A Great Nexus Phone is Now More Important Than Ever Before:-

It is clear that Google has dramatically changed its focus in the past few years, primarily as a result of the evolution of mobile technology in a global context. It is hard to pinpoint exactly where and why, but it should be noted that KitKat was a turning point for Android: that update drastically improved performance and it allowed mid to low-range devices to get a taste of the wonderful things of which Android is capable. That, and the slow rise of Stock Android devices through several projects and OEMs, have helped get Google’s vision into the handsets of millions in a mostly unadulterated way.

Emerging Markets, Software, Design

At Google I/O 2015, we saw an emphasis on expanding Android’s domination even further as the Mountain View giant once more discussed bringing undeveloped markets online. A year or two ago, plans to tap into The Next Billion were vague and rooted in future promises instead of past results, but that is beginning to change through the resurgence of near-stock Android handsets, the proliferation of low-cost devices, and the rise of Chinese OEMs on the global stage. In this new landscape, reaching unserved markets seems like one of the few logical approaches to ensure Android’s sustainability. Projects like Android One keep growing, and now Google’s affordable and “pure” Android phones have settled in Africa. Moreover, as OEMs focus on affordable smartphones and as technology begins approaching certain plateaus, we see the emphasis on the flagship model and no-compromise experiences gradually disappear.

In a sense, this is everything that we and other publications have been discussing for months: Chinese OEMs, compromise-riddled flagships, affordable handsets, and the intangible glue that binds Android together. And what is a better way to begin getting the gears of the future in motion than releasing Android Marshmallow, an update that is more about preferencing services above innate functionality than any other Android update yet. Google is introducing truly useful Google features with Android Marshmallow, including Now on Tap, which many of us at the office cannot wait to incorporate into our daily lives. I think that this has been Google’s plan for a while: expand the reach of their useful, desirable and original features using the Android platform. But to accomplish this, Google needed the foundation it built over the last several software versions and revisions.
KitKat allowed emerging markets to get a truer taste of Google’s vision for Android, and Lollipop made that vision even tastier. With so many affordable handsets shipping with Lollipop, and with Google expanding its reach through emerging markets with these handsets, one can infer that Material Design will only become more popular and perhaps get a tighter hold of mobile applications. This is not necessarily a bad thing for most, as it’s an amazing design language that is meant to unify several platforms. Many users in The Next Billion will have Android as their first computer, so bringing Material Design to their handsets is an intelligent way of establishing the paradigm in the lives of these new smartphone (and technology) consumers.

The Nexus in the Age of Compromises

This brings us to the next tier of the conversation: the face of Android moving forward. What many enthusiasts expect is not necessarily more Material Design, newer software features from Google Services, or cheaper handsets, but rather the grand embodiment of these factors in something greater than the sum of its parts. This is the new Nexus. There are several things to consider about these new phones, starting with the near certainty that we will see not one, but two models: a revamped Nexus 5 from LG, and a bigger Nexus from Huawei. The main discussions I see on the internet revolve around consistent, well-performing phones at low costs. The way I see it, Google would be crazy if it didn’t try to pull that off.