One of the biggest challenges Google’s Pixel lineup faces is its limited distribution, but it seems Google is finally ramping things up a little bit. The Google Pixel 6a is going to be available in India, the first smartphone sold in the country by Google in nearly two years.
Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are available in 12 countries, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States. The upcoming Pixel 6a, per Google’s documentation, will be coming to those same regions, and will be returning to Puerto Rico after Google skipped the US territory with its Pixel 5a.
But speaking to Android Central, the company also confirmed that the Pixel 6a will be sold in India “later in 2022.” The delayed launch will mark Google’s first release in India in nearly two years. The company’s last new smartphone for India was 2020’s Pixel 4a, which also made a delayed debut in India in October 2020.
The Pixel 4a was apparently a success in India, to the point where Google said in early 2021 that it had the intention to “further increase the focus” on the Indian market. That didn’t pan out, though, as the Pixel 5a only launched in the United States and Japan,and the Pixel 6 series skipped the Indian market as well over “supply issues.”
With the more powerful Tensor chip under the hood and an affordable price tag to boot, Google could end up doing well in the Indian market which today is dominated by Xiaomi, Samsung, OnePlus, and others.
Exact pricing for the Pixel 6a in India has yet to be confirmed.