The Rumor Mill has not been shy when it comes to stories about Google launching its “own phone” at some point. We’ve heard the rumor off-and-on for a bit of time now, but when the rumor cropped up yet again just recently, buoyed by previous rumors just a few weeks before, it felt a bit different this time around. This time, perhaps unlike any time before, it actually feels like it could happen.
What that actually looks like remains a mystery, of course. Despite the rumors and reports, whatever Google has up its sleeve for later this year eludes us, and we’re all just waiting to see the next leak — or whenever Google gets around to announcing something.
It does admittedly feel strange to not be looking forward to a Nexus phone this year, if for only reason because the Nexus brand is apparently finished.
If someone were to say they were sad about seeing the Nexus brand, and its lineage, ended this year, I wouldn’t blame them. The Nexus-branded smartphones and tablets have consistently been some of the best Android-based devices to date, even including the Nexus One way back when. It hasn’t always been perfect, but the Nexus brand, as far as I’m concerned, is still a positive one.
But hearing that Google wants to ditch it, and move on to something else, is not all that surprising to me. We already know the company has said it wants a bit more control over the experience, both in hardware and software, so even just using that as an example would probably be enough. Then you add things like two new Android Wear-based wearables coming from Google directly, or the fact that the company has plans to introduce its own Daydream-ready virtual reality (VR) headset — both of which would directly compete with other companies jumping, or already riding, those bandwagons.
It certainly sounds like things are changing in this regard for Google, and while at first I was skeptical see the Nexus brand moved away from, the more I’ve thought about it the more I’m getting excited to see what Google brings to the table.
And I don’t just mean the phones, either.
This might be a bit hopeful, maybe even a little daydreaming, but with the focus that Google appears to be putting in this, and the control it wants, I can’t help but wonder if we’re finally going to see Google launch phones in the same way that Apple does. Meaning: Full control. Could we see Google phones launch later this year that offer a truly Google-created experience, and one where Google controls when software/security updates arrive? And, the icing on the cake: A future where carrier bloatware isn’t a thing on an Android device? Or, at the very least, one where we can flat-out delete it from our handsets.
This is what I’m hoping to see from the Google phone(s) launched later this year. If the company is indeed dropping the Nexus brand, I want to see it result in something that’s been a long time coming. What about you, though? What are you hoping to see from the Google phones later this year?
