Source: Michael Fisher / Android Central
Google has told suppliers that it plans to make over 7 million units of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, according to Nikkei Asia. That’s nearly twice as much as its total smartphone shipments last year. As per data from IDC, Google shipped just over 3.7 million phones in 2020.
Google apparently wants to take advantage of the post-pandemic recovery in the global market and its position as the only U.S. maker of Android phones. It is also hoping to lure consumers away from other brands by promising longer updates and superior security features. And it’s not just the upcoming Pixel 6 series that the company is betting big on. The company is said to have also asked suppliers to produce more than 5 million units of the Pixel 5a, its best budget Android phone.
While Google appears to be quite confident about the new Pixel 6 series, it remains to be seen if the company can actually attain its production target. Supply chains across the world are currently facing challenges due to chip and component shortages. Nikkei Asia says Pixel phone production hasn’t yet been affected, but the efficiency of phone assembly has been impacted due to “technical issues related to waterproofing technology.”
The global chip shortage has forced nearly every smartphone maker to lower its production target. Last week, it was reported that Apple is expected to slash its iPhone 13 production targets for 2021 by 10 million units due to a shortage of components from Broadcom and Texas Instruments. The company had initially planned to produce 90 million new iPhones in the fourth quarter of the year.
