Google to begin Pixel production in India by next quarter: report

Alphabet Inc's Google has told suppliers to start making its Pixel smartphones in India by next quarter at the earliest, news agency Nikkei reported on Thursday.

The technology giant in October had announced that it would start manufacturing the Pixel 8 in India soon.



The move will help Google diversify its supply chain away from China, the Nikkei report said, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The tech giant will prepare production lines for its high-end Pixel 8 Pro smartphones in the coming weeks and start producing phones in the April-June quarter, the report added, citing multiple sources.

The report did not say how many phones Google plans to manufacture India nor if the phones will be for sale in the country or for exports.

Rick Osterloh, senior vice president, devices and services, had announced in October at the ninth edition of the Google for India event that the first set of India-made Google Pixel 8 devices will debut in 2024.

Google said it has partnered with international and domestic manufacturers to produce the device in India. “This is an early step towards expanding the production here to meet the local demand for Pixel devices,” he added.

Stating that India is a priority market for Pixel, Osterloh said that the company is working to expand authorised Google service centres in India to improve after-sales services.

(With agency inputs)