Google becomes the next tech giant to manufacture Pixel phones in India

At its annual conference in India on October 18, Google Senior Vice President of Devices and Services Rick Osterloh shared that the company plans to start manufacturing the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in India. Google hopes to be able to ship “made in India” Pixel smartphones from next year.

Google announces production of Pixel smartphones in India. (Photo: NurPhoto)

India is an important overseas market for Google. In terms of users, India is the leading market for Android, Google Search, and YouTube. Google has previously committed to investing more than $10 billion in the country over the next few years. It recently partnered with HP to manufacture Chromebook laptops in the country.

“We will work with our local and international partners to manufacture Pixel locally. This is the first step in expanding our manufacturing here to meet local requirements for Pixel devices and more importantly, it is a big step forward in Google’s commitment to India,” said a Google executive.

Google's move is also another victory for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government has successfully brought many large companies to expand their operations here.

Nine years ago, India’s mobile manufacturing was negligible. However, with the vision of Make In India and Digital India, things have been transformed into action. Today, India is close to touching $44 billion in mobile manufacturing and $11 billion in mobile exports, while creating a lot of jobs, said IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Google is the latest tech company to turn India into a global manufacturing hub, with Apple already manufacturing its latest iPhone models there. New Delhi is aggressively offering billions of dollars in financial incentives to lure big companies to set up operations in the country. The moves come as many companies — including Apple — seek to reduce their reliance on China in what analysts often call a “China plus one” strategy.

Google also shared that India is a priority market for Pixel smartphones. The company is working to improve the customer service experience for people. Through its partner F1 Info Solutions, Google has 28 care centers in 27 cities.

(According to TechCrunch)

The Prime Minister suggested that India encourage large corporations to invest in Vietnam in strategically important areas such as infrastructure, seaports, logistics, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, and renewable energy.

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