Google Reportedly Working on Own-Branded Phone Set for Release This Year

Google is set to launch its own smartphone by the end of the year in an effort to compete more directly with Apple and Samsung devices, according to The Telegraph.

Citing "senior sources" familiar with the matter, the report claims that the company plans to unveil a Google-branded handset that is separate from its Nexus range of phones, which are designed and manufactured through partnerships with the likes of LG and HTC. Google is also said to be in discussions with mobile operators about the release of the phone by the end of 2016.

nexus_6_lollipop

The Nexus 6 handset by Motorola, one of Google's manufacturing partners.

If true, the news would signal a significant shift in ambitions for the company's mobile arm, which has historically focused on software development with its Android OS and left handset design largely in the hands of hardware manufacturers.

By contrast, Google's own internal handset division will take full control over "design, manufacturing and software," the newspaper reported. No other details were offered by the sources, while Google declined to comment on the story.

Last month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company was "investing more effort" into phones, although this was interpreted to mean it wanted to work more closely with existing Nexus device makers. Similarly, in April, Recode reported that former president of Motorola Rick Osterloh was returning to Google to take over hardware development on the company's Nexus phones and its OEM partnerships, but no indication was given that an own-branded phone was in the works.

Google's Android OS is used on over 1.4 billion mobile devices globally, but differences in handsets have sometimes seen the company struggle to ensure rollout consistency between software updates.

A Google-branded phone would therefore make sense from a software point of view and allow the company to control the hardware running its OS and let it showcase its other mobile software services.

Such a move however isn't without risk. In April, the European Commission formally charged Google with monopoly abuse, accusing it of using the success of Android to unfairly push its search engine and Chrome browser on users. Not only that, much of the company's mobile service revenue is made through iOS devices, so Apple could potentially make life hard for Google if it felt threatened by its move into mobile hardware design.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
airpods color prototypes

Apple Tested AirPods in Bright Colors

Saturday December 27, 2025 6:06 am PST by
Apple reportedly tested a version of the first-generation AirPods with bright, iPhone 5c-like colored charging cases. The images, shared by the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami," claim to show first-generation AirPods prototypes with pink and yellow exterior casings. The interior of the charging case and the earbuds themselves remain white. They seem close to some...

Top Rated Comments

Zirel Avatar
124 months ago
Like any smart business they smell blood in the water and are ready to take a bite out of Apple. Declining sales, yesterday's tech for tomorrow's prices and (easiest of all to pounce on) ridiculously high profit margins. Competition breeds innovation, perhaps this'll get Apple to stop phoning it in (pun intended) and get back to their core business.
Oh yeah!

When Google gets their name in a phone, and when they see what the reality is:

* People complaining it's too expensive
* People complaining that despite being cheaper, is not as good as more expensive phones
* People complaining about hardware issues
* People complaining about reception issues (dropped calls AND slow internet)
* People complaining about the store
* People complaining about battery life that's never good enough (iPhone 6S battery life is about double of iPhone 5S, people still complain, because the more it lasts, the more they use the stupid thing, and the less they want to charge it)
* People complaining about the performance of X part where the OEM cut corners
* People complaining because store that you go, doesn't sell it
* People complaining because they love to go to somewhere that has to listen to them and complain

And my favourite:


* People complaining because the phone X doesn't have one feature like the phone Y, ignoring the fact that phone Y also doesn't have features that phone X has.

Today, Google has built a good image because they make things that people don't depend on, and accept bugs


* like search, where you accept to scroll past the first results or redo your query
* like when gmail incorrectly labels your e-mail and sends real mail to spam
* like youtube, if it breaks, or stutters, it's "the internet" fault
* like youtube recommendations, when they show you things you don't like, or are not relevant to the video you're watching
* like when Google Maps sends you for a worse way, "it's GPS fault"


And also, are "good", but only because they are free:


* Does anybody pay for Google Docs? No, Microsoft Office!
* Does anybody pay for Google Voice? No, Skype!
* Does anybody pay for more Google Drive storage? No, iCloud!
* Does anybody pay for YouTube Red? No, Netflix!
* Does anybody pay for Google Play Music? No, Spotify!
* Does anybody pay for Google Maps? No, but I will gladly pay $$$ for GPS or Android Auto/CarPlay in my car!


But when the thing takes form in a device made by Google, with Google's brand, it's different... and the real problems appear

Android for example, has much less criticism than iOS because it lives in ether. It's not a real thing, when there's a fault, it's never Google's Android fault, it's always the OEM that has too much "bloat", "expensive", "bad after-sales service", or "not optimized", or "battery is too small, make thicker phones", or even "doesn't make updates".

When they have a real product, made by themselves, and not by third parties, everything changes radically!

People make unfair comparisons between the iPhone and "Android", and that "Android" is the best of all brands combined, but only the good parts.


* Android is better than iPhone because Samsung OLED's
* Android is better than iPhone because Xiaomi is ridiculous cheap
* Android is better than iPhone because LG has this amazing camera
* Android is better than iPhone because Sony is waterproof
* Android is better than iPhone because brand X has this good feature

But:


* Android is not bad because bloatware, it's only Samsung's fault
* Android is not bad because they copy Apple's designs, it's only Xiaomi's fault
* Android is not bad because they don't send upgrades to people, it's only LG's fault
* Android is not bad because you can only buy from shady online vendors, with questionable after sales support, it's only Sony's fault


This has to end. It's impossible to be the best at everything, the iPhone isn't the best at everything, but overall, is the best phone out there. But of course, can't fight ghosts.
[doublepost=1467028138][/doublepost]
Plus the changes apple made to notifications seriously reminds me of stock android. Can anyone say google cards?!
BS!

Google cards with live video?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr Fusion Avatar
124 months ago
Like any smart business they smell blood in the water and are ready to take a bite out of Apple. Declining sales, yesterday's tech for tomorrow's prices and (easiest of all to pounce on) ridiculously high profit margins. Competition breeds innovation, perhaps this'll get Apple to stop phoning it in (pun intended) and get back to their core business.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DevNull0 Avatar
124 months ago
Then why don't you have a Nexus?
Because he already has a iPhone, Timmy. It was pretty self-explanatory in his post. It sounds like nexus is his second choice after iPhone.

One of the great things about this world is you can actually like thing A and thing B, and prefer thing A without automatically having to hate thing B. Cell phones are a consumer product, not a holy war.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blackcrayon Avatar
124 months ago
Like any smart business they smell blood in the water and are ready to take a bite out of Apple. Declining sales, yesterday's tech for tomorrow's prices and (easiest of all to pounce on) ridiculously high profit margins. Competition breeds innovation, perhaps this'll get Apple to stop phoning it in (pun intended) and get back to their core business.
Yesterday's tech like the A9? But I guess this will help Android phones not be saddled with "yesteryear's operating system" ;)

What's Apple's "core business" that they've gotten away from? Aren't iPhones their core business?

I don't expect this to do much to Apple. If anything, Samsung should be worried if Google is able to actually convince the general public to buy them vs. what usually happens with the Nexus line.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattopotamus Avatar
124 months ago
If I did not have an iPhone, it would be a nexus. It is a very similar experience IMO...clean and nearly no bloat.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Fly (film) Avatar
124 months ago
Here's your opportunity to switch to Chormebooks and Google phones and leave MR behind forever guys. I hope they enjoy negativity over on Google forums, because they're going to love you.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)