Google Nexus smartphone with $100 price tag reportedly in the works

A Chinese publication citing sources from Taiwan supply chain claims that the Mountain View giant will launch a low to mid-range Nexus smartphone priced as low as $100 (roughly Rs. 6,000).

Further, the report suggests that the said Nexus smartphone powered by the MediaTek chipset will be a brand new entry in the Nexus lineup and not a replacement of existing devices like the Nexus 5.

The report speculates that the alleged Nexus device will go up against offerings from the likes of HTC, Lenovo and Sony among others, who have been lately using MediaTek's chipset for low to mid-range devices.

We already know that LG has been the official manufacturer of Nexus smartphones, the Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, for two years in a row, but there's nothing so far on whether LG will also get to manufacture the budget Nexus smartphone.

If the report turns out be true, we will see two Nexus devices unveiled this year - a high-end Nexus 5 successor and a cheaper, $100 Nexus phone.

An earlier report suggested that Google might release a Nexus 8 tablet later this year, with indication that the production of the tablet would commence in the month of July or August.

Prior to this, Google announced the dates for its annual developers' conference, Google I/O, scheduled for June 25 to 26. The successor to Android 4.4 KitKat - which is yet to be named - could be revealed at Google I/O.

Recently, Google confirmed that the tickets for I/O would be sold via lottery.