Google just finished its annual product launch event in New York and if you were tuned in, you must surely have found the new Pixel phones exciting.
In fact, these phones have been in news for far longer with leaks almost revealing 100% of the phone and features beforehand; a small price you pay for being a Google product. You can find our entire coverage of the launch here – including the details on Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL – but this post is about the grim scenario that Indian Pixel fans face.
Whether you’re smitten by the new software improvements or the camera or simply the functionality of Soli-chip-supported Motion Sense capabilities – you won’t be able to order one in India; atleast for forseeable future.
Google has announced that it will not be launching the Pixel 4 devices in India. The reason behind this decision is considered to be the presence of Motion Sense feature in new Pixel devices.
The Motion Sense feature is powered by Soli Radar Chip which is actually a low-radar chip operating in the 60 GHz bandwith. This bandwith is private and usage is not allowed in India without clearances and it seems that Google has not got the go ahead with Indian authorities for the same.
There was talk earlier that Google may launch devices without this radar chip in India but it seems that Google has decided to skip the effort.Even though Pixel devices are really popular in India and Android rules the platform war but India is actually buying a lot more handsets at entry level prices and maybe that’s what lead to this decision.
Officially here’s the statement, where a Google spokesperson said, “Google has a wide range of products that we make available in different regions around the world. We determine availability based on a variety of factors, including local trends, and product features. We decided not to make Pixel 4 available in India. We remain committed to our current Pixel phones and look forward to bringing future Pixel devices to India.”
The usage of this bandwidth finds restrictions in some other countries too and we need to wait and see how Google jumps those hurdles. As for Pixel fans, it’s a wait and watch game for now.
