Next Nexus OEM - If it’s good enough for Google, it’s good enough for us.

As is often the case, if we’re not thinking about the devices we have, we’re thinking about what’s next - and the question of who will be making any of Google’s upcoming Nexi, and their design and specs are always a talking point for Android enthusiasts.

The Nexus smartphone is most significant, as it often introduces changes to the OS - via adjustments to UI and the inclusion of a host of new features. It’s for this reason, we gather on social media, in online communities, forums and boards to speculate as to which OEM will take the honours of developing and producing the hardware that encapsulates Google and the direction of Android.

It’s no wonder then, that we may be upset (to use the word loosely), if we discover a Nexus we've been holding out for is being built by an OEM we aren't too fond of.

It happened for a few of us with the Nexus 4. The reasons varied, with some believing LG to make products of poor quality and reliability, whereas others weren't so much turned off by the OEM, rather the materials used - particularly the glass-clad back panel. While in the flesh the N4 is quite stunning visually, thoughts of the iPhone 4(S) lingered in the back of many minds - including those who'd often ripped on said phones for their inclusion of glass.

Separate from this, and personally my main reason was because of the OS it brought. Though a noticeable improvement over 4.1(.x), 4.2 didn't seem like a reason why you’d fork out a sum (though admittedly low) of money for a swanky new phone when the outgoing (Galaxy) Nexus would receive the very same update in the coming weeks. Yes, the N4 is leaps and bounds ahead of the GNex in terms of power and its ability to cope with various tasks thrown at it, but that’s to be expected, and if I can save a cool $350-400AUD towards the following Nexus, it’s seems worth the wait (and suffering).

Why do we care so much about which OEM makes the Nexus? True, we've had experiences in the past of Nexi that haven’t left a lasting impression. Take for instance the plastic construction of the GNex and its meagre battery life, or the low internal memory of the Nexus One (as well as its battery life), many of us have had to endure these setbacks, but it’s all been for the better. The OS of a Nexus smartphone is just as important, if not more than the hardware it’s introduced on.

I bought a GNex purely because of what the then latest version of Android heralded for the OS as a whole. On any other occasion I’d avoid a Samsung Android powered device out of personal taste. For one, I think the “Galaxy” branding is overused and overrated, and this opinion had formulated well before I’d even purchased the GNex. Regardless of this, Android 4.0 marked a turning point in the history of the OS, and that reason alone was enough for me to put aside my differences for the OEM, in order to indulge in the goodness of Ice Cream Sandwich.

That’s how I believe it should be. While we all have our personal tastes and preferences of who we deem suitable to take the role of producing the next Nexus, we shouldn't lose sight of what Nexus means as a whole, and the range of new opportunities to be had if you’re a developer, or lover of all things Android.

Despite my otherwise distinct affinity for Motorola, I wouldn't mind seeing a Sony made Nexus, because they've shown a willingness to engage with the dev community by way of their Xperia S and Z models being added to AOSP - but I wouldn't be disheartened if LG made another Nexus, or even Samsung, HTC, Huawei, ZTE etc. I don’t perceive Google to engage and collaborate with an OEM whom they don’t believe would be able to match their vision of Android from a hardware perspective. If it’s good enough for Google, it’s good enough for us.