Google’s newest phone will be a Nexus Android phablet complete with a 5.9-inch screen. It’s not really surprising that Google is moving in the phablet direction, since that’s the direction that every other phone manufacturer has recently gone in, including Apple.

The phone will be developed by Motorola under the Nexus brand name, which will be the first Nexus phone ever developed by the company.

Some Phone Details

The phone is being called the “Nexus 6,” though that’s not the official name - the company has nicknamed this phone ‘Shamu’ after the killer whale with the hopes that the giant phone will take over the market. Google has recently announced that the company will be selling Motorola to China’s Lenovo, so the new phone is really a flagship for all companies involved. Previously, Nexus devices were made by HTC, Samsung, and Asus, so a Motorola-made Nexus phone for Google will be a first.

The new Nexus 6, it’s hard to get used to calling it Shamu, will send Google further into phablet territory, which is where the company needs to be in order to compete with other phablet manufacturers. According to some recent statistics, nearly one-third of all smartphones shipped in the first quarter fit into the phablet category, so Google’s move shocks none, really.

The Phablet Takes Over

Why is it that so many manufactures are making phablets? It might be just a phase, but ever since Samsung introduced the concept back in 2011, consumers can’t get enough of the bigger screens. Google hasn’t yet moved into phablet territory either, so the new phone that the company it putting out will put it on the phablet map too, and that’s really what Google is aiming for at this point.

Phablets are particularly popular in Asia where the phones are considered a sort of status symbol - the larger the phone, the bigger the wealth, so it goes in that part of the world. In North America, too, phablets are really becoming popular. When Apple starts to jump on a fad bandwagon, the times are definitely changing. Now, Google is jumping on that same wagon, and the companies are directly competing for more phablet fame.

Release Date Details

Google has been relatively quiet with the details of the new phablet, but the company has told press that it hopes to create a popular phablet that’s a lot less expensive than what Apple is offering. Apple’s newest phones start at around $750 without a contract, and the price is even higher than that in Asia, which is the market that Google is after with Shamu.

Which phone will come out on top in Asia? It’s hard to tell right now, but I’m betting that Google has a really good shot at becoming the most popular phablet in Asia with the Shamu if the phone lives up to expectations. No release date has been set yet, but sources close to the company cite a date that’s coming up very soon, so you can look for the phone in Google Play stores (sold exclusively through Play) in the near future.