The Android fanatics, myself included, love every single morsel of Nexus news or rumours they can get their hands on. Lately we have seen quite a bit of rumours hitting the interwebs regarding the make and size of the sixth Nexus device. We have heard the rumour that the device will have a 5.9in display and last week we saw via XDA an image of the supposed Nexus “Shamu” next to a LG G3. Today Android Police are reporting, with a confidence level of 9/10 that that the Shamu is in fact the next Nexus phone.
Android Police have received new information that sheds light on the next Nexus phone which will in fact be called the Nexus 6. How they are getting that around Bladerunner royalties and copyrights is anyone’s guess but I’m sure someone at Google is on top of it. Their information states that the Nexus 6 is a giant Moto X (2014), or Moto X+ if you will. It has black front-facing stereo speakers, unlike the Moto X which does not have stereo speakers on the front (the Moto G does though). As with most phablets, the power and volume buttons are down towards the middle of the side of the phone, allowing for ease of use. Using the information they received Android Police have put together a render of what they believe the Nexus 6 will look like.
The back of the Nexus 6, while not pictured, will have the same camera module as the Moto X, a 13MP camera with OIS, and the dual flash ring around the lens. The front facing camera will only be a 2MP camera, not ideal for those selfie-shooters out there. As expected the display will be a QHD display and the battery will be 3200+ mAh and will be compatible with the Moto X’s turbo charging that allows for 8 hours of usage after only 15 minutes of charging. There is no word on the processor running it but personally I would expect a 64bit processor as Google are bringing support for that into Android L so it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch that they would include it in their reference device.
The software icons seem to have changed a bit as well with a few different icons as well as an entirely new icon which is possibly the new combined messaging icon (next to the phone icon in the image above).
Analysing this is difficult for me as I have no need for a phablet of this size. My OnePlus One is nearly too big for me and I already have a Nexus 7. We have apparently seen the size of the Nexus 6 in relation to the LG G3 so for me the Nexus 6 is too big for everyday usage. Some may say that you get used to it, but I’m at a point where it is too big for pockets and too big for many things. Will Google release a smaller phone to appease those who dislike the idea of a phone as big as Maxwell Smart’s shoe-phone? We can only hope so, especially with Google apparently ceasing production of the Nexus 5.
The other option if the 5.9in Nexus 6 is too big for you is the Moto X, which runs very close to stock Google Android and as such receives updates nearly as fast, and sometimes faster, than some Nexus devices. The Nexus 6 may be the first Nexus device I pass on (the Nexus Q doesn’t count Dan) which is sad in itself. Google do not make phones for the masses. They make them as a reference device and as such I can see them releasing this phablet and this phablet only.
Hopefully we do not have to wait too much longer to find out for sure but I would suspect we won’t know the exact details until very late October.
Are you interested in a Nexus 6 phablet of this size? How big is too big for you? Do you think Google will also release a Nexus 6 Mini (mini in relative terms of course)?
