Leaked codenames hint at two sensibly-sized HTC Nexus phones in 2016
Last year, Google chose LG and Huawei to make the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, moving away from one mobile launch per year. This year, we may see two new devices launched again, but this time HTC might be in charge of the entire production.
Nexus Codenames
Codenames for the two rumored HTC Nexus devices have been posted today by reliable HTC leaker @LlabTooFeR, adding a little more substance to the existing rumor. The codenames are apparently T50 and T55, which may refer to the rumored 5-inch and 5.5-inch display sizes for the two Nexus devices. HTC has used similar names before. The 5.9-inch HTC One Max was codenamed T6, for example.
Sadly, the leak doesn’t provide any further information on the two devices. It’s also unknown whether these phones are destined for production, or are simply test devices.
HTC Wins Nexus Contract
Earlier this week, a rumor from China indicated that HTC may have won a contract to manufacture two Nexus devices for Google. The post said the two devices may feature smaller 5-inch and 5.5-inch displays, compared to the 5.2-inch and 5.7-inch displays on the Nexus 5X and 6P.
If the gathering rumors are correct, it wouldn’t be HTC’s first time in the Nexus program. The company last worked with Google on the Nexus 9 tablet in 2014, and even though it was well received by reviewers, it failed to reach the same sales figures as previous Nexus tablets. Before this, HTC worked on the original Google Nexus One, the first mobile in the Nexus program launched six years ago.
It’s claimed that Huawei was in the running for the 2016 Nexus contract as well, but Google decided to work with HTC instead. This is surprising, considering Huawei’s meteoric rise in the sales charts over the past 12 months, compared to HTC’s downfall over the same time period.
The Weibo poster making these claims is @Mocha RQ, an avid commenter on all mobile rumors in China. This is one of the few times he has posted a rumor on a company outside of China, after apparently receiving the information from contacts in Hong Kong.
Like all rumors, we should take this news with a large pinch of salt. There’s a long time before the new Nexus phones will be officially revealed, and we could see drastic alterations to HTC over the coming months, so plenty could change. However, we’ll keep you up to date with any more on HTC’s possible Nexus device plans right here.
Read more: Tech Crunch
