Last Updated: October 23, 2023, 13:27 IST
Pixel 8 will be made in India soon that could change many things
Google Pixel 8 series will be made in India but the company needs to make a host of changes if the new Pixels have to be a hit in the country.
Google announced this month that it will be making Pixel 8 phones in India, and start selling them in the country from early next year. The company has been criticised for its strategy in the country, especially the way it markets and prices the Pixel phones. The Google for India event brought Rick Osterloh, SVP for Hardware at Google, which suggested that Google wants to change its perception about the Indian market.
The update about Pixel 8 to be made in India was also presented to a senior Minister of the Indian government, giving him a Pixel 8 as a token of gesture for this development. But what does a make in India Pixel 8 mean for Google, and will it have an iPhone-like impact for the company and its future in India? Here are the 5 things that could happen with this change from Google.
Cheaper Pixel 8 in India?
Pixel 8 series has launched in India at well over its launch prices in the US and Europe. You pay well over a lakh this year to buy the Pixel 8 Pro which makes it a hard-sell for many. So, does the news of a make in India Pixel 8 finally change that image of the company? Can we expect Google to start selling the Pixel 8 at a cheaper price? What we can say is that Apple took a few years before being able to stabilise the prices of the iPhone 14/15 models that were assembled in the country, so it is likely that the Pixel 8 prices might take a similar time to become cheaper than what you pay in the country right now.
Better Support For Pixel 8 Phones
Google has never shown its care for the Indian market purely because of how hard it can be to fix a damaged Pixel phone. The company did realise this issue by changing its third-party service vendor in the country to F1 last year but even then 27 support centres in 28 cities is not a number that a flagship-grade product deserves. Apple has expanded its network by and large because of its resellers that are present in all nooks and corners of the country. Google really needs a similar push to ensure that Pixel 8 is considered an option alongside iPhones.
Increase Marketing Spends
Google has also shied away from spending money to market the Pixel 8 phones in India. Rarely did you see Pixel ads on banners, newspapers or even online. We have seen a change with this strategy since the Pixel 8 launched this year and more spending is needed to bring the Pixel 8 into the mainstream focus.
Buying Pixel 8 At A Shop
It is hard to understand why Google never thought that selling a Pixel phone through an offline store would be a bad idea. After all, Apple has done this to a large extent for many years, even before online shopping was a trend. Google deciding to go with Flipkart for the Pixels to be sold exclusively is another head-scratcher. Google really needs to change these moves and with a make in India Pixel 8, it is high time that we see the blue-coloured Pixel 8 Pro on the store shelves.
More Variants Please
Yet again, Google decided that people are happy buying the 128GB variant of the Pixel 8 Pro, even though you might have heard people saying otherwise. We get that the Pixel 8 Pro for Rs 1.06 lakh is a tough sell but charging that much for a 128GB model was never going to go down well, especially when you didn’t bring the 256GB or 512GB model. It is high time that Google changes this strategy, once the Pixel 8 Pro gets made in the country.
