A recent leak of photos allegedly showing the design of the upcoming 2016 entry in Google’s Nexus line has inspired mixed responses from audiences, including critics and fans alike. On one hand, the phones seem simple and clean on the front, with rumored specifications that should make them top choices in their price range, but at the same time the design of the phone’s rear cover has been pretty much universally panned.
It’s not hard to see why either, as it doesn’t take a good eye for design to figure out that what we’re seeing looks out of place and below what we would expect from a Google device. Whether or not the leaks are real is impossible to tell and we’ll find out eventually, but hopefully if this is the actual design Google will take a step back and reevaluate things.
Other details that have been pointed out by publications include the fact that the two editions of the phone look very similar, and they will likely just be differently sized versions of the same device. This is something that users have been asking for, and the trend of releasing device pairs with such wide specification gaps is on its way out at this point.
Reports also talk about an interesting detail on the back of the phone, three small holes next to the camera. There are different suggestions for their possible functions, with some suggesting that they could be used for things like autofocus assistance, additional flashes, or some kind of stereo microphone setup. There are multiple possibilities for Google to experiment with the camera of their next flagship, and the company is known for throwing the occasional unusual idea in their designs, so it’s not out of the question that we might see something more interesting in the camera of the 2016 Nexus.
It’s also noticeable that the design of the phone is somewhat going back to the roots of the line. Google are apparently omitting some of the more recently introduced changes to the physical appearance of the phones, and are instead opting for something simpler and more streamlined. It’s possible that they are going to standardize the looks of the Nexus line in general, resulting in phones that look similar in the future.
Rumors about the hardware of the new Nexus vary, but most claim that we should expect a powerful quad-core processor, a 5.5” display, and a USB Type-C port for connectivity. While most rumors talk about 4 GB of RAM, there are some minor reports about the possibility of configurations with even more operating memory, but we wouldn’t put much trust in them. Memory sizes in this range are not a very common trend right now, and it wouldn’t make much sense for Google to go with a configuration like this in their devices either, considering that they are typically going for faster, more streamlined designs that can handle Android in a light manner.
There’s also the question of who will manufacture the smaller version of the device. We already know that HTC will be responsible for the larger variant, but rumors are still a bit conflicting about the other company. Many eyes are looking in the direction of Asus, and the company has declared that they would take on the task of building the device too, but it remains to be seen who Google will choose in the end. It could also be a surprising choice that nobody expects, such as a relatively unknown company.