Pixels and iPhones have plenty in common, and a lot of you don’t know about it

We often engage in scathing arguments, defending our favorite brands’ promises to deliver better hardware than the rest. Android vs. iOS is a theme that shrouds our conversations, both online and in person, even though visual coherence between iOS and Android skins keeps increasing. However, what if we told you phones made by Apple and Google had more in common than we already know?

Despite the fierce rivalry between Google and Apple, both tech giants use the same manufacturer to produce Pixel devices and iPhones. It’s widely known that Apple does not manufacture its own products and relies on a Chinese-origin Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) company, Foxconn, to handle the bulk of iPhone production. In addition, it also contributes to manufacturing a part of the supply of the iPad, MacBook, AirPods, and even the Apple Watch.

However, most people are unaware that a large share of Google’s Pixel phones and devices, including the Pixel Watch, are also produced by Foxconn across different facilities.

Most of you didn’t know iPhone’s manufacturer also makes Pixel devices

It’s surprising, for sure, and one of our recent surveys also confirms that it’s known to few people. Per a recent poll with over 3,000 participants, the majority didn’t know that iPhone and Pixel devices are produced by the same third-party.

In addition to being assembled at the same facility, Pixels and iPhones also share some of the suppliers for their internal components. For instance, both Google and Apple lean on Samsung for displays. Likewise, for their respective custom Tensor G5 and A series chips, Google and Apple rely on Taiwan’s TSMC.

The actual manufacturing, however, may be distributed across different units in various regions. These facilities are predominantly spread across China, India, Vietnam, and Taiwan, although some manufacturing may also occur in Indonesia. Meanwhile, the US-based sites run by Apple and Google are primarily focused on designing not only how the products appear visually, but also how the internals interface with each other.

One of our readers, masonwright757, shares the amazement. Commenting on our original article, they wrote

It’s fascinating that fierce competitors can share the same manufacturing backbone, and it also highlights why diversification across partners and countries is now a strategic necessity, not just a cost decision.

You were right about Samsung’s manufacturing, though

Meanwhile, unlike Apple and Google, Samsung has its own manufacturing facilities. But, like Google and Apple’s contracted manufacturers, these facilities are also spread across different regions. We asked you about that too in a separate poll, and many of our readers guessed the country where most of Samsung’s manufacturing occurs.

The actual answer runs counter to the usual perception of manufacturing in China or Samsung’s home country, South Korea. But most of you were spot on with your guesses.

As many as half of you guessed correctly that most of Samsung’s devices are manufactured in Vietnam, including the bulk of phones sold in the US and Europe. Vietnam is favorable due to its low production costs and proximity to both Korea and China. However, it allows Samsung to diversify its supply away from China, while also addressing the taboo against “Made in China.”

Besides Vietnam, India, not China, bears the second-largest share of Samsung device assembly, while South Korea, Indonesia, and Brazil contribute smaller fractions of the supply.

Now that you have this information at your disposal, you can appear to be an expert at global trade at family gatherings for Christmas and New Year’s.