HTC is believed to be manufacturing two Nexus handsets, which will become 'showcase' devices for Android 7.0 Nougat, the new version of Google's OS that's launching later this summer.

Last week, key specs of both devices were reported by Android Police, which has now followed up with further details, and an image that purportedly shows what the new devices will look like.

This is not an official render, but rather an image created by Android Police based on information provided by a "reliable source".

However, the site also acknowledged that it is "uncertain of the age and finality of particular details received from that source", and that "the final design of the Nexus phones may differ slightly or perhaps even substantially from what you see here in certain respects". The report adds:

At this point, we are uncertain if the software home button will be solid white or solid white with the previously-leaked 4-color "flower" design. In this case, we opted for faithfulness to the source's information which indicated solid white, though we know that information to be older than that given to us in regard to the "flower" home button.

The "G" logo on the back of the device may or may not be part of the final design.

It remains unclear to us if the final design will include an HTC logo, but we are inclined to believe the answer is no.

We lack exact dimensions and measurements for the phones, and so some edges and curves may appear visibly different in the final retail press renders.

With those caveats in mind, the report states that the image offers "a general idea of the 'look' of the phones" - and significantly, it also claims that its render is representative of the design of both of the new Nexus devices. Unlike the LG-made Nexus 5X and Huawei's Nexus 6P - which launched at the same time last year, but do not share a common design - it seems that HTC's new handsets will be virtually identical in appearance, differing only in size.

Codenamed 'Marlin' and 'Sailfish', the phones are said to have aluminum bodies, with the exception of the glossy rear panel, which is believed to be plastic ("it could be glass, though"). Among the rumored color options will be the dark grey/black model shown here, a white/aluminum-silver option, and a white/"electric blue" variant. The circular cutout in the glossy rear panel is the location of the fingerprint scanner - and if the image is accurate, you can probably expect that whole area to get covered in fingerprints and greasy smudges pretty quickly.

So, assuming that the image is accurate, what do you think of HTC's Nexus handsets from what you've seen and read of them so far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: Android Police