The new Nexus 5X phone is displayed during a Google media event on September 29, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)
Google's follow up to the Nexus 6P and 5X will not only boast of pure Android software but also of hardware exclusively made by the tech giant, that is if a new report will prove correct that the next Nexus project will involve partner device makers.
BGR reported, citing The Information as source, that Google might be taking over the hardware department of its Nexus project, which could mean that the Nexus 2015 models are the last to come from suppliers like LG and Huawei. LG has so far assembled the Nexus 4, 5 and the latest 5X. Huawei was tapped by Google for the premium Nexus 6P.
The report also noted that the Nexus maker is seriously considering the use of a standard chip for all mobile Android devices that will address the software fragmentation plaguing Google's mobile operating system. This suggests that Google is looking to have greater control of its smartphone and tablet products for them to better compete with Apple's iPhone and iPad lines, BGR said.
While nothing is written in stone at the moment, Walt Mossberg of Re/code recently wrote that "it's time for Google to start making its own hardware."
Should Google take heed, the focus must be "for the Nexus line and for a class of low-priced phones aimed at developing markets," Mossberg said.
The Re/code article pointed out that with Google taking charge of the Nexus hardware, the smartphone is likely to gain better integration with Android, which is the case with Apple's iPhone and has been constantly cited by experts as the chief reason the iOS device delivers the better mobile device experience.
Also, Google on top of the situation for both its hardware and software businesses would be of great service to the company. For one, Google-made phones will ensure that Google apps and services will remain dominant in the Android ecosystem, the report said.
And if the world will get to see a laptop that came straight from Google's production lines soon, "it would be the first compelling new alternative to Apple's MacBooks in decades," Mossberg predicted.
There is no clear indication yet if Google will take up on these suggestions anytime soon but the answer will likely be known only by the time of the Nexus 2016 release date, which should happen in the second half of the same year.
