Google is reportedly planning to stop making Pixel products in China by 2027. The move would cover Pixel smartphones, smartwatches, and earbuds. The company has expanded production in Vietnam and India in recent years. However, a significant share of Pixel products is still made in China.
Google’s timeline follows its progress with Pixel phone production in Vietnam this year. Smartphones are more complex to build than watches and earbuds. That progress has reportedly given Google confidence to complete the shift.
If the plan goes ahead, Google would become the second major global phone brand to leave China. Samsung already made a similar move after its China market share fell to negligible levels. The transition should also be easier for Google because Pixel phones are not sold in China. This means the company has less reason to maintain local production for its smartphone business.
Google is also expecting Pixel smartphone shipments to grow this year. The company reportedly plans to ship 8-10% more units than last year’s 12 million smartphones. Meanwhile, Google is looking for ways to limit the impact of rising memory chip prices. The company has reportedly combined memory orders for its cloud business and smartphones during talks with Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.
An unnamed executive at a component supplier serving Google and Xiaomi also sees a bigger opportunity for Pixel. The executive reportedly believes Google could take some market share from Apple in the US, Japan, and Europe.
That could become more important if Apple raises iPhone prices, as expected. A lower production reliance on China could give Google more flexibility as it expands the Pixel lineup globally.
