Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones are made by HTC, but it seems that Huawei was the first option and turned down the offer.
Each year, Google launched Nexus devices made in collaboration with various OEMs. This year, the company is shifting from the Nexus branding to the Pixel moniker, but the OEM collaboration scheme is still on.
Google put HTC in charge of the new Pixels manufacture, but a new report points out that Huawei was actually the first choice. Huawei made the Nexus 6P last year, and Google reportedly wanted the OEM to extend the collaboration to this year for the Pixel and Pixel XL.
The Nexus 6P was widely considered one of the best smartphones in the Nexus lineup, and it's still successful, but apparently the collaboration between Google and Huawei was initially supposed to be bigger than it ended up to be.
As Android Police reports, Google got Huawei on board with the promise that the Nexus 6P would be available on all four major carriers in the United States. If that were the case, it would've helped Huawei expand its presence on the U.S. market.
Having a high-end flagship like the Nexus 6P available on all major U.S. carriers would've marked a major milestone in the OEM's efforts to conquer the U.S. market, but that didn't happen.
Moreover, Google and Huawei reportedly planned a "multi-hundred-million dollar" advertising campaign for the smartphone, and the Nexus 6P should've seen a more hyped launch like this year's Pixel hype.
Things changed in the process, however, and the Nexus 6P did not see the wide availability it was supposed to. The handset launched on the Google Store and Huawei's own website, but it was far from the wide U.S. launch and all-carrier availability Huawei likely hoped for.
Google reportedly told Huawei that it wanted three devices this year, and they would all bear Google branding, without the name of the OEM anywhere on the device. That didn't sit well with Huawei's goals and Huawei CEO Richard Yu reportedly ended the talks himself.
Nevertheless, the relationship between Google and Huawei has unlikely been damaged, and there are even rumors of an upcoming Huawei Nexus tablet. That could be the third device Google planned for this year, as HTC is in charge of just two devices: the Google Pixel and Pixel XL.
Ironically, the new Pixels are expected to hit multiple carriers and even surfaced on Bell Canada, so Huawei might've had the exposure it wanted had it accepted Google's offer.
