Google has an attention-grabbing relationship in India: the search large makes use of the rising markets as a testbed for its newest software program improvements, whether or not that is in Search, YouTube, Maps, or Pay. But it surely’s a completely completely different story in relation to Google {hardware}; India will get a tiny sliver of the merchandise in Google’s {hardware} portfolio, and the model continues to fumble key product launches.
The newest challenge is with the Pixel 8 sequence. Whereas each the Pixel 8 and eight Professional can be found in India, not all variants have made it throughout. The 256GB model is out there solely on the Pixel 8, and the Pixel 8 Professional is restricted to the 128GB mannequin within the nation. That is wholly insufficient for a flagship in 2023, and in only a week’s price of use, I already crossed greater than half the out there storage on my Pixel 8 and eight Professional.
I do not fairly perceive the reasoning behind not launching the 256GB model of the Pixel 8 Professional within the area; if something, it could have made extra sense to restrict the usual Pixel 8 to 128GB and introduce the 256GB possibility with the Pixel 8 Professional as an alternative. Google did one thing comparable with the Pixel Watch 2; whereas the smartwatch is out there in India this time — not like its predecessor — you may solely purchase the Bluetooth-enabled mannequin, and never the mobile variant.
Then there’s the problem of pricing. Whereas the Pixel 8 and eight Professional price $100 extra within the U.S., they’re retailing for considerably larger in India. The Pixel 8 ₹75,999 ($912) within the nation, ₹16,000 ($192) greater than its predecessor, and the Pixel 8 Professional is out there for ₹1,06,999 ($1,285), which is ₹22,000 ($264) greater than the Pixel 7 Professional. Google is the one main model to nonetheless promote imported variations of its telephones in India, however that does not recommend why the brand new Pixels price that rather more than earlier fashions.
One other quibble is the pre-order bonuses — or lack thereof. Google launched the Pixel 8 and eight Professional in 21 areas globally, and all of those markets had some type of pre-order incentives to the tune of $200 to $350 when shopping for both system. That is not the case in India; the one supply Google rolled out within the nation is slashing the value of the Pixel Watch 2 by half when shopping for the Pixel 8 or 8 Professional.
If that weren’t sufficient, Google hobbled the {hardware} on the Pixel 8 sequence; whereas most different nations get a Wi-Fi 7 modem, that is restricted to Wi-Fi 6 in India. So not solely are clients within the area paying much more and never getting sufficient for his or her cash, however in addition they must make do with inferior {hardware}. It is no surprise that Google continues to battle in relation to {hardware} gross sales within the nation.
This haphazard perspective is why it is troublesome to advocate Google merchandise in India — there isn’t any assure that future units will even debut within the area. Google did not launch the Pixel 4, Pixel 5, or Pixel 6 in India, and that in the end meant that clients utilizing the Pixel 2 or Pixel 3 needed to look elsewhere when it was time to improve their telephones.
To its credit score, Google says that it’s partnering with native manufacturing companions to provide its finest telephones in India, and that ought to permit the model some leeway with pricing — it is one other matter if it decides to move these financial savings on to clients. The transfer suggests Google is taking India extra severely as a possible marketplace for its {hardware} enterprise, nevertheless it’ll be some time earlier than it might probably regain shopper belief.
