Google may be trying to prevent a recurrence of last year’s rocky Pixel 6 series launch, which was plagued by delays and supply shortages only weeks after its debut.

Google has made a large order for the launch of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, citing sources familiar with the plan. By ordering more than 8 million copies of the Pixel 7 from manufacturers, Google hopes to treble smartphone sales from this year by 2023.

This action may indicate that Google has high hopes for its new competitor to the top Android phones. But it’s not stopping there: the story claims Google will also require approximately 4 million units for an inexpensive Pixel phone, which is rumoured to ship early next year. It’s not entirely obvious which Pixel phone is meant here, although it’s probably the Pixel 7a. Since the Google Pixel 6a was introduced in May of 2018, we may expect its replacement to be introduced somewhere between April and May of 2019.

The most recent Pixel phones from Google are based on the design of the Pixel 6 series, with a few minor changes here and there. The image machine learning capabilities of the Tensor chipset have been increased. We here at Android Central’s Chris Wedel agree that, except from that, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro only feel like minor advancements over their forerunners.

Still, despite the economic recession, the Nikkei story indicates that Google has great hopes for the gadgets. Due to the high volume of phones ordered for the first launch, there will be more of the new phones available than there were of the older versions in the previous year.