Google to Launch Pixel 3 Smartphones in Japan on Nov. 1

October 11, 2018

Tokyo- U.S. technology giant Google Inc.'s Japan unit said Wednesday that it will release the Pixel 3 new smartphone series in the country on Nov. 1.

This is the first time for Google to make Pixel models available to Japanese consumers.

With the new series, which features cutting-edge camera technology utilizing artificial intelligence, Google aims to vie with its rival Apple Inc. in the Japanese market, where Apple's iPhone smartphones take a leading share.

Prices will begin at 95,000 yen for the Pixel 3 model with a 5.5-inch screen and at 119,000 yen for the Pixel 3 XL model with a 6.3-inch screen, Google Japan said.

The company started accepting orders for the Pixel 3 series on Wednesday. The models will also be sold by major mobile phone carriers NTT Docomo Inc. and Softbank Corp.

Nanda Ramachandran, senior director for Google's Pixel business, told a press conference in Tokyo that the Pixel 3 will be helpful in users' everyday lives.

The Pixel 3 models are equipped with enhanced AI-based camera functions, including a feature to recommend the best one of the images captured at a time by recognizing facial expressions and blinks.

Google launched the first Pixel series in 2016. But it is lagging far behind Apple and South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. in terms of unit sales. The company aims to boost its smartphone business by entering the Japanese market. Jiji Press