In the past week, leaked images have emerged of an intriguing smartphone contender that could be set for a Q4 release in 2014. The Nexus 6 is a much anticipated smartphone produced by Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG), although some sources have suggested that it will actually become the Nexus X when it is finally released.
Android Police have this week published a photograph which provides an alleged image of this as of yet unconfirmed handset. The images confirm that the power and volume rocker keys will be placed near the center of the right panel, which does corroborate earlier reports. Additionally, the front panel of the device features a similar design to the Moto X handset produced by Motorola. Speakers are also visible beneath the display of the purported Nexus 6, and familiar on-screen navigation bars are also visible on the display of the device.
Although this particular mobile is unconfirmed, a perusal of the schedule for previous Nexus releases suggests that we may see it before the end of the year. Indeed, the predecessor of the Nexus 6 was released in October, 2013, so this would suggest that we might be able to get our hands on this Google manufactured device sometime next month. On the other hand, with Samsung Galaxy phablets expected to ship worldwide during October, this could represent a crowded schedule that might see Google push the release date back until November.
Google Nexus 6 Specifications
Much though Google is a software powerhouse, manufacturing a major item of consumer electronics is a pretty big undertaking when you have no experience. Thus, the Google Nexus 6 is expected to be built by the Korean firm LG. In accordance with this, it has been suggested that the Nexus 6 will be similar in design to the 2004 LG flagship smartphone the LG G3.
This is expected to be very much a phablet-sized device, with some sources suggesting its display will be as large as 5.9-inches. A leak from 9to5Google suggests that the display will be 5.92-inches precisely, and that the Google Nexus 6 will have a quad HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, producing a pixel density of 496 ppi. it should be noted, though, that numerous screen sizes have been touted for this device meaning that we may well see multiple models of the Nexus 6 released.
The Nexus 6 will also be similar to the Samsung Galaxy range in terms of processor and memory specifications, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor and 3 GB of RAM mooted. In common with the Moto X device, the Nexus 6 will also have a 13-megapixel rear camera. In terms of storage, micro-SD abilities seem dubious, which is perhaps surprising given that the model of the Nexus 6 which has been primarily discussed thus far offers only 32 GB of storage.
Operating System and features
TK Tech News, claims that the Nexus X will run Android 5 Lemon Meringue Pie, not Lollipop, as has been frequently claimed previously. In practical terms, this shouldn’t make a huge amount of difference to most users, but it is nevertheless a slightly earlier version of Android.
The Nexus 6 will reportedly feature a fingerprint sensor, but possibly the most intriguing rumour about the device so far is that it will come with a companion smartwatch. This would seem to be a natural move for Google, who can offer excellent software functionality to such a wearable device, and naturally has already dipped its toes into this marketplace with Google Glass.
Google’s Nexus 6 is up against some very stiff competition in the smartphone market, and it may be wise for the corporation to delay the release until 2015, when there is a window before the Galaxy S6 is launched.
