Google might soon be launching its own android smartphone. The firm plans to give a stiff competition to Apple’s iPhone and looks forward to launch the product by the end of 2016. Google is gearing up to design and manufacture a smartphone on its own – representing a major shift from its standard strategy of partnering with major handset makers like LG, Huawei and HTC to develop Nexus devices that showcase the Android platform.

Speaking to Recode’s Walt Mossberg at the Code Conference earlier this month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that the company is investing a lot more effort into phones, but didn’t specify whether it would begin building its own handsets. The new device, which will be released by the end of the year according to a senior source, will see Google take more control over design, manufacturing and software.

Its own phone would allow Google to control the software, securing the future of services such as the Google search engine and Google Play app store that run on it.