Google has officially commenced the production of the Pixel 8 in India, the company announced on social media.
The global launch of the Pixel 8 occurred in October 2023, and at the Google for India event held that month, Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Devices and Services at Google, confirmed plans to initiate local assembly of the Pixel 8 by 2024.
As of now, only select variants of the Pixel 8 series are being manufactured locally. The Pixel 8 series includes the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and the newly introduced Pixel 8a. Reports indicate that local production is currently focused on the base Pixel 8 model.
The official Google India account shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that the assembly of the Pixel 8 has started, with the first batch of devices rolling off the production line. Google’s global manufacturing partner, Compal, has collaborated with the Indian electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company, Dixon Technologies, for this endeavor. The plant is initially set to produce up to 100,000 units per month, with approximately 25-30 percent allocated for export.
This announcement comes just hours before Google unveils its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 9 series. The global launch event for the Pixel 9 is scheduled for today, with a separate launch event in India planned for August 14.
The impact of local manufacturing on the Pixel 8’s pricing remains uncertain. Currently, the Pixel 8 is priced in India starting at Rs. 75,999, available in 128GB and 256GB storage options. The device is sold exclusively through Flipkart, Google’s authorized seller in India. However, it is anticipated that the Pixel 9 series will soon be available through offline retail stores such as Croma and Reliance Digital.
