Google reportedly picks Dixon to manufacture Pixel phones in India

In a major move, Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. has reportedly picked Dixon Technologies, an Indian contract manufacturer, to produce its high-end Pixel 8 smartphones in India. According to reports from the Economic Times, the trial production has already kicked off, and the first batch of these made-in-India Pixel devices is expected to hit the shelves by September.

This decision is in line with Google’s plans to tap into Indian manufacturing capabilities to not only cater to the domestic market, but also potentially export to other markets. Insiders reveal that Google had been in talks with various potential manufacturing partners for over a year before finalizing the deal with Dixon Technologies.

The Pixel 8 series, which reportedly accounts for a whopping 80% of Pixel sales in India, is currently being manufactured in Asian countries like China and Vietnam. However, with this move, Dixon Technologies aims to ramp up its production capacity for Pixel smartphones to reach 100,000 units per month, with an estimated 25-30% earmarked for export markets.

Google’s decision to manufacture Pixel phones in India comes hot on the heels of Dixon’s subsidiary, Padget Electronics, securing an agreement with Taiwan’s Compal Electronics, a global manufacturing partner for Google products. Padget Electronics, a beneficiary of the Indian government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for mobile phones, will handle the production of Pixel devices and has offered competitive production rates to Google.

While Google has been in discussions with Foxconn regarding Pixel smartphone production in India, the company’s decision to partner with Dixon Technologies marks a significant step in its efforts to expand its manufacturing footprint in the country. As Alphabet, like Apple, plans to gradually increase its production operations in India, Dixon Technologies might also be entrusted with the manufacturing of upcoming Pixel models and older generations within the country.

As a Pixel user myself, I just hope this partnership results in the company pricing its phones a little more aggressively. We’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out over the course of the next few months.