Motorola Nexus phone possible after Lenovo assimilation

The Android world is waiting with bated breath on who will be making the next Nexus device later this year, whether it be a tablet, smartphone, or even a phablet. That honor might be bestowed finally on Motorola, Google’s former subsidiary, but the wheels might only start turning once Motorola is fully under Lenovo’s purview.

The next Google device maker is always a fun guessing game, trying to pit manufacturers against each other in something that almost resembles a game of Magic the Gathering. Google has chosen already chosen some of the top Android OEMs in the market, once for HTC, twice for ASUS, thrice for Samsung, and twice for LG. With this pattern, some believe that HTC might be next chosen one, but The Information believes Motorola is actually next. It might seem that Motorola should have been the perfect candidate for the Nexus 5, considering it was still owned by Google back then but it might have been for that exact reason that it wasn’t chosen. Although Google is practically choosing one out of many manufacturers, it has to be careful not to play favorites. At least not too much.

But that’s no longer the case and Motorola is no longer with Google, leaving it free to be chosen as a rightful heir to the Nexus name. If things do go that way, the next Nexus device, let’s call it Nexus 6 for now, will be interesting, as a device and as a story. As the name might imply, the Nexus 6 is believed to be the first Nexus phablet, which could make it a perfect partner for the Moto 360 smartwatch, since you wouldn’t want to pull out your giant phone all the time. It will also be one of the very few deep relationships Google will have with Lenovo beyond the Chromebook sector. Motorola has definitely showed its chops when it unveiled the Moto X, putting prime features in hardware that wasn’t exactly high-end even at that time. It will definitely be interesting to see what the new Lenovo-Motorola duo will be able to pull off this time.

As much as the prospect of a Motorola, or any manufacturer, Nexus phablet is an exciting topic for discussion, it might not equally be when it comes to business talk. LG, when denying rumors that it will be making the next Nexus, revealed how the Nexus line, though popular, isn’t exactly profitable. Google dictates the number of devices to be made, which is quite low by OEM standards. Lenovo, and Motorola, aren’t exactly the biggest sellers in the Android world, which may make them not overly eager to sign up for the Nexus program. But then, depending on how the Nexus 6 turns out, this might exactly be what Motorola and Lenovo need to put their names right at the top.

SOURCE: The Information
VIA: SlashGear