Despite many hardware leaks, the “Marlin” and “Sailfish” Nexus smartphones by Google and HTC remain as elusive as ever. However, new reports suggest the devices may have special availability with Verizon Wireless, starting in October.
Google is known for selling its Nexus smartphones directly to consumers, but tech informant Even Blass claims, the devices will also be available at several carriers, including Verizon. Blass also suggests Verizon may rebrand the Nexus devices under different names (at this point they remain unnamed by Google); however, other sources, including Android Police , believe this claim to be unlikely.
Google has released its Nexus devices with compatibility for several of the major U.S. carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. But some carriers have had issues with users being unable to set up handsets purchased directly from Google on their network. It is possible Verizon may offer the 2016 Nexus phones directly to avoid this issues. Android Police also notes the carrier may want more control over the devices’ bootloaders.
The rumor concludes that Verizon may release its Nexus smartphones in October, but there is no mention of when other carriers or even Google will release the devices. The smartphones have been slated for a summer launch, based on information about Android 7.0 Nougat, revealed by Google Senior Vice President for Android Hiroshi Lockheimer in March. However, there is currently little indication that the Android Nougat or 2016 Nexus phone releases are near.
Hardware leaks for the 2016 Nexus Phones suggest “Marlin” will be a high-end device, while “Sailfish” will be more budget friendly.
Rumored specs for Marlin includes a quad-core Qualcomm chip, a 5.5-inch Quad HD display, 4GB of RAM and 32 and 128GB internal storage options, a 12-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front camera and a 3,450mAh battery.
Rumored specs for “Sailfish” include a 5-inch Full HD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, a 12-megapixel main camera and 8-megapixel front camera and a 2,770mAh battery.
Both devices are expected to feature USB Type-C port, Bluetooth 4.2, bottom-facing speakers and Android 7.0 Nougat.
