The new Nexus 6P phone is displayed during a Google media event on Sept. 29, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo : Getty Images/ Justin Sullivan )
Google has reportedly tapped Taiwan-based HTC as its Nexus 2016 project partner, somehow confirming the rumors that the latter is assembling two Stock Android smartphones with the flagship flavor closely patterned after the HTC 10. The power inside the device is Qualcomm's enhanced Snapdragon 820, which for the next Nexus will be known as Snapdragon 821.
Focus Taiwan reported, citing information gathered from an Indian news site, that HTC has been awarded the Nexus 2016 smartphone contract by Google. "Google has teamed up with HTC to roll out two Nexus smartphones coded Marlin and Sailfish," the report said.
HTC building the Nexus handsets codenamed Marlin and Sailfish echoed the recent reports of Google refreshing its Nexus line of smartphone with two models, largely replicating its 2015 effort that saw the rollout of Huawei Nexus 6P and LG Nexus 5X. It remains unclear if the 2016 sequels will also unbox in two screen sizes like their immediate predecessors with the larger phone taking the flagship status.
However, Focus Taiwan indicated on its report that one Nexus phone that HTC is set produce will likely end up as the most powerful Android device to hit the market this year. The flagship variant, which is touted as the Nexus 6P replacement, is said to mighty up with Snapdragon 821. While the report did not specify, SD 821 is assumed as the better version of the Snapdragon 820, which is the power behind the Android flagship phones that have come out so far.
"The future Nexus phones are expected to go faster than many of other brand's flagship models going on sale in the market now, so the Marlin and Sailfish models will definitely be aimed at the high-end smartphone market," the report said.
Focus Taiwan suggested too that SD 821 is likely the same engine that will find its way to the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 or Note 7, rumored to be issued in early August.
In a related report, Phone Arena is far from convinced that HTC has already cornered the Nexus 2016 project. The tech site pointed to the recently leaked benchmark result that listed an upgraded Nexus 6P, still from Huawei, with Snapdragon 820 processor inside and supported by 4GB of RAM.
Huawei's claim to the next Nexus phone was further bolstered by the statement made by a senior Huawei executive that the company is doing again the Nexus this 2015, the report added.
Regardless of who will build the Nexus 2016, the release date of the Stock Android flagship is expected to happen anytime in August, alongside the Android N (Nutella) rollout that Google will reportedly finalized by end of July.
