Inside Google’s plan to take on the world’s fastest growing smartphone market

Google’s pixel smartphones are the gold standard for a pure Android experience and are packed with Best features The company has to offer. But despite their strengths and obvious appeals, Pixel devices have not obtained the status of the household name, and follow well behind Apple, Samsung and Motorola in the US market. That being said, Google has won terrain in selected markets. Take, for example, Japan, where Pixel quickly has climbed up to become the third biggest smartphone mark. It is an impressive feat that Google now hopes to recreate in the world’s fastest growing smartphone market.

On the sidelines of MWC 2025I had the opportunity to sit down with Mike Abary, Vice President of Devices & Services Business, Apac at Google. Our conversation went into Google’s ambitious push into India’s premium smartphone market and how it plans to convince people in the country to look beyond Chinese phone producers as well as Samsung and Apple.

It is clear that Google wants to make significant advances in India, a market that quickly develops into one of the world’s largest premium smartphones.

“When we announced that we were going to elaborate on our commitment to India, we did it with our commitment to production. And that changed everything,” said ABARY. The company’s decision to produce in India was not only driven by economic factors, but also by a strong belief in the country’s potential.

Google sees tremendous value in India’s Premium smartphone segment, citing the increase in price levers that have ensured that more people can access advanced devices. “There has been an emergence of things that have happened to make India so appealing to the premium smartphone segment. The biggest is the emergence of affordable levers. It has created a huge amount of access to more Indian consumers than ever,” Abary explained.

However, competing with established premium players in a price -sensitive market like India will not be easy for Google. Top players like Vivo, Xiaomi and Oppo not only offer aggressively priced devices, but also have a widespread retail presence, making them more accessible to Indian consumers. Meanwhile, Samsung and Apple benefit from strong brand loyalty and the popularity of their older flagship models, which still provide great value for money.

In the midst of the very competitive landscape, Google is widely knocking on its ownership of features and the Tensor chip to distinguish from other premium telephone producers in the country. “Pixel was built to deliver the best of Google,” La Abary emphasis on. With Google’s proprietary tensor processor and deep AI integration, ABARY believes that Google can provide a unique, seamless experience that competitors can’t copy.

That being said, the leader acknowledged that Google’s biggest challenge in India right now is an awareness. “It is an awareness that Pixel even exists. We know that it is one of our biggest challenges, which is why we know that we have to invest deeper, and beyond and more consistently, ”he said.

One of the largest Peeve’s Indian consumers with Google is the absence of certain pixel-exclusive features available in other markets like the United States.

Features such as Call screening and spam detection, which have the potential to have a radical impact and separate Google from other telephone producers in India, have not yet reached the region. ABARY acknowledged this gap and reassured that Google is actively working to bring these functionalities to India.

“We are not lost to us that we need to make sure we bring this opportunity to India, and we plan to do so. The delay is less about technical challenges and more about policy -related obstacles, which we work to address. “

“We had been exclusively with flip maps. Last year we expanded it to include both Croma and Reliance. We started modestly because we felt that we needed to do this in a way that was sensible for both the partners and for us. But now we are in over 150 Croma and Reliance stores around the country. We have very big plans to expand beyond this footprint, ”he said, stopping confirming upcoming Google stores in India.

In addition, Google has taken steps to improve services after sales, a long -term grip for Indian consumers. The company recently opened two first-party walk-in service centers in Bengaluru and Delhi, with a third planned for Mumbai.

“Consumers who visit these centers receive higher support, including repairs of the same day and white -glove service. We maintain a massive part of the stock to ensure that even older pixel models are well supported,” noted Abary.

He revealed that Google is also discussing internally expansion of these first -party repair locations based on the success of the newly expanded centers.

Beyond smartphones, Google’s presence in the Indian smart domestic market has been inconsistent, and ABARY acknowledged this during our chat. He said that in terms of specific products that securityGoogle remains careful to enter India’s very competitive market.

“The camera category in India is plenty of many competitors across different price points. Just being another camera on the shelf did not add enough value to the Indian consumer, ”Amary admitted.

Similarly, Google has not yet introduced its latest streaming units in India despite a clear demand for them. While ABARY confirmed that Google TV -steamer won’t land in the countryHe admitted that his team had not previously considered the bad software experience of aging smart TVs as a reason to push for its standalone streamers.

“You give me something to think about. This dimension of input is one that our team has not looked at before. So there is a possibility, “he said, allowing the door open to future development in this category of Google devices.

The road in front of Google in India

When Google seems to elaborate on its commitment to India, it is clear that the company has big plans to address some of the lucrative premium smartphone market share. With extended retail and support networks and a plan to double down the marketing measures, Google hopes to give a serious command to become a remarkable player in India.

Despite several challenges, including making pixels better value for Indian consumers, Google’s continued efforts and future plans indicate that the region can expect more focused attention from the company in the coming years.