Google sees India as booming premium smartphone market, to surpass others

Tech giant Google views India as an exciting market and believes the country has huge growth prospects in the premium smartphones segment, a top official said on Tuesday.

Google Mobile Business Vice President Nanda Ramachandran, speaking on the sidelines of the Made By Google event here, described India as a "fantastic growing market", asserting that the premium smartphone segment in the country is poised to outpace many of Google's other major markets.

"India is a fantastic growing market and we believe that the premium smartphone market in India will exceed pretty much any top markets that we play in, and we want to be a strong player in that market," Ramachandran told PTI.

Speaking further about the company's commitment to India, he noted that a successful strategy hinges on optimising its product portfolio to meet local demands.

"India is one of the most exciting countries in our footprint right now, and we are fully committed. For us to succeed in India, the first thing we have to take care of is our portfolio," Ramachandran said.

The comments assume significance as Google on Monday announced the roll-out of Made-in-India Pixel 8 smartphones.

"Excited to announce that the first of our Made in India Google #Pixel8 devices have started rolling off the production lines. Grateful for the partnership with Hon'ble Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw as we look forward to bringing the #TeamPixel experience to people across India," Google announced on micro-blogging platform X.

Senior Director of Product Operations at Google Maggie Wei said Google is considering exporting devices made in India, but no concrete plans are in place yet.

"We see great potential for local production, but we don't want to limit the production only for the local market...Right now, it is more for local because we have just started," she said.

Wei informed that Google is manufacturing through its facilities in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, calling them "two very exciting locations".

Almost 8 years after launching the first Pixel smartphone, Google launched its Pixel 9 series on Tuesday, marking the company's entry into the foldable market.

It also unveiled the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2.

In an effort to increase the accessibility of Pixel smartphones for Indian users and expand its local retail presence, Google has taken the retail route. Pixel products will now be available in over 150 Croma and Reliance Retail stores across 15 cities in India.

It also announced the opening of three Google-owned walk-in centres in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, in partnership with Flipkart's service arm, F1 Info Solutions and Services Private Limited.

Google also announced a reduction in prices for its earlier generation of Pixel smartphones.