6'

Google to do away with the Nexus lineup by next year: Report

Yash GargJanuary 28, 2014

Reports coming in from various outlets around the globe suggest that software giant Google is on the verge of discontinuing the almost-revered Nexus lineup of Android-powred smart devices.

As most would be aware of, the Nexus lineup of devices is marketed directly by Google. These devices are also the first ones to get Android updates, since there is no OEM customization which takes up time, delaying the processes. While Google plans to do away with the Nexus brand, it will continue to focus on ‘Play Edition’ devices which work on a somewhat similar structure. Only difference being that softwareupdates are provided by the OEM, which however remain untouched for the most part.

Current Play Edition arsenal includes devices from various manufacturers, for eg., HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, LG G Pad 8.3, Sony Z Ultra and MotorolaMoto G. While one may argue that Nexus devices are the ‘face’ of Android, it really isn’t much of a difference when it comes to usability when you’re talking Play Edition devices.

[ Source, Via]

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

Follow Gizchina.com on Google News for news and updates in the technology sector.

About the author
Yash Garg
Yash is a blogger by profession, builder of things by passion and foodie by birth. You'll usually find him talking about technology, music, travel and the game of cricket on the streets of Pune when not busy writing or speeding his way through the country! Read more on retro handheld gaming on RETRO91

You can learn more about Yash, add him to your Google+ circles or follow him on Twitter to stay connected!

- erererr
  January 28, 2014
rememberus
January 28, 2014
they can kill the nexus line as long as they make the google play editions as cheap as the nexus.
that would make us all very happy
- January 28, 2014
  Honestly I feel the Nexus lineup is a major factor in propagating powerful Android devices for not much. They also serve as the ‘face’ for Android which is why I personally don’t want this happening.
  - Dominic
    January 28, 2014
    Agreed. The west (in Asia we have pretty readily available awesome Chinese phones) needs the nexus line to keep other manufactures competitive as far as price:performance, and the worlds market needs nexus devices to keep the OEMs on their toes with updates.
    Less variety and competition is never good as a consumer.
  - Barry
    January 28, 2014
    Motorola is a Google company so Nexus type devices can be re-branded as Motorolas.
    - January 28, 2014
      The only reason I can think of why Google would do away with the Nexus line is the subsidy they have to deal with. If they do make Moto Nexus devices, it would be only Google who bears the brunt, hardly any different from the current Nexus plan. So, I personally don’t think that is a possibility. However, Google Play devices can perhaps be a bit cheaper than similarly spec’d ones from other manufacturers, but not Nexus cheap. What say?
- Barry
  January 28, 2014
  So you want Google to tell Samsung, Sony, HTC etc how much to charge for their play edition phones???
  - Alan
    January 29, 2014
    hey you im producing smart phones , wow nice me too, hey how about you charge a little more for your devices and me too, lets tell also the others… i mean i everybody charges more we all make more money 😉
    Oh yea lets make that suggestion to google so they stop selling cheap high quality phones, because that would ruin our plan

manohar basavaraju
January 28, 2014
Google may lose its values & fame if it does like that.
Very bad on your part Google, what makes you take such a stupid decision when you are doing very well globally ?
I think it may bring more of negative impact rather than becoming successful.
What are your opinions guys ?
- January 30, 2014
  It’s a deal with the devil. They agreed to stop competing on hardware with Samsung in exchange for Samsung stopping Tizen handset software development. I’m also guessing that divesting themselves of Motorola was part of this deal too.
  As a bonus, I’m sure Google got Samsung to agree to offer a “Google Edition” for every release of Galaxy S and Note, and probably even a some of it’s tablets.
  What Google loses is the ability to push the hardware envelope, which is probably one of the things that irritated Samsung quite a bit. I’m sure they want to hold back tech and “pace” the rate of innovation similar to the way Apple does, but Google’s Nexus devices never took competitive pressure off them.
zaikatanox
January 29, 2014
They’re even in talk with Lenovo regarding potential sales of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo!
phandroid324
February 1, 2014
None of you see it, do you? The Mobile ecosystem has reached saturation, there’s enough power in our phones, enough ppi all around. Google’s moving to more exciting and emerging endevours like wearables, robots and MUCH better AI. All this will no doubt, one way or another, channel Android and make it better and more versatile. Google never aimed to be a go-to brand for phones, it only intended to make sure that the phonemakers stayed on track and that’s why it needed benchmark phones. But look at the Nexus 5, and compare it to the LG G2 for example, and LG G2 is clearly better, hardware-wise. What’s more, the largest smartphone market : China, produces far more compelling and cost friendly phones than Google’s Nexus program could even dream of. But these guys can’t be a part of the Nexus program because they themselves make very little from hardware, and make most from services. Not to mention, they don’t have the manufacturing capacity to make one.
Also, the Nexus devices are only subsidised in the US/UK/etc. and all of us in Asia for example, see exorbitant price tags for devices whose main allure is the lower price.
What I would like to see though, is for Google to make the Play Edition system a global effort. But that too seems redundant, since every device with Google Apps, can give you a Nexus experience bar the quicker, buggier :p, updates.