Google expects to release its largest smartphone yet this month, The Wall Street Journal has reported.The WSJ has reported two sources familiar with the situation as stating the Nexus 6 – codenamed Shamu after a SeaWorld theme park killer whale – will feature a 5.9″ screen, a high-resolution display, and is being manufactured by Motorola Mobility.
Competition has been steadily heating up in the phablet market, with major manufacturers increasingly focusing on larger-screen smartphones.
The reported screen size places Google’s latest offering at the larger-size end of the phablet spectrum, making it bigger than Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4.
The iPhone 6 Plus, released last month, measures in at 5.5″, while the Note 4, being rolled out in global markets in October, is 5.7″.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) recently forecast worldwide phablet shipments (consisting of smartphones with screen sizes 5.5 to less than 7″) will reach 175 million units in 2014.
Next year, the IDC has forecast total phablet volumes will top 318 million units, surpassing 233 million tablet units.
The IDC expects phablets to grow from 14 per cent of the worldwide smartphone market in 2014 to 32.2 per cent in 2018.
Google plans to release a new version of its Android mobile operating system at the same time as its new phone, according to the WSJ report.
Last year, LG and Google partnered to release the Nexus 5 which, featuring a 5″ display, measures in at almost an inch smaller than the rumoured Nexus 6 display.
