Despite all the hype, Google's Pixel lineup never exactly set the sales chart on fire. At one point, it seemed like the company was barely making any efforts to push the series forward. Thankfully, with the Pixel 6 series last year, Google appears to have turned a new leaf in the Pixel's history and started taking its hardware efforts a lot more seriously. And those efforts bore fruit, with the Pixel 6 demolishing Google's sales records and selling more than the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 combined. The company has even higher hopes for the Pixel 7 lineup, as it has reportedly placed orders for more than eight million units.

Nikkei Asia reports that Google has asked its suppliers to produce more than eight million Pixel 7 units. The company wants to double Pixel smartphone shipments in 2023 compared with this year. Besides the high-end Pixel 7 series, Google is purportedly preparing for four million launch units of a budget Pixel phone that could launch early next year. The report likely refers to the budget Pixel a lineup here, but that has typically been unveiled in Q2 every year.

The Pixel 7 is going on sale in more countries than the Pixel 6. The attractive preorder deals on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro should further help boost its sales. And unlike last year, Google's online store did not give up during the initial preorder rush for the new Pixel phones.

Canalys estimates that Google shipped 6.2 million Pixel phones between the second half of 2021 and H1 2022, up from 2.7 million in the same time period a year ago. The strong sales helped the company to secure the fifth position in the North American smartphone market in 2021. Despite the strong growth, Google's smartphone shipments remain a fraction of Apple's and Samsung's yearly volume, both of which ship well over 200 million phones globally. While Google may not replace Samsung or Apple with its Pixel lineup, it could fill the void left by the exit of LG and others in the US market.