Google’s Pixel phones are known for their stellar cameras and software design, but they’ve had their quirks and never quite made a big splash in the industry due to lower shipment volumes. This dilemma has persisted since the original Pixel phone. Despite continuous refinements, the question remains: why aren’t more people using Google’sexcellent Android phones? Things seemed to have taken a positive turn for the Mountain View-based tech giant last year when the Pixel phones hit a new milestone.
Nikkei Asiareported that Google shipped around 10 million Pixel phones in 2023, with goals to hit the same milestone this year, further establishing itself as a key player in the smartphone game. While the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro likely contributed most to the shipments, the specific breakdown remains undisclosed, in line with Google’s usual practice of keeping these numbers private. Last year, Nikkei Asia reported thatGoogle put in an order for eight million Pixel 7 and 7 Pro devices.
Google also seems to have given the green light for Pixel smartphone production to kick off in India next quarter, as per Nikkei. This information lines up withGoogle’s announcement in October 2023 about making Pixel phones in India, beginning with the flagshipPixel 8series in the second quarter of 2024. It’s all part of Google’s strategy to diversify production beyond China and Vietnam, a move aimed at beefing up “supply chain resilience.”
Starting off with the Pixel 8 Pro, the production work is set to start in the southern part of India in the next few weeks. Google aims to see the initial batch of phones hitting the streets between April and June 2024. Following suit later in the year, the standard Pixel 8 will enter production, with a designated plant set up in the northern part of India.
Google’s inconsistent Pixel experience makes its phones impossible to recommend
Three generations into the Tensor experiment, the time has come to stop making excuses for Google’s buggy software
Though the specific number of phones to be made in India is not clear, this step has the potential to be a win-win. Making phones locally might mean more attractive prices for Indian consumers and, at the same time, lessen dependence on a single production center.
Jumping on the production bandwagon in India, Google is following in the footsteps of tech heavyweights like Apple, which kicked off the assembly of the iPhone 13 in the country in 2022. It looks like this move is becoming a widespread trend in the industry.
