Google Pixel 4a/4a XL leak out of the Vietnamese production line

[Viet]

By
Jed John Ikoba
-
May 18, 2020
It was recently rumoured that Google would start manufacturing Pixel phones in Vietnam. Fresh facts have emerged that the Pixel 4a is the first model manufactured in the Asian country.

A Vietnamese blog reports that a source who works inside the factory which assembles Google’s upcoming product has provided pictorials which confirm the Pixel 4a is being produced in Vietnam.

The factory located in Vinh Phuc is said to be run by a Taiwanese company but we can’t confirm if it is Foxconn. The factory also assembles iPads for Apple. According to the source, the Pixel production line was moved from Taiwan, including the SMT (Surface Mount Technology) line which is used to produce PCB (motherboard) for modern electronic devices.

The leaked photos shows that there are two different models available in white and black. The white is larger and is codenamed Blembe. This is suspected to be the Pixel 4a. The black one which is smaller is the Pixel 4a codenamed Sunfish. According to the sources, the Pixel 4a is made from ‘grainy plastic’, ‘plastic buttons’ and ‘mid-range phone feel’. Apart from the difference in sizes,the Pixel 4a XL also seems to pack a different camera setup. Although the other is grainy, it looks like a dual or triple camera setup onboard.

Talking about Pixel assembly line in Vietnam, this person shared that due to the new finishing, the output is very small, mainly SMT output and then transferred to Taiwan to install the finished product. Currently, the number of Pixel 4a installed in Vietnam is only a few hundred per week, considered as a test line. Anyway, the Pixel 4a has not been introduced yet, so one can expect that in about a month when everything goes into orbit, there will be Pixel 4a made in Vietnam (currently not received this certificate), according to the share.

Google Pixel 4a was expected to go on sale from May 22. However, the latest rumour hints that the first sale has been shifted to June 5. The price is even rumoured to start at $349, $50 less than the earlier rumoured price.


https://www.gizmochina.com/2020/05/...l-leak-out-of-the-vietnamese-production-line/

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

Pixel is a low end phone and it's only being manually assembled in Vietnam. Not even the automated assembly.

Even the paint and plastic shell is probably from China. PCB is from China. Only Vietnamese contribution is labor.

 

[cochine]

Google, Microsoft to step up production in Vietnam amid Covid-19


The Hanoitimes - 'Made in Vietnam' Pixel phones and Surface laptops from Google and Microsoft are expected to start shipping in the first half of 2020.

Google and Microsoft are accelerating efforts to shift production of their new phones, personal computers and other devices from China to Vietnam amid the worsening Covid-19 epidemic, Nikkei Asian Review reported.

Source: Reuters.
Google is set to begin production of its latest low-cost smartphone -- expected to be dubbed the Pixel 4A -- with its partners in northern Vietnam as soon as April. The IT tech giant also plans to manufacture its next-generation flagship smartphone -- the Pixel 5, as it is expected to be called -- in the second half of 2020 in the country.

Google is the world's No. 2 smart speaker maker after Amazon and its Pixel phone, though ranked No. 6 in the US market last year, grew more than 50% in shipments globally.

Microsoft, which began its foray into PC hardware in 2012, is scheduled to start producing its Surface line, including notebook and desktop computers, in northern Vietnam in the second quarter of this year at the earliest, another two sources familiar with the matter said.

"The volume in Vietnam would be small at the beginning, but the output will pick up and this is the direction that Microsoft wants," a supply chain executive with direct knowledge of the matter told Nikkei.

Until now, most if not all Google smartphones and Microsoft-built computers have been made in China. The US-China trade war caused many industries -- especially technology -- to consider the risks of overreliance on China for manufacturing. The Covid-19 has only added to concerns about concentrating production too heavily in one place.

"The unexpected Covid-19 hit will definitely push electronics builders to further seek production capacity outside their most cost-effective production base of China," a supply chain executive was quoted by Nikkei as saying. "No one could ignore risks after this. It's more than just cost -- it's about continuity of supply chain management."

Google even asked its suppliers to evaluate the feasibility and cost implications to uninstall some production equipment and ship it from China to Vietnam via land, sea or air transportation after virus fears left production facilities unable to immediately return to work in February, one of the sources briefed on the matter said.

Microsoft also kicked off its production plan in Vietnam earlier than planned in the wake of the spreading epidemic, sources said.

Google started its effort to move some production out of China last year. It asked one of its partners to convert an old Nokia factory in the northern Vietnamese province of Bac Ninh to handle the production of Pixel phones, Nikkei first reported.

Another factory in the northern Vietnamese province of Vinh Phuc also has been approved by the American company to make smartphones, the Nikkei has learned. Working with multiple partners, Google also moved its data center server production to Taiwan last year and started to manufacture other smaller smart home products such as its Nest Wifi internet router in Vietnam at the end of last year.

 

[艹艹艹]

Google plans to produce less than 1 million Pixel 5 smartphones this year
September 30, 2020 13:19 JST

TAIPEI -- Google plans to produce less than 1 million Pixel 5 smartphones this year, sources told Nikkei Asia, signaling a far more conservative outlook for the internet giant's flagship device than last year.

Production could be as low as around 800,000 units for the 5G-capable flagship smartphone, which is set to be released on Sept. 30, the sources added. Google will also introduce the Pixel 4A (5G), following the recent launch on its website of the more affordably priced Pixel 4A.

Initial production for these three models this year is currently set at a modest 3 million units. Google's total handset sales last year fell below the company's target, and market demand this year has been further hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, Google shipped 7.2 million Pixel smartphones, according to research company IDC, falling short of the company's ambitious target of 8 million to 10 million units -- double the 4.7 million it shipped in 2018. Sales of last year's flagship phone, the Pixel 4, were particularly weak.

For the first six months of 2020, Google shipped just 1.5 million smartphones, a sharp drop from the 4.1 million units it sold in the first half of last year, when Google introduced its first-ever budget model, the Pixel 3A, IDC data showed.

COVID-19 dealt a further blow to Google's plans for this year by delaying production of the Pixel 4A from spring to August, sources told Nikkei. Lower-priced models like the 4A generally have smaller margins but help boost shipment volumes.

The pandemic has also disrupted Google's aggressive diversification plan to produce all new handsets -- including the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A series -- in Vietnam this year. So far, only the Pixel 4A series has entered production in the Southeast Asian country, while Pixel 5 flagship phone is currently still manufactured in Chinese city of Shenzhen, people familiar with the matter said.

"Google gave a relatively conservative order forecast this year because its flagship Pixel 4 did not sell well last year, and because COVID-19 is causing their team to stay on the safe side concerning handsets for now," a source close to Google told Nikkei.