The wait is finally over and Google’s latest Nexus smartphone has been unveiled, the Nexus 6. Featuring a 6-inch screen, the phone is actually a phablet, and brings with it brand new features such as Android 5.0, an improved 13MP camera and enhanced battery life.
The Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order through the Google Play Store in late October. There are two colours to choose from – Midnight Blue or Cloud White – and two memory options – 32GB and 64GB. Nexus 6 will also be available on motorola.co.uk and through carrier partners starting in November. UK prices have yet to be announced.
Android 5.0
The Nexus 6 will be the first smartphone to ship on Android’s latest operating system, Android 5.0. Codenamed Lollipop, following Google’s sweet-toothed naming regime, Android 5.0 introduces a whole raft of new features including voice activation, improved lock screen notifications and a remote data wipe option.
There is also an improved battery saving feature in Lollipop. Turning it on will extend the phone’s battery life by over an hour. A ‘time left to fully charged’ notification will also be displayed when the phone is plugged in, as well as an estimated time for when the user will need to charge again.
13MP camera
The Nexus 6 phablet will come with a 13 megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilisation and automatic HDR+ mode. The lens is f/2.0 and there’s also a dual-LED flash ring.
Screen size
The Nexus 6 is Google’s first attempt at a phablet, with the device going head to head with Apple’s latest iPhone 6 Plus phablet. The 5.9-inch screen has a Quad HD 2560 x 1440 display with a pixel density of 496ppi.
Dual front-facing speakers
Taking liberties from the Nexus 6’s smaller cousin, the Moto X, the phablet comes with dual front-facing stereo speakers. Google promises an immersive stereo experience.
Water resistant?
Just like the Moto X, the Nexus 6 will be ‘splashproof’. Whilst not offering the full water-immersed functionalities such as Sony’s Xperia range, the splashproof feature is a step in the right direction for Google.
Power
Under the hood is an impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, a quad-core CPU clocked to 2.7GHz. There is also a healthy 3GB of RAM. Graphics power comes from the Adreno 420, and the phablet comes in 32GB or 64GB options, following Google’s fashion of not offering expandable memory.
