Google Pixel 8's production has commenced in India, the company announced via social media on Monday. The smartphone was launched globally in October 2023. At the Google for India event held in the same month, Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Devices and Services at Google confirmed that the company would start the assembly of its current Pixel 8 in India by 2024. However, only select variants of the Pixel 8 series are being made locally.
Google Pixel 8 Made in India
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the official Google India account confirmed that it has kicked off the assembly of the Pixel 8 in India, with the first batch of handsets being rolled off the production line. Notably, the Pixel 8 series comprises three models: Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and the recently introduced Pixel 8a.
Excited to announce that the first of our Made in India Google #Pixel8 devices have started rolling off the production lines 🥹
— Google India (@GoogleIndia) August 12, 2024
Grateful for the partnership with Hon'ble Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw as we look forward to bringing the #TeamPixel experience to people across India 🤝 pic.twitter.com/6nKvvcyFkj
However, TechCrunch reports that it is only the base Pixel 8 whose local manufacturing has commenced. It is said that Google's global manufacturing arm Compal has partnered with local electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company Dixon Technologies for its production. The plant is reported to have an initial capacity of 100,000 units monthly, with approximately 25-30 percent of those destined for export.
This announcement comes hours before Google debuts its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 9 series. While the global Made by Google event is scheduled to take place today, a launch event in India is set for tomorrow (August 14).
It is also unclear if the local production of the Pixel 8 has an effect on its pricing. Notably, the Google Pixel 8 price in India starts at Rs. 75,999. It is available in two storage options: 128GB and 256GB. The handset is sold through Flipkart, which is Google's only authorised seller in the country. However, this could change soon as Google is expected to start offline sales of the Pixel 9 series via retail stores like Croma and Reliance Digital.
