Most awaited: Google Nexus with Nougat

It appears that California-based Google is retaining more premium material for a better build quality to compete directly with Apple and Samsung

Google's Huawei Nexus 6P was perhaps the best Android smartphone launched in September 2015, offering top-of-the-line specs and a premium design to complement its reputation.

Come September 2016, Google is now expected to unveil the next generation Nexus, but this time, along with Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC. If rumour is to be believed, the next Nexus is shaping up to be an all-metal device, which will flaunt its glory in two sizes. While the smaller variant is codenamed 'Sailfish' and has already made several appearances in online leaks, the bigger variant was tipped under codename 'Marlin'.

The future 2016 Nexus line would mark another big shakeup at Google's in-house Android phone division. The company in 2015 tried a tad higher budget model with the all-plastic LG 5X, which featured a 5.2-inch display. Google also launched the premium all-metal Huawei 6P, which had a massive 5.7-inch display.

According to Android Police, both Nexus smartphones will have a similar appearance and feature mostly similar specifications. The only notable differences could be the screen size, overall dimensions and the battery capacity. In essence, Marlin is just a bigger version of Sailfish.

Recently, an image of the smaller variant surfaced online, corroborating previous leaks, such as a solid metal body and a fingerprint sensor on the rear panel. Although there's no HTC logo to be seen anywhere, it is most likely to be replaced by the Nexus branding, or a new 'G' logo.

Known tipster on Twitter, Evan Blass obtained some information in the form of a build.prop file from within the Android operating system which had detailed specifications for the Nexus 2016 phone. His leak suggests that the device could feature a 5.2-inch, full HD 1080p display, and be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset. The Nexus is also touted to sport a new feature called Face Lock, which could be a new security measure within Android's Nougat. The smartphone will be backed by 3GB of RAM, and will pack in 32GB and/or 64GB of internal storage.

What we know for sure is that the new Nexus smartphone will run the purest form of Android 7 Nougat, with zero bloatware, which is designed to function just as the company intends. The Nexus launcher is also a new addition to Nougat.

As the name suggests, the launcher is a brand new variant that will debut on the Nexus 2016 handsets with Android 7.0 Nougat.

The next generation of the Nexus 2016 phones, without a doubt, will ship with full support for Google's ambitious DayDream VR platform.

It appears this time around; Google is downsizing both models, but retaining more premium material for better build quality, perhaps as a way to compete directly with Apple and Samsung.