While much is still unknown about the Google Nexus smartphones coming this year, there are some rumors making the rounds to keep us interested. HTC Corp. is rumored to be the manufacturer of this year’s two devices codenamed ‘Sailfish’ and ‘Marlin’. There are also possible new color options, minimal branding, and other various spec rumors.

We look at the rumored features making the rounds as well as various color options and a potential release date.

Release date

The latest rumors surrounding the Nexus devices is that they will launch in August. The launch of Sailfish and Marlin will coincide with the release of the technology giant’s new operating system Android Nougat. Beta testing is currently underway for Android Nougat and is due to be completed next month.

New colors

Renders of the devices due out possibly as early as next month have also been making the rounds. The smartphones will have an aluminum body and come in a range of three likely colors. Color options include an aluminum finish with a white face, a black and or dark gray version, and a possible electric blue version with a white face.

The most recent renders show white, black, silver and red options. However these images are merely fan renders and not official photos from Google, so whether we will see an electric blue and red color option when the Sailfish and Marlin are released is uncertain at this stage.

Android Police’s render, which they created based on information from its source, also includes a large glossy panel on the rear of the device taking up almost half of the back. It will serve as a window for NFC and other radios.

Render created by Android Police based on information from its source.

Minimal branding

It is rumored that the upcoming Sailfish and Marlin devices will also have minimal branding. Both the Nexus and HTC branding could be ditched for a simple ‘G’ logo. The logo will be found on the rear of the device at the bottom.

What we know so far: RAM, battery, camera

The specs between the Sailfish and the Marlin devices are rumored to be very similar. Both will come with 4GB of RAM, an option between 32GB or 128GB of storage, and the latest Qualcomm processor, but no SD card slot.

When it comes to the camera, the rear camera bump will be gone and the devices are rumored to sport a 12MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. According to Android Police, there is also a rumor of three holes next to the rear camera, which could be a secondary microphone, an auto-focus for the camera and possibly another camera sensor.

The fingerprint sensor will remain on the back while there will be a USB Type-C port at the bottom of both devices. The Sailfish and Marlin devices will also keep the headphone jack, unlike the Moto Z and Moto Z Force launched by Lenovo Group Ltd. last month.

The differences between the two devices come in the form of display size and battery. The smaller Sailfish is rumored to have a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display and a 2,770 mAh battery. On the other hand, the larger Marlin will come with a 5.5-inch 2560×1440 AMOLED display and a 3,450 mAH battery.

Nexus-branded smartwatches

In additional to Nexus-branded smartphones, there are also rumors that Google will also be releasing Nexus-branded smartwatches, codenamed Angelfish and Swordfish. Rumored features include LTE, heart rate monitor functionality, GPS, and advanced Google Assistant AI integration.    

Image via: Google