Even though we’ve heard some rumors saying that Google is planning to
kill the Nexus brand, we are pretty sure that the Mountain View-based
giant will launch at least another Nexus tablet and a new Nexus
smartphone. Unofficially dubbed Nexus 6, the smartphone is expected to
see the light of day in the second half of the year.
Even though there’s no official information regarding the Nexus 6
release date, we believe we can estimate it based on the company’s
previous launches. As you may know, the last three Nexus smartphones
(Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, and Nexus 5) were all introduced in October, so
don’t be too surprised if you hear that the Nexus 6 release date has
been scheduled for the same month.
The Nexus 6 will be launched synchronized with a
new Android version. Will it be Android 4.5 or Android 5.0? We can’t
know for sure, but we are confident that the Nexus 6 will be world’s
first device to run it out of the box.
Reports are indicating that Google and LG will team-up once again to
develop the Nexus 6. The Nexus 4 used LG Optimus G’s hardware platform,
while the Nexus 5 was based on the LG G2. Since the first two Nexus
smartphones manufactured by LG were based on the company’s flagship
smartphones we’re expecting the Nexus 6 to have similar specifications
as the LG G3, the smartphone that will be officially unveiled later this
month, on May 27.
In late April we received word from a trusted insider that
Nexus 6 will sport a fingerprint sensor, after he has found out that
Google is in advanced talks with several Asian fingerprint sensor
suppliers. Where will be the fingerprint sensor located? Most likely on
the front panel, because HTC One Max’s rear-facing fingerprint module
was proved rather hard to use. Will it work like iPhone 5S’ Touch ID or
like Galaxy S5′s slide-to-unlock sensor? It’s really hard to tell at
this point.
Hardware-wise, the Nexus 6 will be very similar to the LG G3. It was only yesterday when the LG Isai FL
(LG G3 variant for Japanese carrier KDDI) was released, so we believe
we already know most of G3′s technical specifications: 2560 x 1440
5.5-inch screen, quad-core 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB of
RAM, 13 MP primary cam, and 3,000 mAh battery.
On the other hand, while LG G3 will come with a Snapdragon 801 SoC,
the Nexus 6 might actually make use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805
chipset, a processing unit that’s meant to be integrated on smartphones
launched in the second half of the year. The Snapdragon 805 SoC is based
on four Krait 450 cores clocked at 2.7 GHz and quad-core Adreno 420
GPU. Why? Because the Nexus smartphones always sported the most powerful
Qualcomm chipsets. Well, at least the last two of them.
The LG G3 will come with a 5.5-inch display with Quad HD (2560 x
1440) resolution and chances are we might see the same unit equipping
the Nexus 6. Anyway, Google is not the biggest fan of oversized screens,
so they might prefer a smaller touch panel. The 5.2-inch Full HD screen
of the G2 is also a good candidate for the new Nexus 5 follow-up.
The Nexus smartphones are known for having average-to-below average
cameras, but, hopefully, the Nexus 6 will borrow the 13 MP unit of the
yet-unannounced LG G3. Of course, they might ditch the OIS+ module, but
it will definitely be an upgrade to the 8 MP cam of the Nexus 5.
As about the reports saying Google aims to replace the Nexus family
with a new program called Android Silver, they might be true, but we
shouldn’t forget that earlier this year Google’s Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai said that the Nexus 6 will be released in the second half of the year.
Any expectations for the Nexus 6? Are you looking forward towards any
technical specifications or software features? Please let us know in
comments.
