Google's upcoming Nexus phone might look like this

Leaked Image of the new Nexus from LG

We know another Nexus smartphone is coming soon, but built by whom? Both Huawei and LG are rumored to be making Google's reference device for Android M, and we now have pretty solid evidence for LG. A picture of the device from an Indonesian G+ user spotted by blogger Marques Brownlee shows the back of an LG Nexus device. Size-wise, it appears to line up with the 5.2-inch rumors and also features a rear fingerprint scanner, bulging camera, laser focus, dual-LED, iPhone 6-style flash and plastic galore.

If the device is for real, all that plastic might not be a bad thing. It could mean that Google will take the Nexus back to its lower priced roots -- LG's original Nexus 5 was $349, while the Motorola Nexus 6 was $649. A previous render from @Onleaks matches the photo closely, and also shows a USB Type-C port. Rounding out the specs, the device is supposed to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 CPU.

The Huawei device, on the other hand, is rumored to be a larger, 5.7-inch phablet with slightly more upmarket specs. We'd take all this with a ton of salt, but with Apple, Samsung and others now offering big and small handsets, two Nexus devices makes sense. As for when we'll find out, we'd expect the devices to arrive sometime in the fall along with Android M.

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Marshmallow Is the Official Name of Android M

You can finally stop speculating what the M in Android M stands for. The next major update to Google's mobile operating system is called Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Dave Burke, Android's VP of Engineering, took the wraps off the name via his Twitter account on Monday.

As has been the tradition, Google put a stop to speculation over the exact name of its upcoming Android update by placing a statue of a green droid holding the new dessert figurine at the lawn of its headquarters in Mountain View.

The company has also released the "near-final" SDK version of the new operating system for developers. The announcement page of the SDK also refers to the new Android operating system version as Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

"Whether you like them straight out of the bag, roasted to a golden brown exterior with a molten centre, or in fluff form, who doesn't like marshmallows? We definitely like them," wrote Jamal Eason, Product Manager, Android in the blog post. "Since the launch of the M Developer Preview at Google I/O in May, we've enjoyed all of your participation and feedback. Today with the final Developer Preview update, we're introducing the official Android 6.0 SDK and opening Google Play for publishing your apps that target the new API level 23 in Android Marshmallow."

Unlike Android Lollipop, which released with a number of enticing features, the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update is largely aimed at delivering stability and performance improvements. However, the update will bring new features like Android Pay, Tap on Now, new app permissions model, built-in support for fingerprint scanner, as well as support for the USB Type-C standard. The new Android update also offers native support for the 64-bit ARMv8 architecture.

As per the SDK's announcement page, Android Marshmallow will be Android v6.0, and will ship later this year. The company is rumoured to release two new Nexus smartphones at the sidelines of Android 6.0 Marshmallow's official release. Earlier on Monday, we got our first purported glimpse at the LG-made new Nexus 5 smartphone.

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New Huawei Nexus 6 renders show off the device’s rear-mounted fingerprint scanner

Although we haven’t heard any official details from anyone quite yet, it’s seeming more and more likely that we’ll get two Nexus devices from Google this year. LG and Huawei are the two manufacturers rumored to produce the hardware this time around, and we’ve already heard some pretty believable rumors about the two smartphones’ specifications and design qualities. On top of that, some renders that surfaced the other day, courtesy of popular leaker @OnLeaks, gave us a glimpse at what the upcoming LG Nexus may look like.

Today it looks like we’re getting another set of renders from the same sources, this time of the rumored Huawei Nexus device. In the leak, the smartphone is referred to as the “Huawei Nexus 6 2015″. The renders shown off in this post are based on detailed blueprints of the device sent out to third-party accessory manufacturers, so the dimensions might be accurate, but the overall design will probably be a little different.

As you can see in the video and images attached to this post, the Huawei Nexus 6 looks to feature the same rear-mounted fingerprint scanner as the one found in the LG Nexus. The renders also show off a device that features a 5.7-inch screen, though the leak explains Huawei may be testing two different screen sizes – 5.7-inches and 5.5-inches – either of which may end up coming to market.

The leak also explains the device will measure 159.4 x 78.3 x 6.6/8.5mm, which backs up previous claims of the device’s measurements. We can also see from the renders that the device will sport a USB Type-C port, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Just a few days ago, @OnLeaks outed some specs for both the Huawei and LG devices, claiming that the upcoming Huawei Nexus could feature a 5.7-inch display and an all-metal body. The LG Nexus, on the other hand, is rumored to boast a 5.2-inch display and measure 146.9 x 72.9 x 8/9.8mm. Both devices will supposedly come with front-facing speakers and USB Type-C ports.

Since we can’t vouch for the validity of these supposed renders or specs, be sure to take this information with a grain of salt. But seeing as how new Nexus devices are normally launched towards the end of October, we should begin to see some more leaked models and renders show up sometime soon.

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The LG Nexus will probably look something like this

The other day, @OnLeaks lived up to his name and dished out several details about the upcoming Nexus handsets from LG and Huawei. Today, @OnLeaks has help to bring us a selection of renders, showing us what the next LG Nexus smartphone should look like.

The renders are based on factory schematic information provided to third party accessory-makers, so the dimensions are quite likely to be accurate, although the final look could well vary a bit, especially when it comes to build materials.

On the back, we can see the fingerprint scanner that has been rumored numerous times in the past. LG’s signature rear volume controls seem to have given way in order to include the scanner, which sits just underneath the protruding camera module.

The camera comes with an LED flash and also what appears to be a laser auto focus module. We can also spot the reversible USB Type-C socket at the bottom of the smartphone.

Other rumors have pointed to a couple of front facing speakers, which we can also make out on the front of the render. The size of the smartphone also apparently backs up claims that the LG Nexus will feature 5.2-inch display. The schematic states that the phone will measure 146.9 x 72.8 x 8mm, with the protruding camera extending the depth to 9.8mm.

Interestingly, there’s no sign of LG’s signature curved display with this handset, so the company won’t be bringing all of its proprietary technology to its next Nexus smartphone.

We will have to see if a similar render for the rumored Huawei Nexus shows up as well. Check out the video below for a full view of the render.

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Motorola briefly teases the new Moto 360 on Twitter

Motorola still hasn’t released any official details regarding the next-generation Moto 360smartwatch, but a big leak from the company earlier today may suggest the new device is coming our way soon. Motorola posted (then quickly deleted) a video on its Twitter account of what appears to be the new Moto 360, giving us a pretty clear look at the device’s new form factor. The video also appeared on the company’s Instagram account, but that video was also deleted soon after it was posted.

The screenshot above shows off the supposed next-gen device, which features a power button that sits at the 2 o’clock position, as opposed to the 3 o’clock placement on the first-gen watch. The device also looks to have newer lugs that will perhaps make it easier to swap out watch straps. Also featured in the new render is the “flat tire” from last year’s model, which is a design element many consumers weren’t happy with the first time around.

The render attached above looks almost identical to the leaked images from Lenovo’s CEO that we saw back in May.

Of course, this video doesn’t confirm anything quite yet, though it’s very suspicious that the company would tweet out a video and delete it right away. What say you? Could this be another look at the new Moto 360?

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