When it comes to a Google-made phone, the closest thing we’ve got are the Nexus series of handsets. These aren’t technically made by Google, more like they are built for Google by another company. They also run on stock Android and are also usually the first in line for Android updates.
Like we said, that’s the closest we’ve gotten. However according to a report from The Information (paywall; via Droid-Life), it turns out that Google could be considering building a phone of their own from scratch. However the report notes that Google is only in the discussion phase at the moment and it might not necessarily result in an actual product.
So how does this differ from a Nexus phone? A Nexus phone, like we said, is basically a device built for Google by another OEM. That OEM sometimes helps distribute the product under its own brand as well. However with a Google-built phone, the onus pretty much falls entirely on Google to market, sell, and deal with any issues (as opposed to referring customers back to the manufacturer).
Why would Google do that? Simple: control. Over the years we have heard how Google has been tightening the reins in terms of what OEMs can and cannot do with Android, so by building their own hardware they will basically be in control of both. In fact just recently there was a rumor that Google was interested in building their own chipset which presumably would make its way into this device, but what do you guys think? Would you like to see a Google-made phone?