2015 Google Nexus Smartphone is Powered by 16nm 64-Bit Huawei Kirin CPU, Will Support 32MP Camera – Report

Google has reportedly approved the use of Huawei’s in-house Kirin application processor to power the 2015 Nexus smartphone, replacing the Nexus 6. China’s Huawei has been widely rumoured to take over from Motorola in assembling the native Android flagship phone.

The latest rumour coming from China pointed to the likelihood of a Hisilicon Kirin SoC ending up as the main engine for the next Nexus, Gizmo China reported this week. If the unconfirmed report will prove correct, the Nexus 6 sequel would be among the few Android flagships not running on Qualcomm’s top-tier processors, specifically the Snapdragon 810.

Though not as popular like the Snapdragon chips, Kirin is not lagging in terms of power and technology, Gizmo China said on its report. The most recent Hisilicon Kirin chip is an eight-core chip in 64-bit mobile computing class and manufactured by Huawei using the 16-nanometre (nm) process, thereby more advanced compared to the 810’s 20nm process.

Jumping from Qualcomm to Huawei for its 2015 Nexus project makes sense for Google as the component packs the power and qualities that make the Nexus 6 replacement an equally killer handset, if not better than its predecessor, the report added. Kirin is fully capable of delivering the handset functionalities expected of the next-generation Nexus.

Efficient monster CPU

For instance, the Hisilicon Kirin 930, which is the most solid chip candidate for the next Nexus phone, has a top clock speed of 2.0GHz but the same muscle is tempered by the ARM big.LITTLE that the chip architecture is based with. This translates to sufficient CPU punch that does not drain device battery power too quickly.

The same chip is designed to accommodate the top-notch features that Google might want Huawei to bake in with the 2015 Nexus phone. One possible feature, Gizmo China said, is a monstrous rear camera shooter that boasts of 32-megapixel sensors, which the Kirin 930 fully supports.

Another major benefit that a Kirin chip will afford is lower manufacturing cost with the added bonus of minimal or no production delays. The likely end-result is a cheaper sticker price for the Nexus phone that will churn out from Huawei’s production line. This adheres to Google’s core philosophy of making its hardware products reachable for greater access to its Internet-based services.

To date, Google and Huawei have yet to issue an official word on the matter but whichever will take the actual honour of making the 2015 Nexus phone, its release date is expected to happen in the last few months of the year. That would be specifically between October and November if the past Nexus rollouts are to be followed.

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