Google Reportedly Working On Affordable Mid-Range Pixel Phone For Emerging Markets

Google is reportedly working on a new mid-range Pixel phone for emerging markets like India. Additionally, the Alphabet company has also finalized its plans to start selling its other products in the country, including Nest-branded devices and the Pixelbook.

Google’s mid-range Pixel phone will apparently be revealed either in July or in August, according to The Economic Times. The upcoming new Android phone will be primarily aimed at “price-sensitive” markets like India. The device is said to be part of Google’s consumer product expansion in the country, which will also include the launch of the Pixelbook, Nest products, Google Home and Google Wi-Fi. The site claims that Google’s top executives shared details of its plans during trade meetings that were held in Malaysia, the U.K. and the U.S. last month.

The site didn’t reveal if the mid-range Pixel phone will launch in other countries, but it did say that it would launch as a third option alongside the Pixel 3. The third-generation Pixel phone is said to arrive around mid-October. Not much is known about the mid-range Pixel phone, but this isn’t the first time that this device has been rumored.

Early last year, 9To5Google reported that Google was working on a budget-friendly “Pixel 2B,” which was said to be significantly cheaper than the flagship Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that are currently selling for $649 and $849, respectively. Perhaps this “Pixel 2B” is the device that will debut this July or August.

There’s currently no information yet on the specs of this mid-range Pixel phone and Google hasn’t announced anything official. Google’s plan to release a cheaper Pixel phone in emerging markets is considered a smart move for the company, as pricing has certainly been tricky in those regions. Introducing a more affordable option could help Google solidify its position in India, which is one of the biggest markets in the world. This would also bolster Google’s consumer products distribution, which is one of the company’s weakest points in hardware, as pointed out by Ars Technica.

Releasing a mid-range Android phone may be a first for Google, but it seems to be in line with the company’s current strategy that focuses on lower-end devices. The company recently introduced Android Go, a modified version of Android OS that’s specifically made for handsets with less than 1GB of RAM.