Google plans to bring high-end yet affordable Android One-based smartphones: Sundar Pichai in NEW DELHI

Google plans to bring high-end yet affordable Android One-based smartphones: Sundar 
Pichai 



NEW DELHI: Google CEO Sundar Pichai underlined India's importance for Android, saying the number of users of the operating system in the world's fastest growing smartphone market will surpass those in the US in 2016. 
Speaking at the 'Google for India' event in Delhi on Wednesday, Pichai also backed the Internet giant's much hyped Android One programme and claimed it was a success in all the 20 countries across the globe. 

"We are doing many products to bring connectivity. We do this primarily by investing in Android. In 2016, there will be more Android users in India than the US," Pichai said on the first day of a two-day visit to India. 

This is also Chennai-born Pichai's first visit to the country, in fact his first overseas trip after he took over as CEO of Google in August.On Android One, Pichai said, that the project is working successfully and the company is influencing the Android ecosystem. "We launched it in India, and we are now available in 20 countries. Just like the Nexus programme in the US and the developed world, we use Android One help guide the ecosystem and get them to make higher quality more affordable smartp .. 

Caesar Sengupta, vice-president (product management) at Google said the company has made significant improvements in the Android One operating system with the latest Marshmallow update and it will also bring more local languages for the operating system to grow its user base in India, from seven languages right now. Pichai added that through its handset partners, Google plans to bring high-end yet affordable Android One-based smartphones, but it didn't divulge further details. 

Navin Chawla, senior vice-president and head product at Lava - an Android One partner - told ET that the handset company plans to bring a new high-end India-assembled Android One smartphone in the first quarter of next financial year starting April 1, 2016. On the performance of Lava's first Android One smartphone, Lava Pixel V1, Chawla said that the company is "satisfied" so far. 

Comments from both Google and Lava executives however are in stark contrast with the market perception, which suggests that the Android One programme hasn't been a success, especially India. 

Only 1.2 million units of Android One-based devices were shipped to India during its first year (September 2014 to September 2015) in the country, making up only 3.5% of the $50-100 phone market, the segment which sells the most phones, according to Counterpoint, which also said that only 3 million devices have been shipped in the 19 countries. 

Google also announced new partnerships with Lava and Intex for the "Indic" keyboard which helps users type in 11 languages. Under the tie-up, all the smartphones from Lava will come preloaded with this keyboard app, Chawla said. Intex will also launch smartphones with the keyboard app. "This will help users to feel the regional connect and also help those who are familiar with only the regional languages," Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, mobile business head, Intex Technologies.