The new Nexus 6P, not the Google Nexus 2016 Marlin, phone is displayed during a Google media event on September 29, 2015 in San Francisco, California (Photo : Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News)
Production of the Nexus 2016 could already be underway as Google's manufacturing partner for last year's Nexus has reportedly filed trademark application for an upcoming smartphone initially labelled as Huawei 7P. The branding readily points to a popular predecessor, the Nexus 6P, somehow suggesting that release date of the sequel is near.
Phandroid said that the trademark filing could lead to many things. It is likely that the planned Huawei device will pick from the relative success of the Nexus 2015, which explains the 7P branding. The Huawei 7P could be a project that is independent of Google.
However, it is more likely that the device is part of the Nexus 2016 and there are two scenarios to go by. One is that Google has assigned the Nexus 7 2016 tablet to the Chinese device manufacturer, which aligns to the rumors that surfaced as early as last year. Or the Huawei will indeed do a follow up on the Nexus 6P that when unboxed will take the name Nexus 7P.
It is possible too, according to 9to5Google, that Huawei will release the 7P on its own - having the same Nexus 6P hardware specs that people fell in love with but minus the stock Android experience. Huawei, after all, has its own skinned Android though the report noted that the company's Android version was not well received.
Whatever the final picture would be, Huawei's trademark filing is the strongest evidence yet of a device that is linked to Google's Nexus 2016 plans. As maker of the Nexus 6P, Huawei is a default choice to build the successor but HTC is also a solid contender, and more so with the unpacking of its HTC 10 flagship that runs on near stock Android.
But Huawei and HTC are mum on the subject, leaving Android fans to speculate on what the next Nexus package would be. The closest that they can get to are the hinted features so far of the Android N - Google's upcoming replacement for Android Marshmallow and the mobile OS that will power the Nexus 2016 devices.
The Android N Developer Preview 2 has already revealed of significant performance boosts from the last version, reconfiguration of the user interface, optimization for higher productivity with the introduction multitasking features like Split Screen and App Freeform and the likely adoption of Apple's 3D Touch.
Google is set to stage its 2016 I/O starting in May 18 and Android fans are expecting that Android N will be the highlight of the event, possibly leading to the Nexus 2016 release date in the immediate months or even weeks ahead.
