Google sends out invites for press event on September 29 at 9 AM PT, new Nexus devices and Chromecast expected; event will be livestreamed on YouTube
Nexus launch: Google promises “tasty new treats” at September 29 event — We're expecting the LG Nexus 5 and Huawei Nexus 6 to be announced at the event.
Context & Ripple Effects
The invite confirms what sources told CNET earlier this month: Google will take over San Francisco on September 29 to unveil LG- and Huawei-built Nexus phones alongside new Chromecast hardware. The Verge's preview coverage fills in the slate — Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, second-gen Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, plus an Android Marshmallow launch date — making this Google's biggest hardware stage of the year.
What makes this event more than routine spec-cycle news is where the line went next: a year later Google was preparing an October event built around two flagships without the Nexus name at all, per the Oct. 4 2016 preview. September 29 is the last act of the Nexus era as a co-branded program.
First-order effects
- LG and Huawei each get a Google-endorsed handset on stage — the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P — giving both manufacturers a flagship-tier showcase they don't have to market alone.
- Android users get a concrete Marshmallow rollout date attached to the event, and Chromecast buyers face a two-product refresh: a second-gen stick plus the new Chromecast Audio.
Second-order effects
- Huawei uses the Nexus 6P to plant a flag in the premium Western smartphone market through Google's channel rather than its own brand push, raising pressure on rivals to court similar partnerships.
- Chromecast Audio extends the casting platform beyond the TV into speakers, pulling audio hardware makers into a Google-controlled living-room ecosystem.
Third-order effects
- If the arc from the Nexus 6P to the 2016 unbranded flagships holds, Google is moving from lending its software to partners' hardware toward owning the device brand outright — leaving LG and Huawei as contract builders rather than co-equals.
The trend: Google's hardware strategy is shifting from co-branded Nexus reference devices toward first-party control of the full phone stack, with this event marking the program's final chapter under the old model.