Google Pixel 6 is one of the best Android phones you can purchase this year, but it’s not resting on its laurels. COVID causes China lockdowns, and bad international relations harm trade. Google may be worried about meeting demand for the new Pixel in a few weeks. Up to 20% of Pixel phone manufacture may move to India, which borders China.
Google may discontinue making Pixels in China, according to The Information. Google may use Indian facilities to produce 500,000 to 1,000,000 Pixel phones annually. It wants to act before the next COVID wave or a future trade war between China and the US, in which the White House punishes Chinese goods and services.
Manufacturing in India could save
To sweeten the deal, India offers subsidies to international brands that want to set up factories on its land. For example, phones made in India get a 20 percent reduction in import duties. Businesses can make money off of the country’s growing consumer market, and Google is reportedly looking for ways to get materials like glue, tape, insulation, and even parts for smartphone displays from the country. This is part of an effort to reduce risk and production costs even more.
Even if production in India really takes off, it’s likely that not many of these phones will stay in India. Last year, only 100,000 Pixel phones were sold in India, and the Pixel 6 series didn’t even come to India until the Pixel 6a did. Even if the parts were put together in the country, the vast majority of them would still come from China.
Google wouldn’t be the first corporation to transfer phone production to India; Samsung and Apple have done it. Apple has contracts with Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron to lessen its reliance on Chinese production and COVID delays. If Google makes this change, it might end up using the same local assemblers as Apple.
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