The Apple-Google rivalry is all set to go the next level with the launch of a fully home-grown smartphone offering from the latter. Rumors about the search giant manufacturing its own phone have been swirling for years and it looks like this may just come to pass going by recent reports.
While the Nexus initiative is a great program to show off the best of Android, Google still has to compromise since it relies on external OEMs to actually put the phone together. Not so with its own smartphone, which could be tailored to its exact specifications and offer the same kind of control over software and hardware which Apple enjoys with its enormously successful iPhone.
In fact, the iPhone is apparently one of the reasons why Google is so determined to make a handset in-house. As per 9to5Google, an anonymous tipster from an IP address located near Google’s campus claimed that the brand is annoyed at the current perception of the iPhone being the only premium offering in the market.
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If accurate, this means Google’s device will target the high-end sector, keeping company with the likes of the Galaxy S series and iPhones. Sunder Pichai had previously tried to shut down such rumors by stating that while the company would be more opinionated about Nexus devices going forward, it will still continue partnering with outside handset makers.
The Telegraph’s new report tells a different story though, with sources telling the paper that the smartphone would become a reality by the end of the year. Google is apparently in the middle of discussions with mobile operators concerning the new phone. It might even manufacture its own chips for the offering.
Google releasing a smartphone of its own will probably not be received well by OEMs and may further make the Nexus series of phones less relevant. We’ll let you know as and when more news about the handset comes to light.