Google may start production of Pixel smartphones in India amid tension with China

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is reportedly considering shifting of the production of its hardware units to India following the geopolitical tension and trade wars going on with china.

According to reports, the tech giant is planning to manufacture 5-10 Lakh units of its Pixel smartphones in India. Quoting a source, the report said that the number represents 10%-20% of the total estimated annual production of the device.

Prior to this, the Google Pixel smartphones were produced primarily in China. The company made its first attempt to move away from China in 2019 and was going to start production in Vietnam. The Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 were then reported to be produced in the country. However, the COVID-19 impact made the company to moved back to China.

Now, Google is once again attempting to leave the country and start production in India. However, no decision has been made yet.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google has previewed the plan but nothing has been solidified yet. Alphabet is also considering Vietnam and Taiwan as alternatives, said the report.

Moving some of its production to India could also enable the company to provide its devices at more competitive pricing which will also be a big boost to Google Pixel sales in the country.

The company is making the move while the world is going through a semiconductors crisis.

Meanwhile, the company’s main smartphone rival Apple is also going to start production of its latest iPhone 14 series which was unveiled on September 7 in India.

The long lockdowns in China due to covid have hampered the global supply chain and posed major challenges to retail, logistics and shipment of goods to the US. Samsung has also set up the ‘Largest mobile handset manufacturing factory’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida to avail of Indian government’s pioneering performance-linked incentive (PLI) plans for advancing local manufacturing.

Earlier this year, the Central government invited Apple to develop India as its global base & export fully-built products to the world.

At the end of 2021, the Google’s Android operating system has led the Indian smartphone segment with 95% market share.