Google Working on a Budget Smartphone Without Pixel Branding: Report

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, on his trip to India last year, said that the smartphone prices need to come down to as low as $30 (roughly Rs. 2,000) in India to improve access to the Internet. Even though rumours of a budget Pixel smartphone were put to rest by the company at recently-concluded MWC 2017, a new leak suggests that the search giant might be working on a budget smartphone after all - though without the Pixel brand.

The tipster who originally suggested that the company is working on a budget smartphone has now claimed that the budget smartphone is still being worked upon but won't be carrying a Pixel branding, as per a report by 9To5Google. As per the tipster, the same team that is currently working on Pixel 2 smartphone is also working on this aforementioned budget smartphone.

The budget smartphone, which can potentially be an Android One device, is not expected to be released in the US and is being developed with emerging markets in mind. Considering that Google has clarified that the Pixel 2 smartphone will remain in the premium category, this new rumour seems to make much more sense.

Google's newly appointed hardware lead Rick Osterloh clarified at MWC last week that the Pixel smartphone's successor, just like the first generation, will remain in the premium price segment. Osterloh suggested that the search giant will be following annual rhythm of the industry and will launch the Pixel smartphone's successor later this year.

As there are no specific details, we will have to wait and see if the company eventually decides to launch a budget smartphone or keeps itself limited to the premium price segment with Pixel smartphones.