Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Nexus 6, code named Shamu, will be released on Halloween, October 31, sources told Phone Arena. People familiar with the matter said Google might even launch the Nexus 6 without an announcement. The company is already planning the smartphone’s secret launch. Ahead of its official launch, the next Nexus smartphone has arrived in India for demo purposes.
Google to launch two models of Nexus 6
Indian import/export Zauba recently listed two “Shamu phones (prototype)” with model number Motorola XT1112 arrived India on August 20. The devices were shipped from the U.S. and have a declared value of 34,982 Indian rupees ($578) each. Note that the price listing is a declared value, which may not accurately reflect the actual market price.
Recent rumors suggest that Google will launch two Nexus models rather than one. One of them will have a 5.2-inch display and another 5.9-inch. The report is based on speculations that Motorola is testing two Moto S handsets, which are “almost the same phone with different cameras and slightly different software. Rumors indicate that the next-gen Nexus will be manufactured by Motorola.
Nexus 6 to arrive as Nexus X
If recent listing at the U.S. retailer Best Buy is to be believed, the Nexus 6 might be named Nexus X. A screenshot of the listing (spotted by TK Tech News) shows Motorola Nexus X XT1100. The listing shows the smartphone’s two-year contract price will be $499.99 on Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S). According to the listing, the smartphone will have a 5.9-inch QHD screen with 1440×2560 resolution, a 2.7GHz quad-core processor and Android LMP.
Benchmark specifications of the 5.2-inch Nexus 6 (Nexus X) suggest the smartphone will have a QHD display with 1440×2560 resolution, a quad-core 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB RAM and Adreno 420 GPU. It will have a 2.1MP front-facing camera and 13MP rear camera. The device will run the newest Android L.
Why would Google Want to name the Nexus 6 as Nexus X? Well, it’s related to a dispute with the family of novelist Philip K. Dick. Ahead of the Nexus One’s launch, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2010 that Dick’s family was against Google naming its smartphone Nexus. That’s because Androids in Philip’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? were called Nexus 6.
