Revivor of things Android, Google is turning to struggling smartphone manufacturer HTC to create the next line of Nexus phones. That's if the rumors are true.
HTC has a storied history with Google's Nexus line of flagship phones, meant to showcase the latest and greatest of the Android operating system. Google partnered with HTC for the very first Nexus phone, the Nexus One. And before that, Nexus launched the very first Android phone, the HTC Dream, for T-Mobile.
With HTC's flagship devices failing to find any footing in the past few years, it appears the company has been given a new opportunity to redeem itself. Google is commissioning HTC to build the next pair of Nexus smartphones, according to Chinese language microblogging platform Weibo.
The details are scarce, but HTC will allegedly manufacture a 5 and a 5.5-inch smartphone for Google. Neither party has tipped any plans about collaborating on a new set of phones.
Google rotates the partners it collaborates with on Nexus devices. Last year, it was LG and Huawei that were commissioned to build smartphones based on Google's specifications.
While getting the Google contract may give HTC a meaningful boost, that alone won't save the troubled company.
Last fall, HTC revealed that it was planning to cut about 15 percent of its workforce in order to try to save its smartphone business. Going by last March's figures on HTC employees, which clocked in at 15,685, the company allegedly planned to cut about 2,000 jobs, though it hasn't offered specifics on the layoffs.
Near the end of last October, HTC CEO and Chairwoman Cher Wang said the company was in the midst of a "back to basics" strategy for realigning the company. With higher than expected results for the company's third quarter, she said that approach was "starting to bear fruit."
"This will stand us in good stead as we head into the next few quarters of exciting product launches across all of our business units, starting with this month's spectacular launch of the stylish HTC One A9, and will enable us to continue to achieve on our growth strategy," said Wang.
