Indonesia adds Google Pixels to national banned smartphone list

The Pixel 9 series - which currently starts at $735.60 for its base 128GB internal storage vanilla model so long as it is ordered in Obsidian Black on Amazon - might represent one of the easiest and quickest ways to get the latest Android 15 software experience in your life.

Unfortunately, if you're located in Indonesia right now, the sales of those smartphones is illegal, as is that of the latest iPhone 16 series.

Like Apple, Google appears to have fallen foul of legal requirements that call for electronic devices in use in Indonesia to be made with at least 40% of its “local content”, which could consist of manufacture or software development within the country.

Indonesia's persistence in enforcing this law is perceived as a bargaining chip in procuring more foreign investment, although it could also be seen as a way of securing and ensuring production or R&D jobs for more of the country's ~282 million people.