Leaked images of Sony Xperia Nexus could be fake

Leaked photos of a Sony smartphone with a Google logo had recently surfaced, indicating that Sony could launch a Nexus handset of its own, dubbed the Xperia Nexus. It has now been revealed that the photos could be fake.

A recent report by  CNET now states, “While it’s easy to get whipped into a frenzy over a potential Xperia Nexus, we should consider a few things about the photos. I’ve seen a few sources already calling fake over the images, pointing to the faded Sony logo and artifacts on and near the USB port and gold pins. What’s more, there is no Google search bar or labeling for the Google Play icon. Typically, a stock Android experience features a search bar that persists on each home screen. This could be simply explained, however, as a case of an early prototype with a stock Android build for hardware testing.”

Over the past couple of days, the Internet was abuzz with rumours suggesting that Sony is planning a Nexus device of its own. This made sense as it is widely expected that more than one Nexus handset will hit the market this year, as opposed to the One year, One Nexus tradition. The announcement of  Google Nexus 4 manufactured by LG is also awaited.

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May not be genuine

LG and Google are widely expected to debut the  Nexus 4, which goes by the codename E960 Mako. Through a NenaMark benchmark we can see a range of specifications that will feature in this handset. This matches up with previous rumours about the smartphone featuring Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro with Adreno 320 GPU. The LG-manufactured Nexus is expected to come with 2GB of RAM, a 1280 x 768 True-High Definition IPS display, an 8-megapixel camera, and a non-removable battery. It will also have no microSD slot, and from 8GB to 16GB of internal storage.

Google will co-host the launch event with LG, where it will introduce the next version of Android – version 4.2, rumoured to be named Key Lime Pie – along with a new phone, presumably a Nexus based on LG’s recently announced Optimus G. The report also states that the Google’s Nexus flagship device concept is going to undergo a major overhaul. Now, any manufacturer will be able to release a smartphone under the Nexus banner, but the manufacturer will have to adhere to some strict rules set by Google. According to the rules, manufacturers must use stock Android and have 64MB of secure memory for media streaming. Custom UI skins such as HTC’s Sense UI or Samsung’s TouchWiz will be allowed in the new Customization Center. Also, some hardware requirements must be met so that the devices will be able to run Android v5.0, scheduled to arrive by fall 2013.

So while Google may be partnering with LG to launch the next Nexus smartphone, one can put the impending launch of a Sony Xperia Nexus on hold, at least for the time being. 

One should, however, not discount Sony from releasing a Nexus smartphone in the near future as Sony is a major player in the Android market, and a Google-branded device will certainly help it catch up with the likes of Samsung.