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Our Google Nexus 5 specs, price and news article is updated regularly, so check back often for the latest information on this new handset
The latest Nexus-branded handset is now with us, sneaked out by Google with little fanfare on Halloween – no big flash launch event here. With high-end specifications and the latest version of Android, there have always been plenty of reasons to covet Google's Nexus smartphones. The fact they get latest updates first and are always incredibly well priced certainly helps out too.
The latest handset is the Google Nexus 5 and as suspected it is manufactured by LG. The company was widely expected to handle manufacturing duties as it had done previously with the Nexus 4. In addition, it looks similar to the company’s recent LG G2 handset, which we gave 5 stars to only a few weeks back.
GOOGLE NEXUS 5 PRICE
The new handset will cost £299 direct from Google Play. The basic handset comes with 16GB of memory, or there's a relatively reasonable price hike to £339 if you want the 32GB version.
Alternately you can pick one up on contract. From Carphone Warehouse it'll be £32 a month on 3G with 1GB of data and unlimited texts and calls. Go for 4G though and you can get 2GB data plus a free Nexus 7 (2012) tablet. All the details can be found at http://www.carphonewarehouse.com.
It's not quite as cheap as some would have hoped, given the bargain nature of the Nexus 4. But it still looks to be a lot of smartphone for the money and should fly off the shelves – though we hopefully won't see a repeat of the stock shortage that frustrated many wannabe Nexus 4 owners.
GOOGLE NEXUS 5 SPECIFICATIONS
We know have an official specs list for the new handset. As expected there's a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 System-on-Chip (SoC) running at 2.3GHz, accompanied by 2GB of RAM (not the 3GB that some sources were suggesting).
That'll make it among the fastest smartphones out there with the chipset having blazed through all our benchmarks – be it browsing, apps or 3D games. Speaking of 3D the GPU is an Adreno 330 running at 450MHz, again the same as the LG G2.
An eight megapixel camera sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) has been confirmed, along with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing webcam. The optical stabilisation should go a long way to helping you shoot in low light conditions, as it does on the Nokia Lumia 925.
The battery is rated at 2,300mAh, which isn't huge by modern standards, with the Galaxy S4 having a 2,600mAh battery and the LG G2 using a huge 3,000mAh pack. It's the only possible weak point in the specification and we’ll be interested to see how it performs in our battery tests as a result.
The handset measures 69x138x8.6mm, which makes it fractionally longer and thicker than the S4, which has a fractionally larger display. It's not a super-skinny handset then, but the Nexus phones of late have been more about great technology and the latest version of Android for a very reasonable price. Like the S4 it weighs 130g.
The specification also includes full support for the UK's new 4G networks and for wireless charging.
GOOGLE NEXUS 5 DISPLAY
The display is practically five inches across, to fit with the name, but actually measure 4.95in for those who want to be precise. It's an LCD screen with IPS technology and a Full HD resolution, so nothing too surprising there. That gives it a huge pixels per inch figure of 445, so you won't be spotting those without getting your nose on the screen.
GOOGLE NEXUS 5 NAME
Seeing as Google recently refreshed the Nexus 7 with a 2013 model that shares the same name, there was originally some speculation that the company would do the same with its smartphone, a Nexus 4 (2013) so to speak.
However, the number relates directly to screen size, and with the handset having a nearly 5in screen the Nexus 5 name makes a lot of sense, both representing the device's specification and that it's a successor to the Nexus 4.
GOOGLE NEXUS 5 DESIGN
Until we get our hands on it, it's hard to say too much about the design. It looks to be a fairly squared off shape with bevelled corners and a plain front fascia – though that's to be expected as Google is a big fan of onscreen controls over physical buttons. The most stiking part of the design is the round, silver, speaker at the top, which looks cool.
Interestingly the phone comes in both black and white, but the front screen surround is black in both models. The rear has an offset camera and flash, but no sign of the LG G2's back buttons, with a more traditional side-mounted power button on the upper right and volume rocker on the left.
ANDROID 4.4 KITKAT
As expected the Google Nexus 5 launches with the latest version of Android. Google has signed a deal with Nestle to call version 4.4 KitKat, but apart from that sickly sweet corporate tie up, the new operating system is looking grand.
Android 4.4 KitKat is now available but Google's official Android site has been updated to show the operating systems new features. That hasn't stopped several purported screenshots from appearing online. 9to5Google has several images which apparently show redesigned stock apps including Messages and the phone dialler, as well as a new, flatter user interface that looks more than a little like Apple's iOS 7.
The images are a little dubious because they show inconsistencies in the menu and notification bars - although Google hasn't exactly stayed consistent when it comes to design in the past, the odd use of transparency leads us to think these are full screen mock-ups, rather than actual applications. Even so, they could mirror Google's intended updates to its stock Android apps.
Other features haven't been leaked yet, but further performance tweaks and an update to the user interface should be on the way.
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