Google shipped 7.2 million Pixel devices in 2019, 52% higher than 2018

This is quite surprising given that the Google Pixel 4 got only a lukewarm response when launched in 2019.

However, IDC notes that while Google’s sales numbers are growing, it is nowhere in the top 10 among smartphones globally. (MySmartPrice)

Google's Pixel series saw the launch of the Pixel 4 last year and the smartphone did not do as well as the company had expected. However, Google saw its best sales figures in 2019. According to research firm IDC, 2019 was the best performing year for the Pixel. IDC's associate VP for EMEA devices, Francisco Jeronimo tweeted that Pixels had surpassed the likes of OnePlus in number of units shipped last year.

. @Google continues to expand the #Pixel portfolio and sales are growing. In 2019 shipments grew 52% YoY to reach the highest volume ever, with strong performances in the USA, Western Europe and Japan. It now ships more units than @oneplus but it is still far from reaching Top10 pic.twitter.com/qY66isF9vN

— Francisco Jeronimo (@fjeronimo) June 9, 2020

Jeronimo attributes Google's success to strong performance in markets like USA, Japan and Western Europe. He also pointed out that Google Pixel expanded to three new markets last year and this too helped boost sales, also, Pixel 3 series went strong driving numbers up further.

As per Jeronimo's tweet, Google Pixel series saw a 52% year-on-year increase in 2019 and shipped 7.2 million units in last year. That made 2019 the best year for the Pixel series since its launch in 2016. Jeronimo pointed out that Google now ships more devices than OnePlus due to its growing sales.

That's correct. Pixel 3a & Pixel4 sold fewer units in the 1st two-quarters of sales than Pixel3. However:
- the 2nd Q of sales for Px3 was 1Q2019
- Google launched Px3a & 4 in 2019. Weaker launches but the full impact was in 2019
- Google expanded Pixel portfolio to 3 new markets

— Francisco Jeronimo (@fjeronimo) June 9, 2020

He added that the growing sales numbers were particularly due to the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL phones that launched in the later half of 2018. Te Pixel 3a and the Pixel 4 series that launched in 2019 sold fewer units in the first two quarters of 2019 than the Pixel 3. The second quarter of sales for the Pixel 3 series happened in 2019 which is what helped boost Google's spot.

However, IDC notes that while Google's sales numbers are growing, it is nowhere in the top 10 among smartphones globally. Jeronimo did not mention OnePlus' sales figures for us to actually compare.

Google's 2020 numbers, so far, have been impacted by the launch of the Pixel 4 and the ongoing pandemic.