Google is working quietly to change the Android smartphone game a bit by early next year. Ramblings about the same have been leaked on the interwebs about the surprising that loyal Nexus device lovers are going to get. EVLeaks posted couple of updates about Google’s plan to introduce Android Silver line of smartphones that will essentially replace the current Nexus devices and Google Play Edition devices. In a nutshell, Google will work closely with the mobile chip makers and handset makers to deliver more native-like experience with minimal handset maker side customizations.
Google’s Nexus line of smartphone and tablets get annual refresh mostly before the end of the year. The objective of the Nexus devices is to deliver a very native and vanilla style latest Android version experience on a premium hardware. However, the key factor in the Nexus devices was the price.
Two years ago, Samsung and HTC along with the help of Google released their premium flagship devices with similar vanilla Android experience and labelled them as Google Play Edition devices. These Google Play Editions devices are aptly named since they are sold only through the Google Play Store. These devices get slotted second in the priority for faster updates after Nexus devices.
In coming months, Google plans to merge the separate stream of Nexus and Google Play Edition devices into one project – Android Silver. The Nexus lineup will bid adieu later this year and thus there will not be any Nexus 6 or Nexus 8 as reported previously by The Mobile Indian.
With Android Silver, Google also aims to streamline faster and quicker updates to the premium hardware packing handsets. One of the early Andriod Silver based handset will be made by LG and will pack octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8994 mobile Chipset and it also supports 64-bit processing architecture. This smartphone is expected to be available early next year – 2015. By next year, Google aims to move the premium Android Silver based handsets with 64-bit support for Android.
From the ramblings, we can estimate that Android Silver means premium handsets bearing top of the line hardware, full HD displays and most minimal amount of handset maker content on it.
Google is expected to show the next major Android version at the upcoming Google I/O Convention scheduled to start on June 5 in San Francisco, California. We believe some part of the Android Silver plan might be shared or at least hinted at this convention.