Its goodbye Nexus on October 4 as Google confirmed that its upcoming Stock Android flagships will drop the familiar brand in favor of Pixel for the 5-inch Sailfish model and Pixel XL for the phablet Marlin handset. And the rebrand will also usher in fresh features and functionalities while at the same time showing the door to others, report said.
Yes, there will be casualties in the immediate aftermath of the Pixel and Pixel XL unboxing. Powered by Android 7.1 Nougat, the smartphones will be without Google Now or the digital assistant once touted as the better version of Apple iPhone's Siri. The replacement will be called Google Assistant that BGR said will debut with 7.1 Nougat and the Pixel phones.
Technically, the Google Now functionalities remain integrated with the Google Search application but the key features have been renamed. Google Now cards will be knows as Feeds and Now on Tap will get the Screen Search label. The change will be seen first with the Pixel devices, powered of course by Nougat version 7.1.
Also, Android Police reported that the new devices will exclusively use the Pixel Launcher out of the box. This will be the final cut of the earlier leaked Nexus Launcher. It appears that among the highlight of the UI revision is the rounded or circular icons that remains in adherence to the Material Design language introduced by Google with Android Lollipop.
Why the switch to the new appearance remains unclear but it's a safe bet that new features and functionalities will accompany the changes and should be revealed October 4.
The same report indicated that with Nougat running the Pixel show, the power menu will include a reset button that foremost will give access to quick restart of the device. And as mentioned, the add-on is likely to include other purposes but will not be known until Google takes the stage two weeks from now.
And the leaks so far on the upcoming Google phones carry no hints of Nexus still part of the package, further boosting the rumors that the name will soon be no more.
Yet with or without the Nexus branding, the Google 2016 flagships are shaping up as the premium handsets, inside and out, they were touted to be. On release date, the devices are thought to boast of Snapdragon 820 and 4GB RAM as the main engine that will work in tandem with Android Nougat.