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Google promises stronger Pixel presence in India, but the price tag won’t help
July 23, 2025
Google wants to boost offline sales of the Pixel 2 duo in India, but with the phones starting at $950, it might be easier said than done.
India is set to surpass the US andbecome the second largest smartphone market in the world, which explains why so many companies – including Google, Samsung, and Apple – are doing everything that they can to grow their presence there. Google, in particular, is having a hard time because it’s so new to smartphone hardware business. After all, before the original Pixel and Pixel XL last year, the search giant’s primary services were all software-based.
Last year’s Pixel phones didn’t perform too well in the Indian market, butaccording to Google’s VP of Product Management, its team has learned quite a bit since then:
In particular, the search giant says that it hopes to increase its offline presence. According to the company, consumers in India generally prefer to purchase premium, high-end smartphones after having experienced them in-person, something that they failed to capitalize on last year. However, good marketing strategies aren’t the only factor in strong sales. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are prohibitively expensive in India, and it’s unclear whether Google’s initiatives will be enough to convince consumers in an emerging market to spend up to $1,260 on a phone.
The officialstartingprice for the Pixel 2 duo is Rs 61,000 or $950 in India: Rs 61,000 ($950) for the 64 GB version of the regular Pixel 2, and Rs 70,000 ($1,075) for the 128 GB version. For its bigger sibling, it’ll set you back Rs 73,000 ($1,122) and Rs 82,000 ($1,260) for 64 GB and 128 GB respectively. Pre-orders start on October 26 in India, but the question is “Just how many people would be willing to dish out a grand for a phone that looks like a 2016 flagship?”
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