Google continues to amaze us on the mobile front, and Huawei has finally grabbed the coveted Nexus. They roll out gigantic “phablets”, wicked displays, and a plethora of features that can leave fans drooling for days. What do Google’s mobile developers have in store for us this year? Let’s find out.
Nexus 6 was a pleasant surprise for many, but this year Google may pay closer attention to the finer details by giving us two gifts to satisfy some of our most basic needs. This is something that many designers and developers lose sight of in the seas of mobile progress.
Google went for pocket-sized and compact, but still wanted to offer a phablet for those who live on the other end of the spectrum. Let’s talk about the Huawei Nexus (code-name Angler).
Design
It’s big. With a 5.7-inch display, it’s not as big as the Nexus 6, but it is also going to be slimmer. This is going to look good on that rumored all-metal body seen in the images that have leaked so far. This display will boast an incredibly sharp Quad HD resolution.
Probably the biggest hype surrounds the device’s dual front speakers and fingerprint scanner on the back of the phone. There is also a lot of excitement surrounding the addition of the USB Type-C connector, rather than the previous micro USB.
Performance
This new Nexus is hoping to set things ablaze with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810. It is a system chip that was previously experiencing some overheating and other difficulties, but hopefully version two will show major improvements.
Despite its controversy, there may be a grand silver lining to this controversial cloud. Keep in mind that big phones are more suitable to solve any remaining overheating issues, due to a more widespread distribution of heat. Snapdragon is now clocking more conservatively at about 1.9GHz, so this should help avoid overheating.
Though the Nexus may still may not address its lack of card slots and expandable storage, it appears as though it will offer both a 32GB, and possibly a 64GB version for internal storage. There’stalk that it may even be the first device to offer up to 128GB of storage. More details here.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow coming with Android Pay support
Google wants to showcase its gem, the operating system. The Huawei Nexus will bring us Android 6.0 Marshmallow. In combination with the fingerprint scanner, this phone is set to be the first phone to support Android Pay in its entirety when it rolls out.
Despite its name, Marshmallow 6.0 is going to be a lot less sticky compared to some of its predecessors. Managing permissions will come easier for apps, only asking for permission to use what they need to access, rather than allowing it to access everything from a random list in the Play Store. The overall appearance will be similar to that of Lollipop.
Goals and Aspirations
Nexus phones have performed well, but can’t ever quite keep up with the image quality that some of the leading names boast in their smartphone designs. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this one has us covered. The odds are in our favor. Based on the leaked images and dimensions, it seems to have a heftier camera bulge. Let’s hope that means a better sensor to aid in low-light conditions. It is expected to have a 13 megapixel camera, laser auto-focus, and LED flash. These are all features that will increase its speed and accuracy. Selfies will get a major hand-up with the improved 8 megapixel frontwards camera, but n news on whether or not the frontwards flash or light will make it to the final design. .
The Questions You Had to Ask
This device is set to be announced at the end of the month on September 29th. Google has been known to announce things quietly through press release, but it is hard to say whether or not this new device will get a launch party or not. We do know that it will most likely be available via the Google Play Store, and be set to work with Google’s Project Fi carrier- giving us the option of a more customization with both data plan and value. The possibility of savings in the realm of data are a good thing, since the chip inside may send the cost up, somewhere around $650 or so. Note that this is still $100 under the cost of some of the phablets released by other major companies.
As a phone junkie, I am always excited when I hear about a headliner like Google launching a new device, but two at the same time is excellent! Here’s to invention and the amazing technology that inspires it. What features are you most excited about? What did they leave out? Get involved and let us know what you think.