Google's Nexus 2016 project is gradually shaping up as fresh reports indicate that the tech giant has narrowed down the candidate builders to two, Huawei and HTC, while the next Nexus' operating system, known for now as Android N, is set roll out in the third quarter of the year. And the earliest release date for the Pure Android flagships could be July 2016.
The prospect of a July unboxing for the Nexus 2016 handsets was hinted by Google's confirmation that Android N preview or beta builds will be provided starting this week, BGR reported. Android N or version 7.0 will release in at least five beta versions prior to the launch of the OS' final cut, which the report said will touch down anytime starting July.
So as the Nexus 2016 will be the showcase piece of the next Android, which will replace Marshmallow, it is likely that the first of the Nexus family of devices this year will unbox in July or a few weeks following the yearly Google I/O gathering. The event is pegged to be staged late May or early June.
In the same report, BGR noted that the series of Android N beta builds will involve the testing of fresh feature upgrades on the following the handsets: the Huawei Nexus 6P and LG Nexus 5X issued last year and the Motorola Nexus 6 and HTC Nexus 9 tablet that debuted in 2014.
The Pixel C hybrid device, the budget phone Android One and the Nexus Player will also take part in the Android beta testing, which BGR said will commence Wednesday this week.
New Android features to expect are the reengineered Notification Panel, native support for Split Windows and a significantly enhanced Doze app, which is an application and power management tool that prolongs battery life.
And as Android N appears all set to be tested on existing Nexus devices soon, Google has reportedly tapped the manufacturers that will take charge of building the Nexus 2016 devices. Huawei was earlier reported to have secured Google's blessing on assembling a compact vanilla Android tablet with a 7-inch screen profile. The slate is tentatively labelled as the Nexus 7 2016.
For the Nexus smartphones, HTC was earlier rumored as the anointed partner but in a new report by Phone Arena, the Taiwanese device maker was not only confirmed as the next Nexus flagship phone builder but also Google's exclusive smartphone partner for the next three years.
The report, citing Chinese-language blog site My Drivers as source, suggested that HTC has inked a deal with Google to supply the Nexus phones from 2016 to 2018. For this year, the HTC 10 makers will provide a 5-inch and 5.5-inch Nexus models that likely are geared for virtual reality or VR functions.
As mentioned, Android N beta will start coming out this week and the testing will culminate with the OS' official intro via the Google I/O in May or June, paving the way for an advanced Nexus 2016 release date that could happen as early as July.