Google Nexus 2016 news, release date: Specs leaked; smartphone to launch in August?

(Google)Google's 2015 offering, the Nexus 6P.

The highly anticipated Google Nexus smartphones in 2016 will reportedly come with the new Android Nougat operating system. The new Android OS name was only officially revealed recently, although it has been the subject of rumors for quite some time. Along with this speculation comes leaked information consisting of one of the Nexus smartphones' specifications.

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Thanks to its sources, Android Police managed to get its hands on the specifications of the Marlin, one of the 2016 Nexus phones. The Marlin is the larger sibling of the Sailfish in Google's Nexus lineup, clocking in at 5.5 inches at a resolution of 2560 x 1440. The smartphone will reportedly come with a quad-core Qualcomm processor, a USB-C port, 4 GB of RAM, a 3,450 mAh battery, and Bluetooth.

Additionally, a fingerprint scanner located at the rear is also expected to be present. As for its cameras, the smartphone will reportedly come with a 12-megapixel version at the back and an 8-megapixel front-facing snapper. It is also said to come with AMOLED display and will be available in 32 or 128 GB of storage.

However, the publication notes that the smartphone could come with a Snapdragon 820 CPU, but there are also rumors saying that it will have the speculated Snapdragon 821 or 823 on board.

Google has previously partnered with LG and Huawei for its Nexus lineup, but, this time around, HTC will be helming the two Nexus devices. The two giants have worked together in the past, so it will certainly be interesting to see what changes the renewed partnership will bring to the smartphones.

As for its release date, Google has yet to make an announcement. However, it is widely believed that the Nexus smartphones will launch together with the Android Nougat. The operating system is speculated to complete its beta testing by the end of July, which means both Android Nougat and the Nexus 2016 could be looking at an August release.

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