Google Nexus Sailfish spotted in wild? Leaked photos claim first look at new smartphone

A possible glimpse of what could be the Google Nexus Sailfish appears to have leaked online in a series of bare-all shots that show off the upcoming handset from the front, back and sides. The images, obtained by Android Police, mark the first time the HTC-made smartphone has been seen in the flesh, as opposed to artist renderings.

Google is widely expected to release two Nexus smartphones in 2016, which have been codenamed Sailfish and Marlin. The handsets are said to look practically identical but will differ in size and hardware, with the high-end Marlin sitting alongside the smaller, entry-level Sailfish.

The photos, which purportedly depict the latter device, show off a metallic handset with a two-tone back panel. The camera module and fingerprint scanner are set in what looks like either a glass or glossy plastic pane, similar to what we've seen in previous leaks. The front of the device is buttonless, with the side-mounted power button and volume rocker making up the handset's only physical keys.

The photos fit pretty perfectly with what we've seen so far from other leaks, and Android Police is confident that the images are the real deal. They also match up to an image spotted by Twitter users over the weekend, pictured below, which appears to show one of the new Nexus smartphones being used in the wild.

Both the Nexus Sailfish and Nexus Marlin are expected to arrive in Q3 – potentially 4 October – which is when Google traditionally announces its new Nexus products. Both handsets will arrive running Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and are tipped to feature Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, 4GB RAM and either 32 or 128GB storage. The main differentiators are said to lie in the screen size and battery capacities of the respective devices, with the Sailfish sporting a 5in 1080p panel and 2,770mAh battery and the Marlin boasting a larger and sharper 5.5in QHD AMOLED screen, powered by a 3450mAh juice pack.