If you're reading this article chances are you're pretty psyched about the prospect of the next Nexus handset from Google, the alleged Nexus 5 (2015). And indeed, why wouldn't you be? The Nexus 5 was immensely popular. Both the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 offered value for money, excellent specs and hardware and a beautiful Android experience. Sure, the camera wasn’t great and the build materials were a smidge on the plasticky side but none of this mattered because you KNEW you were getting a £450 phone for a third of the price –– and that is what consumers want. A deal. This was Google’s main USP with its Nexus phones, so it makes sense for the company to return to this way of doing business.
However, there's another reason for the next Nexus hype; a true successor has been lacking for a while. The Nexus 6 did build upon the excellent spec with even more competitive hardware, phablet proportions are not everyone's cup of tea, and the critical acclaim was tempered with caveats about the phone's large proportions and handling characteristics. In short, plenty of people were disappointed that there was no Nexus 5 sized successor, even if the compulsion for Google to experiment with the 6in form factor is entirely understandable.
But on top of the size and usability aspects, the Nexus 6's massively improved spec meant that it was the most expensive Nexus smartphone to date. A long-standing appeal of the Nexus series, catered to by the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4 and Nexus 6, was the way in which specs were balanced to be competetive while also keeping the price low. It felt, in many regards, like that value proposition went out the window with the Nexus 6 and resulted in another high-power, high-price flagship similar to offerings from rivals, although with the remaining appeal of stock Android software direct from Google.
Google’s 2015 Nexus handset is expected to launch alongside Android M and it will either be built by LG or Huawei – or there will be two devices; one from each manufacturer. There’s also plenty of anecdotal evidence suggesting the Big G is keen to move its Nexus line back to how things used to be with the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, meaning a potentially lower cost device in 2015.
Another big thing set to launch alongside the Nexus 2015 that isn’t Android M is Google’s brand spanking new Android Pay -- the Big G’s Apple Pay rebuttal. This isn’t the first time Google has released a mobile payments application with a Nexus device; Google Wallet was first demoed aboard the Galaxy Nexus. But that was many moons ago and things have changed now. For some reason, people only start using useful technology when it is inside an iPhone. Why this is the case I have no idea… it just seems to be the way of the world.
Either way, the world is infinitely more setup for mobile payments than it was in 2011. Most cities around the world support the NFC and tap-to-pay technology aboard their transport systems. Ditto for many of the world’s biggest high street brands. Couple this with a legion of new Android phones coming in 2015, some of which with fingerprint scanners, and it is easy to see Google actually making a dent in the mobile payments space during 2015/16.
Google is expected to release Android Pay this week in the US. According to reports, employees at Mcdonald’s have been notified that the new payment service will go live on August 26.
“Like Apple Pay, Android Pay will allow people to pay for items in more than 700,000 stores in the US using their mobile phones, after linking their credit or debit card to the new service,” notes The Telegraph. “Identity verification is provided via the phone's fingerprint scanner, just likeApple's Touch ID. McDonald’s and Macy’s were slated as two of the places where Android Pay would be available first.”
Another report has come out of Korea on August 6 reiterating Google's alleged plans to introduce Android Pay with the Nexus 5 launch. The word comes via Business Korea, which states once again that the Nexus 5 will feature a fingerprint scanner and be "loaded with Android Pay". Google already detailed Android Pay at Google I/O but a question mark has hovered over precisely when the service would be introduced. It appears that Google is using the release of the Nexus 5 and Android M with Android Pay and an example of fingerprint scanner implementation as a means to encourage Android OEMs to take similar steps.
We know there will be two Nexus handsets in 2015. And we know Huawei and LG are building them. A new report over at The Information claims the Huawei device, which is the larger of the two Nexus handsets, with a Snapdragon 810 CPU and 5.7in display, will launch this fall, meaning late-Q3.
But there’s more as well. According to the report Huawei and Google are working on an official Chinese version of Google Play, one that will allow both companies and third party developers to publish applications and games in China. The Chinese Government doesn’t take kindly to western stores – or websites, for that matter – like the App Store and Google Play, so the co-op between Google, Huawei and China’s government should be quite a big deal.
The LG is expected to be the smaller of the two, offering a 5.2-inch display with a Snapdragon 808, said the report, making it sound like an updated Nexus 5, as previously reported. This is the first time Huawei have made a Nexus handset and it is also the first time Google has released two smartphones in a year.
"TechTastic found a selfie taken with a device identified as “bullhead” that’s made by LG. That particular internal codename is associated with the new Nexus 5, assuming past leaks are accurate about Google’s Nexus plans," reports BGR. "Found on Google+ on a profile belonging to a Google employee who works in the Quality Assurance department, the image reveals interesting details about the selfie camera. EXIF data says the photo has a 2592 x 1944 resolution, suggesting the front-facing shooter has a 5-megapixel sensor. Furthermore, the front camera also has an f/2.0 aperture according to the same data (see image below)."
The Nexus 5 was an immensely popular handset and in most respects still is; it had the specs, pricing and features and, generally speaking, attracted a lot more attention than 2014’s Nexus 6, a BIG handset that strayed well away from Google’s usual modus operandi with its Nexus handsets.
As noted by The Verge, perhaps LG’s return is to work it magic on 2015’s Nexus by simply updating the Nexus 5?
“Take all the glorious goodness you already put into the Nexus 5, toss in your latest version of Android and the world-changing USB Type-C connector, and maybe ask LG for a better camera module this time around. Then watch the love pouring in from delighted customers. In any case, you need a reasonably sized smartphone — and the Nexus 5's name is matched by a very reasonable 5-inch size — to show off Android M at its best, so why not build on a device that's already well loved?”
LG Nexus 5X Specs Leaks Again
On September 8 Android Police reports having heard from "reliable sources" regarding the Nexus 5X's spec line-up, so here it is:- Snapdragon 808
- Adreno 418 GPU
- 3GB of RAM
- 16/32 GB storage
- 5.2-inch 1080p display
- 2700mAh battery
- USB-Type C
- 12.3-megapixel camera
- 5-megapixel front-facing camera
LG Nexus 5 (2015) & Huawei Nexus Pre-Orders To Begin October 13
According to reports on September 8, Google is preparing to open pre-orders for both the Huawei and LG-made Nexus handsets on October 13, a short time after the official announcement of both phones alleged to be taking place on September 29.The word comes via TalkAndroid and its unnamed source, but the source did not have a date for when orders would be shipped. The timeframe does sit well with historic Nexus launches, however, with the device usually finding its way to pre-order and shipping within a few weeks of the announcement date, just like this proposed schedule.
Android Pay Teaser Seems To Confirm Nexus 2015 September 29 Release
We've known for a while that Google has been working on its own mobile payment scheme as an alternative to Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, dubbed unsurprisingly as Android Pay. It's thought this will coincide with the launch of Android Marshmallow which, true to form, is expected to debut on the new Nexus hardware. Not only that, but rumours consistently point to both new Nexus handsets packing a fingerprint scanner; of course this can be used for unlocking the phone, but we wouldn't be surprised if it had a role within Android Pay use too.So, according to a teaser inside the Google Wallet application inside the Google Play Store, Android Pay will be arriving in the next few weeks, which does sit quite happily with rumours that the new Nexus phones will be announced towards the end of September.
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