HTC reportedly snags 3-year Nexus deal from Google

Is HTC back in bed with Google? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android.

Is HTC back in bed with Google? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android.

Google’s next three iterations of the Nexus could all come from HTC.

According to a new report, the Taiwanese company — which made Google’s last Nexus tablet and the very first Nexus phone — has secured a three-year deal that will see its name plastered on Google smartphones beyond 2018.

Recent rumors claimed HTC would be tasked with building Google’s next Nexus smartphone, and those claims seemed even more likely when LG confirmed it would be backing away from its partnership with Google following the Nexus 5X.

Now a report from MyDrivers claims HTC won’t just build the 2016 Nexus smartphone, but also those scheduled to launch in 2017 and 2018. It’s unclear whether Google will continue to launch two Nexus-branded handsets during this time.

We recommend that you take this rumor with a pinch of salt. We hear a lot about Google’s Nexus plans before they are officially announced, and while some of those claims do turn out to be true, the vast majority of them do not.

It seems like HTC would be a good Nexus smartphone maker, though. Its aluminum-clad devices would be ideal follow-ups to last year’s Nexus 6P, which appears to have been significantly more successful than the plastic Nexus 5X.