Apr 03, 2018 06:10 PM IST | Source: Moneycontrol.com

Google may release a mid-range Pixel smartphone in India by August

The company, in order to reach the maximum amount of consumers, is trying to focus more on brick and mortar stores to sell its phones as the data suggest physical stores account 36 percent of Pixel sales in India

Moneycontrol News @moneycontrolcom

At least four versions of Pixel phones have been launched by its parent company Google, and amid those launches, rumours of a budget Pixel being introduced specifically for certain markets keeps coming.

As per a report from The Economic Times industry executives say that Google is working on a mid-level budget Pixel phone specifically for “price-sensitive” markets like India. The phone could come to the market as soon as July or August this year.

The company, in order to reach the maximum number of consumers, is trying to focus more on brick and mortar stores to sell its phones as the data suggests that physical stores account for 36 percent of Pixel sales in India.

As per the report, Google is solidifying its presence in the country which has emerged as one of the most lucrative markets for mobile phones. In order to pose a challenge to its rivals like Apple and Amazon and take considerable a pie of the market, Google will launch its smart speakers, premium laptop Pixelbook, and intelligent home automation products as well.

The smart speakers are expected to be priced at a competitive rate of Rs 9,999 and Rs 4,499 for Google Home and Google Home Mini, respectively. This will put it in the direct competition to Amazon’s Echo devices which are priced at the same level. Notably, though, the Google Home devices will support at least 11 Indian languages including Hindi, unlike Amazon echo.

The report also says that the US tech giant is also mulling over introducing intelligent home automation products such as doorbell, camera, alarm system, and smoke detector, sold under the Nest brand, and its Wi-fi system Google WiFi in the Indian market over the next one year.