If Google will stick to its hardware launch cycle, the Nexus 2016 release date will happen in the second half of the year and around the same time the Pure Android flagship will have contend with rival flagships both from the Android world and the iOS sphere. In most cases, these devices will unbox with top-notch hardware specs and killer features that can make even the most hardcore Android fans to forget about the next Nexus.
Below is the short list of alternatives to the Google Nexus 2016 devices (that rumors say will come from HTC or Huawei or both):
Samsung Galaxy Note 6
If Samsung's latest masterpiece that is the Galaxy S7 (and S7 Edge) is of any indication, the South Korean tech giant's 2016 phablet flagship. Reviewers already labelled the GS7 as a near-perfect device so the minimum expectation for the Note 6 is it will plug the few holes seen with the company's first flagship.
The Galaxy S7 delivered longer battery life and Note 6 will surely do better with a massive battery upgrade to juice up its larger profile. The power packed with S7, thanks to Exynos 8890 and SD 820 chips, will certainly found its way too on the sixth installment of the original phablet. The GS7 is also now considered as the camera smartphone, with most experts in agreement, and this is something that Samsung will either sustain on or even improve further.
Yet the two things that Android fans truly love about the Galaxy S7 are the return of two killer features - waterproofing protection and microSD slot. There is no reason to believe that when it is unboxed the Galaxy Note 6 will be without these definitive deal-makers.
Moto X 2016
Moto X-maker Lenovo has already made clear that a follow up to the Motorola flagship of last year is touching down in the middle part of 2016. The company said that the Moto X 2016 will be "the most attractive and innovative," in the series, indicating that the next Moto X will be more beautiful and more powerful that the past models.
Rumors said that the new Moto X is scheduled for a release date as early as July 2016 and with some luck it could be among the first Android flagships to unpack the sequel to Android Marshmallow. Thought to be version 7.0 of the Google mobile operating system, Android N is likely to debut between May and June so the Moto X 2016 is on top of the list of the early recipients.
But the best part about the Moto X is it runs on nearly stock version of Android that makes the device as the best option next to Nexus.
Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (or iPhone Pro)
Coming from the S model, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are expected to be vastly different from the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in terms of build, design, inside components and the attending feature upgrades to unpack with iOS 10. Rumored bumps for the Apple flagships include a totally redesigned device (no more audio jack and physical home button, a dual-camera set up and the likely introduction of a 256GB edition.
The next iPhone is also tipped to lose the ugly rear antenna band and the main engine will be an A10 application processor that likely will work in tandem with up to 4GB of RAM (at least for the rumored iPhone Pro variant that will unbox too with massive battery upgrade).
As mentioned, all three Google Nexus 2016 rivals are set to be unleashed at around the same time with the next Nexus unboxing, meaning the release dates will commence July this year.