The first Google Pixel smartphone was released in 2016 which marked the beginning of the Pixel’s reign as the spiritual successor to the Google Nexus devices. However, none of the Pixel smartphones have been officially released in Malaysia but as it turns out, the 8-year wait might finally be over this year.
Urban Republic says Google Pixel is on its way to Malaysia
Local tech pundit Xavier Naxa recently noted that gadget retailer Urban Republic has added a new sub-section for the smartphone listing on its online store. Labelled as Google, the new sub-section is still empty at the moment though.
We have since reached out to Urban Republic’s customer service who has confirmed that the retailer will indeed bring over Google Pixel smartphones to Malaysia. However, the customer service agent was not able to confirm the release date for Pixel models in our market.
Similarly, the agent was not able if other Pixel devices such as Pixel Buds and Pixel Watch will be released here as well. We have also reached out to Google’s press team and is currently waiting for their reply on this matter.
Malaysia used to be one of the official markets for Google consumer devices
Right now, the Pixel 8 Series devices including the Pixel 8a, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are only available in 22 countries with Singapore being the only official market in Southeast Asia. On the other hand, the availability of Pixel Fold was even more limited as it can only be purchased in 4 countries.
Some may not know this but there was a time when Malaysia was an official Google hardware market. This was way before Google rebranded its consumer hardware products under the Made by Google branding.
In 2015, the first-generation Google Chromecast was made available in Malaysia via Maxis. This was followed by the second-generation model in the following year but unfortunately, Google stopped making its products available in Malaysia after that.
Aside from Chromecast, you could also officially get your hands on several Google Nexus smartphones in Malaysia including Nexus 4, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P smartphones. In addition to that, there were also Google Nexus tablets such as Nexus 7 and Nexus 9.
Fun fact: you can still see the remnants of the old “Google Store Malaysia” by visiting the online Google Store using this Malaysian URL and click on the Phone menu that is located at the upper area of the website.
Then again, if Google Pixel is really coming to Malaysia, it is likely that the website will be revamped to reflect the new Made by Google offerings for our market.
Google Pixel 9 Series launch is around the corner
Given the confirmation from Urban Republic, is it possible that Google is planning to announce new markets for its smartphones at the upcoming launch event for the Pixel 9 Series? Well, we have to wait until 14 August at 1:00 AM Malaysian time to know the answer.
