Google’s 2016 Nexus Sailfish Nougat Flagship Makes An Appearance In Leaked Photos

The running rumor is that Google has tapped HTC to build both of its 2016 Nexus phones, each one set to debut with Android 7.0 Nougat. Of the two, the one codenamed Sailfish is the smaller handset, presumably with a screen size of 5 inches, versus the larger Marlin phone that's said to sport a 5.5-inch display. If you're wondering what they'll look like, some low quality photos of the former give an early glimpse, assuming they're legit shots.

Photos of the unreleased handset ended up in the hands of Android Police, which said it's 100 percent positive it's Sailfish that's pictured, not the larger Marlin phone. One thing you can see from the pictures is that HTC went with a premium metallic design. That flies in the face of some rumors that the smaller handset would feature a plastic chassis.

HTC Sailfish

Other than the poor quality photography, the shots of the actual handset look like previous leaked press renders of both Sailfish and Marlin. The only thing that's odd is Google's "G" logo is missing on the back, though we suspect that final production models will have it.

The photos also align with another low quality image making the rounds, one that was posted to Twitter who notes that the unreleased Nexus device looks like a cross between a Nexus 4 and an Apple iPhone handset. Have a look:

In addition to leaked photos making the rounds, Google also filed paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a pair of handsets that are likely Sailfish and Marlin. The listings confirm a few obvious bits about the phones, such as the inclusion of 4G LTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, and NFC connectivity.

Other rumored specs for Sailfish include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 System-on-Chip, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, USB-C port, and a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera. Marlin is expected to be similarly equipped, but with a bigger display and more capacious battery.