It’s that time of year, we’ve seen the flagship phones from the larger Android manufacturers and it’s nearly a year since the last Nexus was released, so the rumour train for the next Nexus phone is in full swing. The most recent rumour was that Motorola was going to be releasing a Nexus phone in Q4 this year, but Chinese site MyDrivers is steering the conversation back towards last years Nexus phone manufacturer LG, as the source of the 2013 Nexus phone.
Citing South Korean Media as the source of the news, they advise that LG will once again produce the Nexus phone and just as last years Nexus 4 was based on the Optimus G, the so called ‘Nexus 5’ will be based on the newly announced LG G2.
Google had great success with the Nexus 4 at the US$299/$349(AU$349/$399) price point and apparently they will be trying to keep this pricepoint to encourage sales again and unfortunately this will mean some cuts, the most high profile of which is a rumoured decision to manufacture the Nexus 5 with a slightly downgraded CPU – the Snapdragon 600 – to ensure that the Nexus 5 comes in at the desired price point.
The main down side of using the Snapdragon 600 as opposed to the 800 is the lack of on-chip LTE Radio support, an indicator that like the Nexus 4, the next iteration of Nexus phone will be LTE free. The Snapdragon 600 can of course be paired with a slightly cheaper off chip LTE radio but it’s not a good sign if this is indeed where Google is heading.
The CPU is not the only component that has been downgraded, the 13MP camera on the G2 will also be downgraded to a 10MP sensor, however there is no word on whether the Optical Image Stabisiation(OIS) that comes on the G2 and gives it some pretty good low light photo quality, will also be retained.
While the CPU and camera will see some changes, the 1080P screen of the G2 will be onboard as will the 2GB of RAM but the biggest question of all, is will Google keep the buttons on the back like the G2? And what of the 3,000mAh stepped battery that was included in the G2? It’s still just rumours at this stage, but it is fun to speculate.
Who is going to make the next Nexus phone – LG, Motorola or someone who hasn’t already created a reference device for Google?
I’d be happy if they kept the current gorgeous design of the Nexus 4, just put a S800 in it and fixed the thermal throttling. All else could stay the same.
I’d actually have a hard time deciding if I wanted to upgrade to the next Nexus if it had a S600 in it. Pretty similar to the current S4 Pro, and of course my current Nexus 4 would be upgraded to Key Lime Pie anyway.
I expect better from you guys that to be acting as if it’s a done deal that the phone will be called the Nexus 5. I know you say ‘so-called’ in the article text but you have it in the headline too. Why can’t people understand that the ‘4’ in Nexus 4 refers to screen size and not sequence of release? Just as the new Nexus 7 is called the… wait for it… Nexus 7, unless the new Nexus phone has a 5+ inch screen (please… please no) then it’s quite likely it’ll be called the Nexus 4. The number… Read more »
Yeah! And the Nexus One had a 1″ screen!
~Sarcasm~
I must have missed the part where there was a Nexus 2 and 3.
I agree that the new phone will be called the nexus 4, but when talking about rumours of an unannounced device, you may as well go with the popular term. “Nexus 4 (2013) rumours” doesn’t have quite the headline ring to it.
Yeah I see your point, I’d prefer they use “next Nexus phone” though, like they did in the last line of the article.
Saying “the Nexus 5” in a headline from the premier Android site in the country makes it sound as too legitimate.
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2032708&r=39738670#r39738670
If the Nexus 5 doesn’t have LTE then forget it. It would be absolutely inexcusable.
I agree, but there is no way – even the new nexus 7 has an LTE model, to leave it out of the phone would be a complete fail – I wouldn’t even consider it.
Looking forward to the Nexus 5, I’m sticking with my SGS3 until then. Hope it comes out with 32 or 64GB storage though if it doesn’t have a microsd slot. Hoping for a removable battery also, but not too worried about that.
Pleaseee let it be Motorola this time! I went through four Nexus 4 devices before I got a good one and chances are I could probably have found something wrong with it fairly quickly had I kept the device. Motorola on the other hand have been excelling in the battery department for years and are far more likely to include LTE while remaining at a similar price point due to not NEEDING a 3000mAh battery to keep itself powered all day. Take a look a the Moto X, unable to be killed in a day of heavy use while keeping… Read more »
Please let it not be a Motorola, as people outside the US actually want to buy these phones!