Rumor: Huawei will make another Nexus smartphone next year

Even though the Nexus 6P only just recently hit the market, we’re already started to see rumors of the device’s successor. It’s still far too early to be seeing any real details, but a Chinese consumer electronics analyst has claimed that Huawei will be working with Google again next year to produce another Nexus smartphone, and that the device will be powered by the Snapdragon 820. It’s important to note that this is just a rumor, but it’s a very plausible one, so it’s still worth reporting on.

It sounds like Google is pretty pleased with the job that Huawei did on the Nexus 6P, because the rumour is that the Chinese manufacturer is in line to make one of next year’s Nexus models as well. The tip-off comes from industry analyst Pan Jiutang, head of research at the Shenzhen Huaqiang Electronics Research Institute in China, and someone who previously correctly predicted a few details of the Nexus 6P in advance. He also says the new device will be sporting the Snapdragon 820 processor, along with just about every other flagship phone in 2016. That suggests Huawei will once again be handling the higher-end Nexus model. On a scale of possibilities we’d say this is a very plausible one: the Nexus 6P has been well-received and Google has no particular reason to switch manufacturer at this stage. The company may well have signed a multi-phone agreement with Huawei. Since the Nexus program started in 2010 we’ve seen HTC, Samsung, LG and Motorola have a go at a phone or two – Google and LG have been particularly friendly, teaming up on three handsets so far.