Big changes: Google reportedly plans to exit China in 2027 to produce Pixel line in India, Vietnam
- A report claims that Google is preparing to exit China in 2027, moving its Pixel line production to India and Vietnam.
- This move will take everything Pixel-related (phones, watches, buds), as Google is reportedly becoming confident in this decision.
- The post also highlights that Google wants to push its Pixel shipment momentum in 2026 to 13 million units, which would be a ~8% increase at the lowest.
Changes are afoot for Google next year, as reports claim the company is preparing to move all Pixel production out of China.
Earlier this morning (Aug 18), Nikkei Asia reported that Google "plans to stop" producing its Pixel products in China by 2027 (via 9to5Google). It has been reported that Google plans to move its Pixel production to India and Vietnam. This move isn't coming out of left field. The publication states Google ran what could be considered a "trial run" of this future with the Pixel 11.
The latest flagship was produced in Vietnam, and that's supposedly given Google the confidence boost it needed to prepare the complete shift. This Pixel production move will involve Google's entire portfolio of Pixel phones, watches, and earbuds. Information obtained by Nikkei Asia suggests Google has "no burden" in making this move, as its Pixel portfolio is not sold in China. What's more, Google is reportedly actively chasing more Pixel shipment momentum in 2026 off the back of the Pixel 11 series.
The publication highlights Google's increased "expectations," with Pixel shipments forecast to rise by 8% to 10% in 2026. The company shipped roughly 12 million Pixel units in 2025, but it hopes to reach ~13 million for 2026.
Google's placement in the world
There has been some genuine interest from consumers online in Google's Pixel 11 series, as evidenced by our recent poll. I'm looking forward to shipment data by the end of Q3 and into Q4 2026. Google has its ambitions, but has the Pixel 11 done enough? For me, I'm not entirely sure. The phones look nice, and the software is attractive. What I'm unsure about is whether it's enough. Is Gemini the only thing going for it?
Google finds itself in an interesting position in the smartphone world. It was incredibly popular in Japan last year, right before the Pixel 10 launch, but that's not where we're headed right now. A few months ago, Omdia reported that the U.S. phone market in Q1 2026 struggled. The market dipped by 3% YoY, and that was attributed to rising memory and storage costs. Regarding Google, the company ranked fourth among top-selling phone companies, behind Apple, Samsung, and Motorola (first to third).
Google shipped 0.8 million units, accounting for 3% of the market. If we jump to Q2, the market declined by 4%; however, Samsung and Apple were the only ones to gain ground. Now, this report was more on a global scale. A scale on which Google didn't even crack the top five. It'll be worth watching if Google can reach 13 million shipped phones following the Pixel 11, given the price increases.