Google will launch the Pixel 6a in India, its first phone in a while

Google is all set to launch its first Pixel phone in India in a while. At Google I/O 2022, the company announced that the new $449 Pixel 6a would come to India sometime later this year.

The Pixel series has been absent from the Indian market since the Pixel 4a. Google chose to skip the launch of the Pixel 4 and 4XL in the country because the Soli radar chip on the phones used the 60GHz spectrum, which was not available for commercial use in India. Subsequently, the Pixel 5 didn’t turn up in the country nor did the Pixel 5a and the most recent Pixel 6 series. Google previously stated that this is because of a variety of factors,m including global demand and supply issues.

One theory is that Google decided not to launch its phones in one of the largest smartphone markets in the world because of local market trends favoring cheaper devices. Chinese phone makers like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Realme have a stronghold on the Indian market. Samsung recently broke that monopoly with its more affordable mid-rangers and the premium S22 flagships.

Google’s entry into the upper mid-range space will undoubtedly create some buzz. Even though it’s a conservative approach and the Mountain View tech company isn’t yet setting sights on the flagship space, the Pixel 6a has a lot to offer, including clean, stock UI, the promise of long-term software updates, Google’s camera prowess, and more.

If the phone is priced under Rs 40,000 in India, it would definitely make for a great entry point into Google’s Pixel line. It may also set the tone for future Pixel flagship launches in the country.

How well the phone will fare in India is something we’ll have to wait and watch.