Are you a fan of Google Nexus devices? Unlike regular Android devices which often have an OEM custom skin (such as Samsung TouchWiz or HTC Sense), Nexus devices are designed to give you the pure Android and Google experience. They are almost guaranteed to be one of the first to receive future Android updates. In addition, unlike many Android phones out there, Nexus devices are typically only updated once a year.
Google planned an Android event in New York City today, but it was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. However, their product announcements are still being made.
Today, Google announced not one, but two new Nexus devices: the Nexus 4 phone from LG and the Nexus 10 tablet from Samsung. In addition, they cut the price of the popular 16 GB Nexus 7 tablet from Asus, eliminated the 8 GB model, and announced a new 32 GB model with a 3G option. All these devices were highly rumored about and all of them will run Android 4.2 (still called “Jelly Bean”).
Nexus 4
The Nexus 4 is Google’s new flagship Android phone and is being manufactured by LG.
The specifications of the Nexus 4 are as follows:
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro
- CPU: 1.7 GHz Quad-core Krait
- GPU: Adreno 320
- Display: 4.7 inch with resolution of 1280 by 768 (320 ppi) and Corning Gorilla Glass 2
- RAM: 2 GB
- Storage: 8 GB / 16 GB
- Dimensions: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm
- Weight: 139 g
- Battery: 2,100 mAh
- Cameras: 8 MP rear / 1.3 MP front
The unlocked version of the phone is available for $300 (8 GB) or $350 (16 GB), which is an incredible price for an unlocked smartphone. In the US, a 16 GB version is also available through T-Mobile for $200 with a two-year contract. At this time, there doesn’t appear to be a model that supports LTE connectivity.
Nexus 10
The Nexus 10 is being manufactured by Samsung, the company that also made the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Tab 10.1. It features a 10.055″ display with a resolution of 2560-by-1600, which is an astonishing 300 ppi. This is greater than the iPad’s 264 ppi and Google claims it is “the highest resolution tablet on the planet”.
The specifications of the tablet are as follows:
- SoC: Samsung Exynos 5250
- CPU: 1.7 GHz Dual-core ARM Cortex-A15
- GPU: Quad-core Mali-T604
- Display: 10.055 inch with resolution of 2560-by-1600 (300 ppi) and Corning Gorilla Glass 2
- RAM: 2 GB
- Storage: 16 GB / 32 GB
- Dimensions: 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 mm (10.4″ x 7.0″ x 0.35″)
- Weight: 603 g (1.33 lbs)
- Battery: 9,000 mAh (9 hours of HD playback)
- Cameras: 5 MP rear (1080p video) / 1.2 MP front (720p video)
The Nexus 10 ships on November 13 and will be priced at $399 for the 16 GB model and $499 for the 32 GB model.
Nexus 7
The $199 8 GB Nexus 7 appears to be eliminated (read the review). The 16 GB model is now priced at $199 (from $249). This price cut was likely done to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, which is priced at $199 for 16 GB.
There is now a 32 GB model for $249. In addition, a 32 GB 3G/HSPA+ model is available for $299.
Android 4.2
The Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 will both be shipping with Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean”. This version of Android includes several new features, most notably Photo Sphere “spherical” panoramic photos, gesture typing (similar to Swype), multi-user support (tablets only), and wireless mirroring to an HDTV.
Existing Nexus 7 devices are likely to receive an update to Android 4.2 sometime in the next month.
What do you think of the new line of Nexus devices? Are you planning to purchase one? Do you think they are worthy competitors to similar devices?
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