HTC Nexus 2016 release date rumors: New Nexus to arrive in August with Android 7 Nougat?

Customers look at HTC smartphones in a mobile phone shop in Taipei July 30, 2013. According to speculations, HTC will once again be the maker of the 2016 Nexus flagships.Reuters/Pichi Chuang

Google is said to be releasing the full version of the Android 7 Nougat platform soon. Speculations suggest that with it, the tech giant will also be unveiling the next-gen Nexus flagships as launch vehicles for the new Android version.

Rumors on Android Nougat-run Nexus 2016 flagships are already circulating online. While Google has yet to confirm the details of the launches of both Android 7 Nougat and the Google Nexus 2016, having the two rolled out together seems to be the most likely scenario, according to observers.

Since the new Google Nexus iterations are more likely to release later this year, having Android Nougat instead of the current-gen Android Marshmallow as the firmware is a distinct possibility, since this means that Google will not be rushed into updating the 2016 Nexus handsets immediately after their release.

In addition, there are reports that say Google is readying an Android Nougat update to most of its existing Nexus lineups, such as the current-gen Nexus 6P and 5X. Allegedly, the updates will also roll out soon for previous-gen Nexus flagships, even to the alrady-discontinued Nexus 9 tablet.

Meanwhile, Google has yet to come out with confirmed details on the next-gen Nexus lineups. However, most fans are expecting the 2016 Nexus handsets, supposedly made by HTC, will have top-tier, flagship specs. One apparently-confirmed spec is the new SD 821 chipset, since tech maker Qualcomm has officially unveiled the new SoC. Meanwhile, it is also expected that the Nexus 2016 flagships have at least 4GB of RAM and 32 GB of expandable onboard storage.

As for Android 7 Nougat, fans are looking forward to the supposed full version next month, judging by the schedule roadmap previously outed by Google. The schedule called for at least four beta versions of the new firmware before Google releases the final version. The Android 7 Nougat platform is currently already on its fourth developer preview version.