Google will stop manufacturing all Pixel devices in China starting in 2027, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. The shift covers Pixel phones, watches, and earbuds, and affects the company’s entire consumer hardware lineup. Google has reportedly informed its suppliers of the move, which follows years of gradual expansion of production capacity in Vietnam and India. Most of Google’s Pixel manufacturing still takes place in China today, making the upcoming change a full relocation.
The decision comes after Google successfully developed and manufactured its Pixel 11 devices in Vietnam, as Nikkei Asia reported earlier this year. That process required the company to invest in new testing equipment, tooling machines, and the verification and fine-tuning of the production line to build the phones from scratch in Vietnam. The success of that effort reportedly gave Google confidence to move production of its other devices, such as smartwatches and earbuds, to the same country. Smartphone assembly is more complex than producing earbuds or wearables, so the Pixel 11 experience was seen as a key test.
A source familiar with the matter told Nikkei Asia that Google will find it easier to exit China than Apple would, because Google does not officially sell Pixel devices in China. The company’s phone userbase is also still relatively small, which reduces the logistical and regulatory hurdles of shifting production. Additionally, Google could tap into the smartphone supply chain ecosystem that Samsung has already built in Vietnam. That existing infrastructure may help speed up the transition for Google’s other product lines.
Google has also told its suppliers that it plans to increase Pixel phone shipments by 8 to 10 percent this year, compared to the 12 million units shipped in 2025. The company is positioning its phones as a gateway to drive broader adoption of its Gemini AI features. To manage rising costs for memory components, Google has reportedly been bundling its orders for phone memory chips with chip orders for its cloud computing business. This strategy is intended to give the company more leverage in negotiations with suppliers.
For U.S. consumers, the production shift could affect future Pixel device availability and pricing, though no specific impacts were stated in the report. Google’s decision also reflects a broader trend among tech companies to diversify manufacturing away from China, driven by geopolitical tensions and supply chain resilience concerns. Unlike Apple, which sells heavily in China, Google’s limited presence there simplifies the transition. The move is expected to be completed by the start of 2027, according to the report.
