Nexus devices are Google’s own devices; they are normally built with Google partnering with an OEM. The Nexus 6P was designed by Huawei while the 6 was designed by Motorola. I’m sure you get the picture by now: Google provides the software, an OEM designs the hardware and throws their name on the back.
The Nexus 6 and 6P by Huwaei and Motorolla
This time around; the next Nexus(sounds funny eh?), would be designed by HTC. Now, there are a few things that are unusual about this contract and I’ll get to them in a bit; but for you to understand them, I’ll have to state how this Nexus relationship works(pun intended).
- For starters, contracts last only a year
- The OEM makes just one Nexus device.
This is where it gets strange: When I saw the tweet by Evan Blass, popularly known as @evleaks, one thing stood out
HTC is building a pair of Android N devices for Google internally dubbed M1 and S1 #nexus
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) April 27, 2016
Seen it? Well if you haven’t, he made mention of “a couple” of devices! Which would mean Google is letting HTC make more than one Nexus device. As you’ve probably also seen, they are codenamed the M1 and S1. Further digging revealed the full names to be Marlin and Sailfish; remember Shamu? Source:Android Police
Looks like Google has a thing for consistency – Nexus devices being named after fish, Android versions named after desserts… Let’s not derail here.
Now the other thing that stuck out like a sore thumb – although you could call it a rumor for now, is the fact that HTC might have this Nexus contract for the next 3 consecutive years. It will definitely be a sweet deal for them Nexus fanboys out there; HTC definitely makes good hardware, then coupled with Google’s stock software, dayum! Watch out Samsung and the rest. In my opinion, if this deal comes to fruition and they make a great team as I think they would, Alphabet could as well acquire HTC; I mean Microsoft did it with Nokia. And for an upside, there would be less tech companies to store in my head; but on the downside, startups would have a next-to-impossible task competing with these Chiatauris of companies(hope you get the reference).
We should be expecting a device better than the HTC 10 because HTC has to bring their A-game if they want to impress Alphabet enough to score a 3 year deal. Let’s wait and see.
