We've always been big fans of Google's Nexus range of smartphones. Running 'pure' Android with no other modifications, they've been a great way to get the full OS and a gateway to the latest updates. That's not even to mention that these handsets have been both extremely well priced and extremely well specced. With the Nexus 5 launching last year, we'd started to get used to having a new Google handset each year. Now, we're halfway through 2014, so where is the Nexus 6 (or Nexus X if the latest rumours are to be believed)? We round up all of the latest news to find out when we can expect the phone and its expected specs.
Nexus 5 production halted?
According to Canadian phone network Wind Mobile the Nexus 5 is no longer being manufactured. Responding to a customer on Twitter the network said the Nexus 5 was out of stock as it was "no longer being made". Wind quickly deleted the Tweet, but not before eagle-eyed gadget fans noticed.
It isn't clear if the Wind Mobile customer service representative accidentally revealed confidential information or if they got their facts wrong. Stopping production of the Nexus 5 would suggest that the Nexus 6 will be with us before the end of the year. Google tends to halt manufacture of old Nexus devices completely, rather than cutting prices when it releases a new model. If the Nexus 5 really is coming end of line people eager to get their hands on the device should do so quickly before stock starts to run out.
Benchmarks reveal more specs
Just after the Nexus 6 appeared on GFXBench, the same device was spotted on theAnTuTu benchmark tracker, this time under the name Google Shamu. Given that the codename was Motorola Shamu, this would appear to confirm that this handset is indeed the Nexus 6. According to AnTuTu, the handset was running Android 5 L, the unreleased operating system, which is bound to make a first appearance on a new Nexus handset. As with the GFXBench leak, the new information confirms that the handset will have a 5.2in QHD screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC and 3GB of RAM.
Nexus 6 specs
Benchmark results for the Nexus 6 have leaked, comparing it to rival current-gen handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One (m8). The Nexus 6 has been benchmarked under its codename Motorola Shamu. Along with benchmark results, the leak on GFXBench also revealed full specs. The Nexus 6 will run Android 5 L, have a 5.2in 2560x1440 screen, a quad-core Qualcomm processor and 3GB of memory. It will also have 24GB of storage and a 12 megapixel rear facing camera with a 2 megapixel camera on the front.
Its rumoured Snapdragon 800 processor sees it perform almost identically to the S5, Xperia Z2, HTC One (m8) and OnePlus One. The test also suggests that the Nexus 6 will not have a QHD screen, with a 1080p resolution now most likely. In the same test the LG G3, which does have a QHD display, performed far worse in the Manhattan GFXBench test.
Nexus 6 release date
We're used to smartphone manufacturers being a little tricksy when it comes to their latest handsets, doing everything they can to hide the existence of a new phone until they're ready for launch. With the Nexus 6, Google and LG (the rumoured manufacturer) have gone out of their way to flatly deny the phone's existence or of it ever happening.
Back at MWC 2014, Google’s Sundar Pichai stated that there would be no Nexus 6 handset in the first half of 2014. That was fair enough and seemed to be stating the obvious. After all the Nexus 4 was announced in October 2012 and came out in November; the Nexus 5 was announced in October 2013 and came out in November.
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