Rumor mill: LG's rumored Nexus phone seen in new leaked photos

Rumors have been spreading since May that Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is working with two OEMs to create its next Nexus-branded phones running Android M software: a 5.7-inch Huawei device and a 5.2-inch phone from LG Electronics. Now, images purporting to show the LG-made device have surfaced.

The photo, originally posted in the Nexus Indonesia Google+ community, shows the back of a white Nexus device with a sticker that appears to have LG's logo on it. At the top of the phone is a camera lens and what appears to be a rumored fingerprint scanner.

As Engadget notes, the camera appears to have a laser focus, dual-LED flash, which has popped up in recent flagship LG phones, like the G4. The phone also appears to have a plastic backing, which could bring down the final price of the LG-made Nexus phone. The Nexus 5, which LG produced in 2013, sold for $349 unlocked, while the Motorola Mobility-made Nexus 6, a 6-inch phablet, sold for $649.

The rumored Huawei device is expected to have more high-end specifications and cost more. Last year Google unveiled the latest Nexus devices in mid-October and could choose to do so again.

A July report from the Information, citing unnamed sources, said that the phones would hit shelves this fall. The report also said Google has tapped Huawei to be the first China-based manufacturer of a Nexus phone and potentially a much bigger partner in China as well. According to the report, the two companies are in talks over how Huawei can help Google launch a Chinese Android application storefront.

The report said that Google will help Huawei market forthcoming gadgets like the Huawei Watch in Western markets, and even discussed making it work with the iPhone. Further, designing a Nexus deice could raise Huawei's stature in the U.S. device market, where it plans to keep expanding. 

For more:
- see this The Verge article
- see this Engadget article
- see this Android Authority article

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