Rumors suggest ‘Nexus’ brand may be retired for new Google smartphones

In what will probably be seen as a major change for Google and their efforts to provide hardware to consumers, sources are indicating that the company may be abandoning the "Nexus" brand for the next round of smartphones slated for release this fall. According to a variety of sources and leaks, Google is planning to move their own brand to the forefront, although it is unclear whether "Google" will take the place of "Nexus" or some other brand will be used. In any case, indications are that the Android purists' favored brand is on the verge of retirement.

In addition to the dropping of the Nexus brand for their line of devices, Google is apparently going to add software and interface tweaks to the new devices at a level unseen in the past. One of the hallmarks of the Nexus brand of smartphones and tablets was the plain "vanilla" version of Android. This was especially appealing to users who were not interested in unique interface features or additional apps or bloatware. Google has slowly been moving away from this with recent models and the new versions for 2016 are expected to push this to the limit. This may not be entirely bad as manufacturers like Motorola have shown that a stock-ish Android install can work with just a few add-ons that help enhance the user experience.

Some of the signs pointing to these changes for the HTC manufactured devices include button layouts, colors, and a Settings app that differ from what users see in Android 7.0 Nougat installed on existing Nexus devices. Sources also point to comments made by Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, who said the company would be "more opinionated about the design of the phones." This could have been a reference to Google being more aggressive with dictating the design of the devices and forcing the manufacturer to eschew any of their own branding.

Thus far all of the rumors surrounding the dropping of "Nexus" as a brand name have centered on smartphone devices. There is no indication at present that Google is working on any tablet devices as part of the Nexus line, but there have been reports that Google plans to introduce their own Android Wear powered smartwatches.

Some have described these proposed changes as the most significant for Google since the beginning of the decade.

What do you think about Google possibly abandoning the "Nexus" brand and following a more mainstream route when it comes to the installed software and user interface on their devices?

source: Android Central

Raised in North Carolina, Jeff Causey is a licensed CPA in North Carolina and possesses the CAPM credential from PMI. Jeff's past Android devices include an HTC EVO, a Samsung Note II, and an LG G3 along with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1. He currently uses a Motorola Moto X Pure Edition and (very rarely) a Nexus 7 (2013). Jeff used to have a pair of Google Glass and a Moto 360 Sport in his stable of gadgets. Unfortunately, his wife and kids have all drunk the Apple Kool-Aid and have i-devices. Life at home often includes demonstrations of the superiority of his Android based devices. In his free time, Jeff is active in his church, a local MINI Cooper car club, and his daughter's soccer club. Jeff is married, has three kids, and a golden retriever.

Source: Rumors suggest 'Nexus' brand may be retired for new Google smartphones