Google unveiled its new operating system version, Android Nougat 7.0, about a month back, and the time is ripe for the company to launch its two most awaited smartphones in the last quarter of 2016.
There were rumours that Google is going to drop the ‘Nexus’ brand name from its flagship lineup and the rumours seem to be quite on track. According to reports, the company will launch Pixel and Pixel XL on October 4 this year. The smartphones from HTC had been codenamed Marlin and Sailfish in the previous leaks.
According to Android Police, “The Pixel will be the 5″ Sailfish device, while Pixel XL will be the 5.5″ Marlin. As to our confidence in this information: given that our two sources are independent, and the fact that one in particular has been exceptionally reliable in the past, we feel comfortable saying you can take this to the bank.”
HTC built smartphones will typically resemble the interiors and exteriors of the Nexus smartphones, but will come with a vanilla flavour Android. The specifications of these devices won’t be strikingly different from the Nexus 5X and the 6P, so they can be easily figured out by the consumers.
What is still not assured is whether Google has completely killed off the Nexus name. The Nexus lineup has been quite dear to Google, as it grew from HTC built Nexus One to Huawei built Nexus 6P and LG built Nexus 5X.
Possible reasons for the change
While even from the leaks it is not clear why Google would want to change such a huge brand name in 2016 all of a sudden, the company might be looking to break from the usual ‘Nexus’ themed smartphones.
It is possible that these Pixel smartphones won’t be as expensive as the Nexus smartphone, which is why the change of name. The Pixel C tablet successor is also on the way, so Google might be trying to unify all similar products under one larger brand.
In any case, consumers will be getting the top-notch product from Google and one needn’t worry about the change in the brand name. We’re even more eager now, given that the company has decided to tweak the brand name and the smartphones this year.
Source: AP
