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A shop attendant arranges HTC phones in a mobile phone store in Taipei, Nov. 24, 2011. REUTERS/PICHI CHUANG

The well-received Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P were built by LG and Huawei, respectively. However, this time around, Google has reportedly requested HTC to build its Nexus 2016 lineup, which includes two devices.

Google apparently has a three-year partnership deal with HTC to manufacture the next set of Nexus 2016 smartphones, Phone Arena reported. Rumors suggest that the two Nexus devices will be released sometime in late 2016.

According to Evan Blass of @evleaks fame, the two Google Nexus 2016 devices are internally referred as the “M1” and the “S1.” It is being believed that these two devices will replace the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.

But then, there is a possibility that HTC could be working on a smartphone and a tablet instead. Not to forget, the current-generation Nexus 9 slate was developed by HTC.

Android Police, on the other hand, said the internal name M1 could refer to the codename “Marlin,” whereas the S1 could mean “Sailfish.”

Going by the history, Google has always named the Nexus handsets after aquatic life. For instance, the current-generation Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P’s codenames are “Bullhead” and “Angler,” respectively. The 2014 Nexus 6, on the other hand, was referred as “Shamu.” The old but impressive LG Nexus 5 was tied to the codename “Hammerhead.”

Thanks to the solid feedback and reception of the recently unveiled flagship HTC 10, the Taiwanese tech giant is already on a roll. And Google’s partnership deal elevates the credibility of the company further.

HTC has come a long way from the lukewarm reception received by some of its flagships in the past. To be specific, the predecessor HTC One M9’s overheating problems, because of the housed Snapdragon 810 processor, killed the chances for the tech giant.

With HTC 10, the company opted for top-of-the-shelf configurations along with a brilliant exterior design to offer an irresistible device.