The Nexus 5 was a big favourite here in the Stuff office. While it’s currently sitting a ways down our list of the 10 best smartphones in the world, it still holds a special place in our hearts.
But all good things must come to an end, and the Nexus 5 is already yesterday’s tech. Ever since smartphones like the HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5 and LG G3 arrived, we turned our fickle eyes towards the Nexus 6.
Google hasn’t officially announced anything about it yet, but that doesn’t mean we’re completely in the dark. Here’s everything we think we know so far:
Early rumours put HTC, LG and Motorola in the running to be the next Nexus manufacturer.
While LG has made the last two Nexus devices, and while HTC is rumoured to be holding the next Nexus tablet reigns, Motorola is now the likeliest contender.
A handset codenamed the Motorola Shamu cropped up online earlier this year, followed by a leaked benchmark screenshot for a mysterious Android L-toting device called the Google Shamu, making Motorola the likely father of the Nexus 6.
Because the Nexus 6 is still so secretive, there’s been very little indication of what it’ll look like. Given that past Nexus devices have been based on the manufacturer’s most recent flagship devices however, it could be similar to the handsome new Moto X.
Whether or not it’ll get the X’s customisable body and Moto Maker treatment is a different matter altogether. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Spec-tacular innards
If leaked Antutu Benchmark tests are anything to go by, the Nexus 6 will be one of the most powerful Android devices to land this year, matching the beastly Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with a 2.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor and 3GB of RAM.
It will also apparently arrive with the same 2K resolution as the Note 4 and LG G3 – with a 5.2in 2560 x 1440 display, giving it one of the highest ppi counts of any smartphone we’ve seen to date.
Chuck in a 13MP camera (hopefully with the Moto X’s snazzy circular LED ring flash) and we’re looking at a Nexus flagship that’ll have spec fiends’s hearts racing.
Android L
Android L will definitely be making its debut on the Nexus 6.
Google’s already shown off Android L and released a pre-release version for developers to try out, and from what we’ve seen, its new Material design UI changes look slick, fast, and gorgeous.
Flat icons, bright colours and smooth animations pull together to form the best-looking competitor to the beautiful iOS 8.
It’s clever too. Tricks include the ability to automatically unlock when you’re in a safe location (using known Wi-Fi signals), and tonnes of behind the scene optimisations promise improvements in both battery life and performance.
Price and release date
If you believe there’s no way we’d have the price and release date of the Nexus 6 before we even know what it looks like, you’d be spot on.
Last year’s Nexus 5 launched at the end of October, with traditionally competitive wallet-friendly Nexus pricing, and we’re half expecting/half hoping to see the same for the Nexus 6.
Stay tuned for more info, as and when we get it. It’s only a matter of time before those leaks hit the interwebs after all…