Nexus Sailfish leaked photos show an interesting design change

The expected final launch of Android 7.0 Nougat is fast approaching and, with it, the hopes of finally seeing the new 2016 Nexus smartphones in the flesh. As no solid dates have been set for either event, we will just have to make do with unofficial images of the smartphones. Luckily there are indeed such photos that give us some idea of what the HTC-made Nexus devices would look like. And suffice it to say, they might look quite intriguing.

The design of Nexus devices has been as diverse as the manufacturers who make them, sometimes even differing despite being made by the same company. This time, however, the two 2016 Nexus are expected to look exactly alike, differing only in size, display, and battery. Which is a good thing, as it prevents some level of envy between those buying one or the other, almost a bit like Apple's play with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus divide.

That design, however, is something we haven't seen before on any Nexus smartphone. Sure, the Nexus line finally got its long-deserved metal handset in the Nexus 6P made by Huawei, but these HTC-made devices allegedly mix it up a bit, not with plastic but with glass. The top section of the smartphone's back, from the camera to a little below the fingerprint scanner, is said to sport a glass pane, though some might immediately judge it to be plastic. It is, perhaps, HTC's way of addressing antenna issues with all metal smartphones, though it's definitely an odd design.

A separate, independent leak seems to confirm that glass feature but also offers a (literally) different angle of the smartphone. Here, however, it seems that the Nexus Sailfish (judging by the smaller size) has a rather thick profile. It could simply be an illusion brought about by the smartphone's strange design. Almost like the HTC 10, the back doesn't exactly curve at the edges but tapers instead, creating the semblance of rather thick side edges. Or at least that's what we're hoping for.

VIA: Android Police, @usbfl