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A number of rumours have emerged regarding the next generation ‘Google phone’ which looks set to be manufactured by Samsung instead of HTC like the debut Nexus One smartphone.
The new Google-branded device is rumoured to very similar to the current Samsung Galaxy S although it’s expected to add a front-facing camera and a 1.2GHz ‘Hummingbird’ processor but otherwise it will offer the same 4-inch AMOLED display and 5 megapixel camera as the popular Samsung model according to AndroidandMe which has been covering the rumours.
Physically the Samsung handset is said to offer the shiny black plastic design as the Galaxy S which contrasts against the dull grey metal chassis devices from HTC.
Google used the HTC-made Nexus One as a reference platform for the firm’s Android smartphone OS, giving away the phones to Android developers and selling the phone directly to consumers via a web store. The attempt to sell unlocked phones, bypassing the mobile carrier subsidized sales chain in the process, has been considered a success or a failure depending on who you ask.
At any rate the Nexus One was estimated to have sold only around 135,000 units. The rumours of the new phone come from multiple sources including PC Magazine’s Sascha Segan. Unsurprisingly leaks, presumably in mobile carriers and phone retailers, don’t wish to be called by name but Segan cites sources which say the new Google phone may not be called the Nexus Two.
Various rumours have suggested that the new device is set to launch around the 11th of November but it seems Google will be partnering with networks and retail partners from the outset with T-Mobile named as the most likely partner. T-Mobile was also the first to take on the original Nexus One smartphone.
Google had previous stated that it still has an ambition to produce phones available unlocked to carriers but that the ‘experiment’ with selling directly was over.
Strategically the existence of a vanilla Android-based device, free of mobile carrier modifications, is seen as being important to draw attention to locked Android features and update delays experienced by many Android smartphone owners.
Google is also expected to use the new handsets in Android developer programs.
Image: Samsung Galaxy S
