There are few industry events that offer a glimpse into the future of the most widely-used mobile operating system than Google’s own Nexus showcase.
The Google Nexus 5X (left) and 6P
Rather than partnering with one OEM to create the next Nexus-branded smartphone and simply changing the number in the sequence (remember that the Nexus 7 is a tablet), Google is opting instead to pair with two manufacturers and updating its existing 5 and 6 lines.
While the 5.2-inch Nexus 5X will be manufactured by LG, the 5.7-inch 6P will be made by Huawei.
As usual, the two Nexus phones will be the first devices to operate on Android 6.0, which, at a glance, does not look drastically different than Lollipop.
However, Google has promised major upgrades under the hood, including better battery life, less apps installed by default (and the ability to remove more of them), a new Now on Tab feature, which integrates Google search in other apps, allowing Google Now to analyse data outside of search and emails.
The feature can be brought up much like how it is accessed now, by holding the home button or saying “Ok Google”, at which point the device will analyse the screen displayed to deliver relevant information.
The Toronto Star reports that For non-Nexus devices, Marshmallow will be released starting next week.
Other specs shared by the two devices include an updated rear camera, often seen as an Android device’s achilles heel, with 12.3MP, a new 1.5-micron pixel sensor for low-light photography, a laser-assisted autofocus, and 4K and slow motion video capture.
You may have also noticed that both phones now come with a fingerprint sensor on the back, just underneath the camera. They both also come with a USB Type-C port.
Other specs:
| Nexus 5X | Nexus 6P | |
| Operating System | Android 6.0 Marshmallow | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
| Display | 5.2 inches FHD (1920 x 1080) LCD at 423 ppi | 5.7 inches WQHD (2560 x 1440) AMOLED display at 518 ppi |
| Rear Camera | 12.3 MP2 1.55 ?m pixels f/2.0 aperture IR laser-assisted autofocus 4K (30 fps) video capture Broad-spectrum CRI-90 dual flash Slow motion at 120 FPS | 12.3 MP2 1.55 ?m pixels f/2.0 aperture IR laser-assisted autofocus 4K (30 fps) video capture Broad-spectrum CRI-90 dual flash Slow motion at 240 FPS
|
| Front Camera | 5 MP 1.4 ?m pixels f/2.0 aperture | 8 MP 1.4 ?m pixels f/2.4 aperture HD video capture (30 fps) |
| Processors | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 1.8 GHz hexa-core 64-bit Adreno 418 GPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1, 2.0 GHz octa-core 64-bit Adreno 430 GPU |
| Memory and Storage | RAM: 2 GB LPDDR3 Internal storage: 16 GB or 32 GB | RAM: 3 GB LPDDR4 Internal storage: 32 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB |
| Dimensions | 147.0 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm | 159.3 X 77.8 X 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 136 g | 178 g |
| Color | Carbon Quartz Ice | Aluminium Graphite Frost |
| Media | Single front-facing speaker 3 microphones (1 front, 1 top, 1 bottom) with noise cancellation | Dual front-facing stereo speaker 3 microphones (2 front, 1 rear) with noise cancellation |
| Battery | 2700 mAh Battery | 3450 mAh Battery |
| Wireless & Location | LTE cat. 6 WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, dual-band (2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz) Bluetooth 4.2 NFC GPS / GLONASS | LTE cat. 6 WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, dual-band (2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz) Bluetooth 4.2 NFC GPS / GLONASS |
| Network | GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz UMTS/WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/8 CDMA: BC0/1/10 LTE (FDD): B1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/20/25/26/29 LTE (TDD): B41 LTE CA DL: B2-B2, B2-B4, B2-B5, B2-B12, B2-B13, B2-B17, B2-B29, B4-B4, B4-B5, B4-B7, B4-B12, B4-B13, B4-B17, B4-B29, B41-B41 | GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz UMTS/WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/8 CDMA: BC0/1/10 LTE (FDD): B2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/25/26/29/30 LTE (TDD): B41 CA DL: B2-B2, B2-B4, B2-B5, B2-B12, B2-B13, B2-B17, B2-B29, B4-B4, B4-B5, B4-B13, B4-B17, B4-B29, B41-B41 |
| Sensors | Fingerprint sensor Android Sensor Hub Accelerometer Gyroscope Barometer Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor Hall sensor | Fingerprint sensor Accelerometer Barometer Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor Hall sensor Android Sensor Hub Gyroscope |
| Ports | Single USB Type-C 3.5 mm audio jack Single Nano SIM slot | Single USB Type-C Single Nano SIM slot 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Material | Polycarbonate | Anodized aluminum |
In keeping with the price points set by the previous generations the Nexus 5X is the cheaper of the two at $499 with a launch date in late October while the 6P starts at $699 and is available for preorder for shipping around the same time.
The phones will be compatible with major Canadian carriers.
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