The Nexus line has been Google’s way of showing off the latest and greatest version of Android since the Nexus One launched way back in January of 2010, making it a little over four years ago this month. Since then, we’ve seen HTC, Samsung and now LG take on the Nexus lineup with varying success. However, we can all agree that since the Galaxy Nexus, these smartphones have been excellent value for money, selling at unlocked prices that make other manufacturers look greedy. Still, the main attraction of the Nexus line remains the clean, stock Android experience that a lot of people genuinely prefer. A way to show off the best of Android, is the Nexus line going to be discontinued in 2015? Prominent leakster, Eldar Murtazin seems to think so.
Mr Murtazin took to Twitter this morning to let out a shocking little tidbit, detailing that the Nexus line will be finished in 2015, replaced by a rebranded Google Play Edition line. While this certainly seems a little bizarre, Murtazin has been correct about things in the past and when you think about it, this could make a fair bit of sense. The Nexus line has, unfortunately, become thought of by some in the industry as a “cheap” alternative to “normal” smartphones. While that’s perhaps true, after all the Nexus 5 is not the best-built device, there have been no real complaints about build-quality and its bare bones attire pleases a lot of users. Yes, the Nexus line is affordable, but that’s not all that it’s about. With the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 in the lineup as well, what happens to Google’s affordable tablet options? Especially the successful 7-incher?
Still, the Google Play Edition line of phones has proven popular, but only close partners of Google’s have stepped up to offer their devices up. With HTC and Samsung – previous partners for the Nexus line – giving over their 2013 flagships and Sony only offering uptheir Xperia Z Ultra device, not their flagship Xperia Z1. LG gave Google Play its first tablet with the G Pad 8.3, but the Google Play Edition program still seems limited in its scope. The Nexus line is still important for developers, too. It offers devs a chance to get their hands on the best hardware available, with all of the keys they need to develop great apps with a relatively low-cost to swallow. It’ll certainly be interesting to see where Google go with the Play Store editions, but getting rid of the Nexus line seems like a mistake in our book. With the Nexus 7 doing so well, things are only looking up and to cut it down in its prime would be a strange move, indeed.
Via: Android Spin
Source: Eldar Murtazin (Twitter)