Fulfilling the promise it made earlier this month, Google introduced a couple of new Nexus mobile devices -- the Nexus 5X (built by LG) and the Nexus 6P (built by Huawei) -- during the tech giant’s event held in the city of San Francisco in California this Tuesday. Moreover, the company is already making the latest Nexus handsets available for early order, but the devices will not start shipping until October of this year. For those who are interested in getting any one of the devices, know that the Nexus 5X starts at $349, while the Nexus 6P starts $499.
Nexus smartphones may not sell as much as Apple’s iPhones (which just had a record breaking opening weekend) and other flagship devices, but they do serve as examples of how Android powered devices should be. Over the years, every new Nexus device always launches with the newest version of Google’s Android mobile operating system, and generally features a more pure version of the OS.
As for the new Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P, they will be the standard bearers of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the upcoming latest version of Android launching next week. Nexus devices typically get software updates earlier than most Android devices (even flagship devices by Samsung, LG, or HTC), which means that older Nexus models will get updates as early as next week. Android 6.0 Marshmallow is expected to come with Google’s Android Pay, which officially arrived in the United States earlier this month, and also Google Now on Tap (the new personal assistant feature from Google).
So what is new with the latest Nexus smartphones? For starters, both the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P come with fingerprint sensors on the rear side (Google calls them “Nexus Imprint”), which should work nicely with Android Pay, Google’s answer to Apple’s mobile payment system Apple Pay.
Both new Nexus handsets also get enhanced 12.3 megapixel cameras on the rear side, which should offer better image capturing capabilities in indoor settings, take ultra high resolution 4K video footage, and even make animated GIFs (akin to Apple’s Live Photos). With regards to the camera on the front side, the Nexus 5X has a 5 megapixel camera while the Nexus 6P sports an 8 megapixel camera.
The Nexus 5X is considered a successor of sorts to the Nexus 5, and will come in colors of carbon black, quartz white, and ice blue. As for the Nexus 6P, it features a 5.7 inch display screen housed in a metallic body, and comes in colors of graphite, frost white, and aluminum. Hardware wise, both new Nexus devices feature a 64 bit Qualcomm chip, plus the new USB Type-C input, a quicker and streamlined way of connecting to a power outlet or computer (for moving data). Furthermore, the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P will be made available on Google’s Project Fi wireless service.
Apart from introducing two new Nexus devices, Google also took the opportunity to unveil a couple of new Chromecasts (Chromecast 2.0 and Chromecast Audio) and a new Android tablet called the Pixel C. Google also announced a family plan for its Google Play Music service, as well as three new features for Google Photos.
