It looks like Google is all set to dump its Nexus line of smartphones for high-end “Silver” phones running the latest version of Android with limited customisation. The report has been confirmed by four various sources of The Information who were briefed about this matter who state that the company is taking this step to re-assert its control over the Android ecosystem.

The project, dubbed Android Silver, will see Google promote and market high-end smartphones from various OEMs, which even includes a dedicated section in wireless carrier stores. This way, Google will be able to reduce the marketing and promotion costs for the OEMs, which in turn will allow it to gain tighter control over the software the devices run. It looks like Google is tired of OEMs offering devices that provide wildly different user experiences filled with bloatware, and wants to setup a real standard and consistency via its Silver line of devices.

Apparently, Android Silver branded devices are required to meet a certain specification from Google, which even imposes a restriction of the number of pre-installed non-Google apps.

Android silver devices are likely to hit the shelves as early as next year with Motorola and LG already being the confirmed partners. It is not yet known if Samsung, Sony or HTC are a part of this project or not but given that these companies already offer a Google Play edition device, it should not be too tough for Google to convince them.