Google Pixel to hit shop shelves, websites today

NEW DELHI: Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones will be sold online and through a number of multibrand retail stores from Tuesday, as the search giant takes the plunge into the most competitive phone market in the world.

Attacking the premium end of the market, the Pixel smartphone range will begin from Rs 57,000, but to attract consumers, the company will offer cash-backs and equal monthly installment (EMI) plans from multiple banks from Tuesday.

It will go head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone 7, which went on sale earlier this month, besides Samsung’s S7 and S7 Edge, which the South Korean major is pushing after the Galaxy Note 7 debacle.

The first ‘Made By Google’ smartphone will be available on Flipkart and across organised and multi-brand retail stores including Bajaj Electronics, Croma, Ezone, Jumbo, Poorvika, Reliance Digital, Sangeetha and Vijay Sales, the company said in a statement on Monday.

Google entered the mobile space with its Nexus series of smartphones where it partnered with other manufacturers such as Samsung, Asus, HTC, LG and Huawei for design and input. But the company did not market the devices and did not attach its own branding.