There are rumblings that could mean Google is putting an end to the Nexus line of devices and bringing in a new product.
Killing the Nexus Brand
There were such rumors even before, but it looks as though 2016 is the first year when there will not be any release of Nexus devices. However, this does not mean that Google is not planning to release a device for demonstrating its latest software. The company is probably only planning to kill the Nexus brand and then replace it with another new product line, so that Google remains in the center.
Customizing Android
Google wants to offer a more customized version of Android to users than is availableon the Nexus devices. SundarPichai, the CEO of Google, had hinted as much some months back. Some other sources have recently leaked to Android Central that there are talks of replacing the Nexus device line with a new product line.
Marlin and Sailfish
Google is still going ahead with launching the two new devices for the year, the Marline and the Sailfish, as leaks keep pouring in every other day. However, the two devices will not have a Nexus or a HTC branding. Google had partnered with HTC to create the HTC Nexus One some years back and it is interesting to note that the two companies are now uniting again in order to bring in a new product line.
News on Upcoming Phones
The upcoming phones from Google will come with new software and some tweaks to the vanilla Android interface, according to news from Android Central. This cannot be interpreted as bad news for vanilla Android, as Google is merely aiming at providing a better user experience to Android phones. It has to be granted that Google has the talent as well as the right to offer an enhanced experience to users of its devices.
Vanilla Android Experience
The vanilla Android experience that Google has so far offered on its Nexus devices allowed the user to get a pure and untarnished experience of Android, without any additional bloatware of carriers. Another advantage to the Nexus concept was that Android updates were available very speedily. We can only hope that the new devices from Google will also come with this characteristic, though it is unfortunate that the vanilla Android experience will no longer be present.
Silver Lining
However, Google must have the capability of offering the Android beta version at least to some devices. The only way that the company can demonstrate its new features in new Android releases is by creating its hardware, irrespective of what it is called.
Nougat for New Devices
There are also some leaks that suggest that the Android Nougat on the current Nexus hardware will be different from the Nougat that runs on the new Google devices. The new line of Google devices, which will probably not be called Nexus anymore, does sound exciting. It offers a premium design and will naturally come with flagship specifications offered at a reasonable price.