PIXEL 5, 4A 5G AND 4A | WHY PIXEL COULD NOT SUCCEED IN SOUTH ASIAN MARKET? BANGLADESH | INDIA | PAKISTAN

Pixel 2020 models are the budget friendly phones in US. But can we say the same thing for the South Asian market?

Last year pixel launched their new pixel lineup PIXEL 5, 4a 5G & 4a. Pixel took a different path compared to the other brands. They decided to make mid-range smartphone with stock android experience. Pixel is well known for its software. Moreover, it is one of the best camera phones in the market. They managed to take a very small portion of the US mobile market using their budget-friendly strategy.

However, in the South Asian market we can see a different picture. For example, take a look at Bangladesh's mobile market. It is one of the potential markets for budget-friendly phones. So why pixel couldn't penetrate this market with their budget-friendly phones?

First of all the price. Yes, pixel's new models are budget-friendly phones for the US but in Bangladesh, it is not a cheap phone. The current pixel 4a costs $349 in the US. However, in Bangladesh, it cost 43000 Taka or $507 US Dollar. Now let's see what type of phone you can buy in Bangladesh for less than $500. 

One Plus 7T 37000 Taka ($435) (Unofficial)

One Plus 7 Pro 42000 Taka ($495) (Unofficial)

Realme X2 Pro Global 37000 Taka ($435) (Unofficial)

Again, if you increase the budget a little bit then you can buy a Galaxy S20 FE 49000 Taka ($578) (Unofficial).

Now, most of these phones have flagship chips, higher RAM, and better hardware than pixel 4a.  Again, these brands are catching up in the camera segment too.  Also, these phones have multiple cameras which include a wide-angle camera. In this post, we didn't talk about pixel 5 or 4a 5G just because those price ranges are as high as flagship android sets. 

Second of all, pixel phones are not official in Bangladesh. Google isn't doing any official deal in here so the local retailers are also responsible for the higher price.

So the question is "Does that make pixel 4a a bad phone?"

The answer is "No". Pixel 4a isn't a bad phone. It could take over Bangladesh mobile market if the price was $300 in Bangladesh. Even though the official price is $349, the fright cost and tax actually increased the price pretty high.

In 2020 the most sold phones of Bangladesh were Poco X3, Redmi Note 9 series (9s, 9T 9 Pro), and Galaxy M series (All Official). These phones are more or less $300. Now, these brands managed to keep the price as low as possible. So if Google wants to grab the Bangladesh mobile market, then they should come up with a strategy that will keep the price stable. 

Disclaimer. All of the information above was taken from the local stores of Bangladesh. Updated price list (05 February 2021)