Throughout most of the year, it seemed as though the launch of the Google Nexus 2016 devices would be fairly routine and take place in September. But now, recent rumors suggest that the new smartphones may be coming out a bit earlier than previously expected.

For those who may not know, the reason why plenty of people expect this year's collection of Nexus devices to be launched in September is because of Google's recent history, which includes 2015's batch of offerings being launched in September followed by those same items being made available the following month.

At this point, the likely scenario still involves the new Nexus devices going through that same sequence again for this year, though there are also some indicators that are hinting at a potentially moved up timeline.

Perhaps the most interesting indicator that could be hinting at earlier than expected release dates for the Google Nexus 2016 devices is the timeline being followed by the Android N operating system. 

As PC Advisor UK noted, there's a chance that the full version of the Android N OS could be released in August, which is significant because the new Nexus devices typically launch along with that update.

It's also worth noting that the official web site for the upcoming Android OS update lists its final release date as Q3 2016.

If Google does indeed launch the Android N OS in August, then the new Nexus devices cannot be that far away from being launched as well.

Moving up the launch date from September to August does not seem to be that difficult of a feat to pull off either as the difference may ultimately amount to just a few days or at most a few weeks.

For now, September remains as the expected launch date for the Google Nexus 2016 devices, but folks who are thinking about getting these new products may also want to look out for big announcements that may be made in August.