A major subject of speculation about the upcoming Google Nexus smartphone is which manufacturer will produce the hardware. That manufacturer could be HTC for the next three years, if a recent report from Chinese tech blog My Drivers is true. This would mean that Android N, Android O and Android P would all initially run on HTC devices.
With registration for this year’s Google I/O conference now open and Google sending out previews of Android N to developers, it makes sense that new details about hardware would also surface. However, not much else is known about this collaboration, other than Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has reportedly signed a deal with HTC to build several generations of Nexus devices.
HTC has built Nexus devices in the past. The very first Nexus One smartphone, which released in 2010, is an HTC device. The Taiwanese manufacturer also built the 2014 Nexus 9 tablet. Still, HTC’s smartphone business has been suffering for some time. Recent reports indicate that the company has lost over $101 million between January and March of 2016, with its most recent smartphone, the HTC One A9 selling approximately 250,000 handsets.
However, many manufacturers have used the Nexus program to promote interest in their company. In 2015, Chinese manufacturer Huawei built the Nexus 6P to work with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The device has been a favorite among smartphone enthusiasts and also paved the way for the company’s Honor 5X smartphone , exclusive to the U.S. market, in January.
Perhaps HTC is looking to grow brand loyalty for its smartphones by forging a stronger association with pure Android. Reports from January have already pegged HTC of the maker of two Nexus devices for 2016.
It wouldn’t be a bad move for HTC, and the manufacturer has already stated it plans to clean up the Sense UI on its own branded devices to be more like pure Android. This could be a clue of further collaboration with Google down the line.
At this time, no rumors have been confirmed by HTC or Google.
