Google confirms LG V20 first to run Nougat, not the next-gen Nexus

For the past few years, each new major Android release has coincided with the launch of a new Nexus (or pair of Nexus) smartphones to celebrate said launch but this year, Google is taking a different tack. The search giant just launched the official Android Nougat webpage, and with it bought confirmation of what we already expected: the LG V20 will be the first smartphone to launch with Android Nougat out-of-the-box.

LG’s next flagship is set to be announced just after IFA at an event in San Francisco on September 6 and like we exclusively revealed a few weeks ago, it’s set to follow the modular design of its G-series sibling, the LG G5, complete wit the second-screen feature of the LG V10. The move to decouple the Nexus smartphone range from the release of a new Android OS also poses an interesting question for Google’s own smartphone strategy.

The Nougat update is expected to roll out to existing Nexus devices – such as the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X and Google Pixel C – today, but there have been very few leaks of either of the two new Nexus devices suggesting we’re at least several weeks away from a possible launch.

What will the new Nexuses have to offer is the real question, and this remains unclear; with the possible advantage of having the latest Android OS no longer a factor, could Google opt to develop an experience that’s more than just stock Android and exclusive to the Nexus range? Or will both smartphones have to compete on their hardware merits alone? Let us know your views in the comments below, stay tuned for a video overview and in-depth look and check out the links below for more on Android Nougat:

• Android 7.0 Nougat features: everything you need to know
• Android 7.0 Nougat launched, will roll out to Nexus devices today
• How to master Android Nougat’s new Direct Boot mode
• Android 7.0 Nougat coming to LG G5 devices early on a Preview Program
• Android 7.0 Nougat update arrives: when will you get it?