Google Reportedly Working on Its Own Smartphone to Take on iPhone

Google might soon launch its own branded Android smartphone, as per new reports. The Mountain View giant is said to be in discussions with mobile operators about the new Google-branded smartphone which may see light of the day by year end.

The move to launch its own Android smartphone is said to have more control over design apart from the software as well as to end the dominance of Apple's iPhone in high-end segment. The Telegraph citing people familiar with the discussions reports that the new Google-branded handset will "extend the company's move into hardware."

"The new device, which will be released by the end of the year according to a senior source, will see Google take more control over design, manufacturing and software," adds the report.

Additionally, 9to5google received a tip earlier this year from an anonymous which was reportedly sent from an IP address situated close to Google's campus. The tip claimed that Google was "annoyed" at the perception that Apple's iPhone was the only "premium" handset on the market. Google's Matias Duarte, the Vice President of Design, had also last year criticised iOS, calling it "heavy and burdensome."

It's worth noting that Google last year was considering whether it should make its own handsets. Google's CEO Sunder Pichai has been declining any plans to make Google-branded smartphones right now and has been stressing that the company will continue to collaborate with its partners on the Nexus range, with greater customisations. Google's move to make self-branded smartphones may also make the Nexus program irrelevant for OEMs.

There's no doubt the move to make its own branded smartphones would strain Google's relationships with existing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Google has declined to comment on any rumours.

Google has tried hands with manufacturing devices with its Pixel C tablet that was manufactured by the Mountain View giant and was launched alongside the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X last year. Google was in talks with chipset makers last year to manufacture its custom-designed processors.