Google is looking to move the Pixel 4a manufacturing from China to Vietnam in hopes of avoiding further delays, as the Coronavirus outbreak shows no signs of slowing down.
The Google Pixel 4a will bring the best features and camera capabilities from the Pixel 4 family to a lower price tag. Last year, the Pixel 3a was unveiled at the Google I/O in May and was met with a lot of excitement.
The Pixel 4 family also did not come to countries such as India due to a regulatory issue with the bands the Motion Sense features would operate at. The Pixel 4a might be the only way these markets get to experience the new features.
However, the Pixel 4a launch might be delayed as the production might not be able to able to reach sustainable levels in China any time soon. Google is thus looking to accelerate the shift of manufacturing to Vietnam, where the situation is seemingly still under control.
A person close to the matter explained that along with a monetary loss, this move would also disrupt the supply chain continuity. Google is even considering uninstalling some of the critical production equipment from China and shipping them to Vietnam.
A report also suggests that Google might manufacture Pixel 5 in Vietnam too, which is expected to be unveiled towards the end of 2020. Microsoft is looking to follow suit for its Surface computers, which used to be made in China to date.
Source: Nikkei Asian Review
