10 billion over a few years.
Google has skipped launching flagship versions of its phone in India for the past three years, instead focusing on servicing the market with the mid-range a-series range. By producing the phones locally in the country, it will be able to avoid the heavy import duties that New Delhi currently levies on its smartphones. Additionally, the Indian government also offers a range of incentives to companies producing hardware locally in India.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has not made a final decision to move some Pixel manufacturing to India, the report warned.
Like Apple, Google has also moved some of its manufacturing efforts outside of China. Nikkei Asia earlier reported that Google also plans to move some Pixel manufacturing to Vietnam.
Google's rival Apple started assembling iPhones in India five years ago and is expected to start producing the iPhone 14 lineup in the country later this year. Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo and Vivo - the phone makers that currently dominate the market in India - have been producing ranges of smartphones locally along with a range of other gadgets in the country for several years.
India is the second largest smartphone maker. More than 120 million units of smartphones go on sale in the country each year and the national smartphone install base exceeds 600 million, according to research firm Counterpoint.
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