- The first made-in-India Pixel hardware to be available in 2024
- Google is partnering with domestic and international partners to manufacture Pixel hardware in India
- Recently, HP announced its plans to manufacture Chromebooks in India
In a big boost to India’s Make-in-India initiatives, now Google is joining the likes of Apple and Samsung to manufacture its latest smartphones in India. At the 9th edition of Google for India, the company announced its plans to manufacture Pixel phones in the country. The announcement was made in the presence of India’s Electronics and IT minister – Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The first made-in-India Pixel phones will be available in 2024, said Rick Osterloh, senior vice president, devices and services, Google. For the same, Google is partnering with domestic and international partners to manufacture Google hardware in India. While Google refrained from sharing the names of the partners it is in talks with, it was earlier reported that the company has engaged in talks with prominent Indian suppliers such as Lava International Ltd, Dixon Technologies India, and Bharat FIH, the Indian unit of Foxconn Technology Group.
The Google Pixel 8 is the latest hardware from the company, which was launched globally and in India, only earlier this month. The Google Pixel 8 is priced at Rs 75,999 and the Pixel 8 Pro is priced at Rs 1,06,999 and have been available for purchase starting October 12.
Over the last few years, India has emerged as an attractive destination for manufacturing not just for local consumption but also for export. “Mobile manufacturing was practically negligible nine years back. But today India has close to $44 billion worth of manufacturing in India, with close to $11 billion of exports,” said Ashwini Vaishnav, Minister, Ministry of Electronics and IT.
Owing to India’s attractive Production Linked Incentive schemes, many global and local companies have commenced manufacturing in India. The recent development in this space includes the recently launched iPhone 15 and even the latest Samsung smartphones including the Galaxy S23 Ultra and even the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 in the country.
Other than Google Pixel, Google’s Chromebooks will also be manufactured in India. Just last month, PC market leader HP collaborated with Google to manufacture Chromebooks in India. Chromebooks are affordable PCs running Google’s Chromebook OS and come with built-in accessibility and security features.
