New Delhi, Jul 5: Following in Apple's footsteps, Google is set to manufacture its Pixel smartphones in India, with plans to export the devices to Europe and the US, according to media reports.
The tech giant will soon commence commercial production in collaboration with Foxconn and Dixon Technologies' subsidiary, Padget Electronics. Trial production has already begun in Tamil Nadu with Foxconn, a prominent manufacturer of Apple devices.
Reports suggest that Google may formally announce this development in the second half of the year. The base variant of the Pixel phone will be produced by Dixon Technologies and Foxconn will manufacture the production of the Pro variants. Commercial production is expected to commence in September, with exports beginning once production stabilizes.
This initiative aligns with the Indian government's production-linked incentive (PLI) program, which aims to boost domestic manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Apple has exported iPhones worth over Rs 16,500 crore in the first two months of the current financial year, accounting for more than 80 percent of the country's total production and assembly of iPhones. Foxconn led total exports with about 65 percent.
For FY24, Apple reported a total iPhone production of around $14 billion. The company has significantly increased its iPhone production in India, with one out of seven iPhones now being manufactured in the country, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Data from the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) shows that mobile phone production surged from Rs 18,900 crore in 2014-15 to an estimated Rs 4.10 lakh crore in FY24, registering a massive 2,000 percent increase driven by the PLI scheme.
