Tariff Woes Accelerate Google Pixel Production Shift from Vietnam to India

Alphabet Inc., the parent company of tech giant Google, plans to shift part of its Pixel smartphone production to India from Vietnam. Currently, most of these phones are sourced from Vietnam and China.

Last year, India's Dixon and Taiwan's Foxconn started making the Pixel in India, though most of these phones still relied on imported components.

According to a report in The Economic Times citing industry executives, Alphabet has begun discussions with Dixon Technologies and Foxconn to shift part of Google Pixel smartphone production from Vietnam to India, especially for exports to the US. Talks began around two weeks ago.

Google is also exploring local sourcing of components such as chargers, batteries, fingerprint sensors, and enclosures, which are currently imported.

The move is part of the tech giant's broader strategy to reduce supply chain risks, as the US considers higher tariffs on Vietnam — Pixel’s current manufacturing hub.

President Donald Trump has proposed a 46% tariff on Vietnamese goods compared to 26% on Indian exports, although these tariffs have been paused for 90 days.

Google's Growing Pixel Production Plans in India

Google reportedly began producing a larger number of Pixel phones in Vietnam in 2023 through Foxconn and Compal to reduce dependence on China, with nearly half of its premium models made there last year.

Since then, the tech giant has been expanding production in India. In August 2024, it began assembling the Pixel 8 through vendor Wowtek Technology India — a subsidiary of Bharat FIH and part of Foxconn — at a factory in Tamil Nadu.

Government officials at the time said Google aims to assemble most of its new Pixel models in India within three years, mirroring Apple’s local manufacturing strategy.

As per a new ET report, Dixon and Foxconn currently manufacture about 43,000–45,000 Pixel phones monthly in India, solely for the domestic market. Dixon handles 65–70% of this, including newer models, while Foxconn focuses on older versions. Foxconn started production in August at its Tamil Nadu unit, and Dixon followed in December at its Noida plant in partnership with Taiwan's Compal Electronics.

Amid rising US tariffs on Vietnamese imports, Google is accelerating plans to shift more of its global supply to India. Alphabet is reportedly preparing to scale up exports to the US and is also evaluating shipments to other countries.