Google probably won’t unveil the next Nexus phones or tablets for a few months, but that hasn’t stopped information about next-gen Nexuses (or Nexusi?) from leaking. But the tech industry has a hard time keeping anything secret for long and recently we’ve seen leaks about a few other high profile devices including new flagship phones from Sony and Motorola.

Here are some recent leaks in rumors from the Android smartphone and tablet world:

shamu

Nexus phones and tablets

A number of reports have indicated that HTC is working on an 8.9 inch Nexus tablet for Google. It’s code-named “Volantis,” and probably has an NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor and a high-resolution display, among other things.

Now it looks like a new Nexus smartphone is also on the way… although it has a nearly tablet-sized screen.

Android Police reports that Motorola is working on a new phone with a 5.9 inch display. It’s code-named “Shamu” and it could be a contender for the crown of Google’s next Nexus phone, which means it would ship with the latest Android software, be supported directly by Google, and probably have a relatively low price tag. A mention of “shamu” also appears in the Android Open Source Project issue tracker.

I’d also venture that Google would call a phone with a 5.9 inch screen the Nexus 6 — which would be a bit confusing to folks who noted that the last phone was the Nexus 5 and the one before that was Nexus 4… not necessarily because they were the 4th and 5th models in the family, but because they had roughly 4 and 5 inch screens (kind of… the Nexus 4 actually had a 4.7 inch screen).

Moto X+1

Motorola is also working on a follow-up to the relatively popular Moto X smartphone. The Moto X+1 is expected to feature a 5.1 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 2900mAh battery.

The specs might seem a bit odd at a time when high-end phones with faster processors and other premium specs (like WQHD displays) are becoming common. But as Motorola showed with the Moto X, sometimes price, software, and unique features like custom color combinations, always-listening voice controls can help a phone stand out more than a blazing fast CPU.

moto x plus 1

Android Police has the latest pictures of the phone which might be the Moto X+1.

 

Sony Xperia Z3

Sony’s Xperia Z2 smartphone may have just launched in the US, but the company is already working on a follow-up, and according to recently leaked specs the Sony Xperia Z3 could feature a 5.15 inch, full HD display, a 22MP camera, and other premium specs.

xperia z3

Some sources say we should expect a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB of RAM, while other suggest it’ll have a Snapdragon 810 CPU, 2560 x 1162 pixel display, and a wide-angle camera.

You can find a few leaked pictures at @evleaks.

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11 replies on “Leaks: 5.9 inch Nexus “Shamu,” Moto X+1, and Sony Xperia Z3”

  1. For God’s sake stop making them bigger and start making them with decent battery lives!

  2. Nexus 4 and 5 were the 4th and 5th generation phones and that is why N4 and N5, not because of screen size. Nexus 4 was 4.5 inch screen, if we apply your logic we should call it nexus 4.5. Atleast read specification of phones before you write …..

    1. I had so many pointless back and forth comment discussions/arguments with people last year over the same thing. Some people won’t let it go.

      However, I do get why they’ll go with a phablet this year instead of another phone in the 5 inch range – that is if Google wants to simply call the phone Nexus 6 and not Moto Nexus X or something similar to what they did with HTC (Nexus One), and Samsung (Nexus S and then Galaxy Nexus). The Nexus 7 will still be produced is my guess, because Google has only seemed to put an end to a product if a the latest in the series is coming to replace it. Since the Nexus 9 is a new screen size range for the Nexus, it allows the Nexus 7 to continue to be sold as the mid range tablet offering just as the Tegra 3 Nexus 7 was to the Nexus 10. Then you have the phablet class Nexus 6 with 5.9 inch screen and possibly more costly price point than all models of the Nexus 7 due to it having the latest in terms of specs for a smartphone. Nexus 7 2013 drops in price on all 3 models to make room for the Nexus 9 and then you have Nexus 6, 7 and 9 with the stock of the Nexus 10 dwindling until it’s gone forever. Of course, total speculation on my part, if Shamu is a Nexus 6 with 5.9inch screen to match the name.

    2. “At least read specifications of phones before you write..” Well, ironically enough, the Nexus 4 has 4.7 inch. Maybe get the facts straight before you criticize others? Also, in his description, he did mention how it was “kind of” the logic behind the naming, because it’s not entirely logically accurate. So I’m pretty sure you didn’t read through his descriptions.

      I don’t believe the Nexus 4 and 5 were because of the generations of phones. They wouldn’t have called the Nexus 10 or the Nexus 7 the way they are if they followed that naming convention. You really think of all the devices named “Nexus” they’d split it into two naming conventions – one for tablets one for phones?

  3. So one source says Z3 is basically the same as a Z2, another says it’ll have slightly upgrade specs…

    Whatever you can see in internet news, you could just take your own guess at it and be closer…

        1. ‘pretty sure’ isn’t the same as ‘has’. Plus that’d render moot the home streaming part of SteamOS.

        2. Sure, months from now if at all. They’re probably occupied with SteamOS given that the launch has been delayed by a year again.

Comments are closed.