The past two years has seen Google make a significant investment in mobile and Pixel phones. The company's plans took a further step today, with a deal being completed for part of HTC's mobile division, specifically the team responsible for the Pixel devices.

The deal is worth a reported $1.1 billion, but will still see HTC continue with its own efforts in the mobile market. Their virtual reality business, in the form of Vive, is also staying as is, with the company noting that exciting developments in that area are on the way.  

"Today, we start digging in with our new teammates, guided by the mission to create radically helpful experiences for people around the world, by combining the best of Google's AI, software and hardware," said Google hardware SVP Rick Osterloh in a blog post confirming the completed deal.

With the HTC now a part of the Google fold, this could hopefully mean that more of the company's mobile hardware will be readily available in South Africa.