<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Gigaom]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://gigaom.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Kif Leswing]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[http://search.gigaom.com/author/kifleswing1/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Why it makes sense that Huawei could make the next Nexus]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>Here&#8217;s an interesting rumor out of China: iSuppli researcher Kevin Yang posted on Weibo on Wednesday that Huawei <a href="http://www.gizmochina.com/2015/03/04/huawei-next-nexus-maker-confirms-kevin-yang-isuppli/">will be making a Nexus device</a> this coming fall. The post has since been deleted.</p>
<p>Huawei isn&#8217;t a household name in the United States, but it actually makes a good deal of sense that Google would contract with the Chinese electronics giant. Here&#8217;s why:</p>
<h3 id="huawei-has-promised-its-americ">Huawei has promised its American phones will come with stock Android</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/3/8140837/huawei-watch-design-interview-mwc-2015">Speaking to the Verge</a>, Huawei&#8217;s consumer boss Richard Yu said that Huawei&#8217;s stateside phones will come with &#8220;stock Android&#8221; instead of Huawei&#8217;s version because &#8220;American consumers trust Google.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;If you have a problem you can check with Google,&#8221; Yu t<a href="//www.theverge.com/2015/3/3/8140837/huawei-watch-design-interview-mwc-2015">old the Verge</a>. That sounds a lot like Huawei phones will be able to tap into Google Play support, like the <a href="https://gigaom.com/2014/12/03/googles-new-troubleshooting-app-for-android-will-give-you-a-call/">Device Assist app</a>, which is only available for certain devices, such as the Nexus line, usually sold directly by Google.</p>
<p>In fact, given that Huawei seems so fixated on consumer cachet &#8212; Yu called Xiaomi a &#8220;low-end&#8221; brand &#8212; breaking into the American market with a device that can be purchased directly from Google seems like a good introduction to savvy consumers.</p>
<div id="attachment_918787" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 804px"><a href="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/mate7.jpg?quality=80&strip=all"><img  src="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/mate7.jpg?quality=80&#038;strip=all&#038;w=804&#038;h=434" alt="Huawei Mate 7" width="804" height="434" class=" aligncenter" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Huawei Mate 7</p></div>
<h3 id="huawei-already-makes-expensive">Huawei already makes expensive phones</h3>
<p>Although Nexus devices from years past have been affordably priced, last year&#8217;s Nexus 9 tablet and Nexus 6 smartphone were priced at $399 and $649 respectively &#8212; as expensive as anything out there.</p>
<p>Huawei, as opposed to rivals like Xiaomi, makes expensive phones. Although it makes affordable devices too, it&#8217;s concerned with the <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/huaweis-higher-end-phones-lift-consumer-business-revenue-1422323814">high-end of the market</a>. The Ascend Mate 7, Huawei&#8217;s flagship, costs as much as 3699 RMB ($590). If Google is still positioning Nexus devices as the best that Android can offer as well as developer devices, Huawei is a good fit.</p>
<p>Huawei is a big company, and would be able to handle a Nexus order &#8212; it shipped 75 million smartphones last year. It can certainly deliver premium fit and finish, judging by its <a href="https://gigaom.com/2015/03/01/huawei-debuts-a-7-inch-phone-and-its-first-android-wear-watch/">new Android Wear smartwatch</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/huawei-watch-official.jpg?quality=80&strip=all"><img  src="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/huawei-watch-official.jpg?quality=80&#038;strip=all&#038;w=804&#038;h=419" alt="huawei watch official" width="804" height="419" data-attribution="Huawei" class=" aligncenter" /></a></p>
<h3 id="fingerprint-scanners">Fingerprint scanners</h3>
<p>At one point, the Motorola-made Nexus 6 was supposed to come <a href="https://gigaom.com/2014/12/09/the-nexus-6-was-this-close-to-having-a-fingerprint-sensor/">with a fingerprint scanner</a> in the place of the dimple in its back, but it was cut for some reason. There hasn&#8217;t been a recently released Motorola phone with a fingerprint scanner, probably because the available technology <a href="https://gigaom.com/2015/01/26/apple-is-the-reason-the-nexus-6-doesnt-have-a-fingerprint-scanner/">hasn&#8217;t been good enough</a>. (You&#8217;d have to go back to the Atrix, which came out in 2011, to find one.)</p>
<p><a href="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/huawei-ascend-mate-7-fingerprint-01.jpg?quality=80&strip=all"><img  src="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/huawei-ascend-mate-7-fingerprint-01.jpg?quality=80&#038;strip=all&#038;w=600&#038;h=360" alt="Huawei-Ascend-Mate-7-fingerprint-01" width="600" height="360" class=" aligncenter" /></a></p>
<p>Aside from Samsung and Apple, Huawei has done more with smartphone-mounted fingerprint scanning than any other smartphone maker. The Ascend Mate 7 has a fingerprint scanner on its back &#8212; close to where the Nexus 6 would have had one &#8212; and it&#8217;s pretty good. It doesn&#8217;t require users to swipe their fingers, instead, it only needs a tap, like Samsung&#8217;s new scanner and Apple&#8217;s Touch ID.</p>
<p>If Google is serious about mobile payments &#8212; and given the rumors about Android Pay and its <a href="https://gigaom.com/2015/02/23/google-buys-softcard-teams-up-with-carriers-on-mobile-payments/">recent purchase of Softcard</a>, it certainly is &#8212; then it will need to introduce biometric security to more Android devices. This means that it&#8217;s a safe bet that the next Nexus will have a fingerprint scanner, and Huawei has proven it can provide one.</p>
<h3 id="why-it-might-not-happen">Why it might not happen</h3>
<p>Huawei designs its own ARM-based processors, which are named <a href="https://gigaom.com/2015/03/01/huawei-debuts-a-7-inch-phone-and-its-first-android-wear-watch/">Kirin</a>. Although Android is designed to work on top of all sorts of chips, it&#8217;s difficult to imagine that Google&#8217;s next developer device would eschew a Qualcomm chip, which has been the go-to supplier for years.</p>
<p>It also seems a bit early for Google to be locking down Nexus suppliers. The first murmurs about Motorola making the Nexus 6 <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/Surprise-Turnaround-for-Motorola-Ahead-of-Lenovo-Merger">surfaced last July</a>, after Google&#8217;s annual developer&#8217;s conference.</p>
<p>Also remember that Google was rumored previously to be working on a &#8220;<a href="https://www.theinformation.com/Google-Takes-Aim-iPhone-Silver-Program">Silver</a>&#8221; line of devices <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/04/02/rumor-android-silver-may-be-googles-attempt-to-finally-provide-a-premium-android-sale-and-support-experience/">with Google support and stock Android</a>. Although that plan seems to have been scrapped, there&#8217;s still a chance that Huawei&#8217;s new device could be one of many Google-directed phones and tablets coming out this fall.</p>
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