LG and Google are said to be working on a new Nexus smartphone, the LG e960 Mako. One set of pictures of a prototype has emerged online, thanks to Belarussian website Onliner.by, and shows a “with Google” stamp on the back of the device.

The smartphone – which doesn’t appear to sport the curved design adopted by its predecessors - is said to be similar to the Optimus G, the follow up to the Optimus 4X HD, with a 1.5GHz quad-core system-on-chip from Qualcomm, possibly the Snapdragon APQ8064, 2GB of RAM, a 1,280 x 768 4.7in display, 8GB onboard storage and an 8-megapixel camera with flash.

Expect it to run on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (unfortunately for LG, the Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy S3 Mini were the first Jelly Bean smartphones to hit the market).

Google appears determined to spread the Nexus love around. After HTC and Samsung, only LG and Sony Mobile have been left out after Motorola was acquired last year.

As for previous Nexus smartphones (Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus), expect the LG e960 Mako to be launched later this year at an exorbitant price, before seeing some significant price cuts within six months.

Pictures are courtesy of tech.onliner.by.