Despite Google’s status as one of the true giants of U.S. tech, it’s never quite been able to make its Pixel phones into a mainstream success.
Last year, for instance, the company enjoyed record U.S. sales in September after the launch of the Pixel 10 line, according to Counterpoint Research. But despite achieving 28% year-on-year growth, the Pixel still only accounted for 6.1% of the $600-and-up smartphone market in the US, which is dominated by Apple.
There is one market, however, where Google has managed to turn the Pixel into a big hit, and surprisingly it’s in a country that was one of the last to adopt its search engine. The entry-level Pixel 8A and 9A have been some of the best-selling phones in Japan over recent years, and this seems to have prompted Google to pull out all the stops for the latest iteration.