Google is reportedly planning to shift the production of its flagship Pixel smartphone to India. The development comes from publication The Information citing a company source. The search giant manufactures Pixel smartphones entirely in China.
The report states that Google has asked manufacturers in India to submit bids for the assembly of 500,000 to 1 million units of Pixel smartphones. This accounts for 10 to 20 percent of Pixel’s estimated total annual production. Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai had hinted at a plan to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India earlier this year but no final decision is taken yet according to the report. If the company gets approval of manufacturing Pixel devices in India, China will still have to play a role in exporting some components.
Another report also suggests that Alphabet Inc is looking at Vietnam as an alternative destination for manufacturing.
Google’s move to manufacturing Pixel phones outside China is due to the COVID-19-induced lockdowns causing disruptions in global supply networks. Additionally, there is also an ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing with the former even banning the export of premium chips to China.
Google’s rival Apple has been manufacturing four iPhone models in India through its contract partners for several years now. The recently launched iPhone 14 is highly anticipated to be locally produced in the country from the fourth quarter of this year.
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