5 Confirmed LG Nexus 5 Killer Features Revealed in Latest Torrents of Leaked Device Details
The feverish LG Nexus 5 rumours are expected to peak on Oct 15, a day appointed by many Google watchers as the release date for the pure Android smartphone.
Also seen to be given a definite life form is the Android 4.4, which Google named as KitKat following months of allowing experts to call it Key Lime Pie. This latest build of Google's mobile operating system added more excitement to the already agitated Nexus watch over.
In the past few weeks and days, information shaping the final form of the device swirled and made the round on numerous tech and blog sites, pretty much providing a clear glimpse of how it will look - the form-factor and the user interface - and what are its capabilities - the sheer power it packs in approximately 5-inch frame.
Outlined below are the confirmed Nexus 5 features and functions, gleaned over from the latest hints and clues that have been circulating.
This Nexus is a phablet contender
Large-screen and Android-based handsets from Samsung, LG and HTC now abound and there is no way to go for Google but to take the same route. Apple, in fact, is rumoured to have its own phablet so why not play the same game that largely contributed to the Android maker's rising dominance.
As shown in earlier pics and clips, the Nexus 5 is bigger than the Nexus 4 that it will replace and will surely dwarf over its chief rival - the iPhone 5S, which remains toting a 4-inch display amidst the flood of giant-screen rivals, with some, like the Samsung Galaxy Mega, stretching beyond the 6-inch screen profile.
The KitKat user interface
A new video hit the web at the start of the week, showing off the LG-made Nexus 5 in all its glory - inside and out. The familiar black beauty was again revealed to the world but what really elicited the most attention is the new user interface - vastly different from the Nexus 4's Jelly Bean 4.3.
The new clip proved that Android 4.4 is real, shown by the Nexus as Key Lime Pie, which suggested that the device filmed is an early prototype. On D-Day, experts look forward for Google to unwrap in KitKat new app icons, semi-transparent navigation menu bars and a translucent notification bar.
Messaging integration to debut with KitKat and Nexus 5
One new feature implied in the same video of the Nexus 5 is the planned messaging revisions that Google will implement in the months ahead. As in previous cases, for each Android features, it is the Nexus device line that will get the honour of flashing this add-ons.
For the Nexus 5-KitKat thrust, it is believed that the Android messaging services will be subjected to a major overhaul. All functions relating to messaging will be fully connected to Google Hangouts, creating a unified or super application that is able to handle SMS and instant messaging features in earlier stock Android editions.
Nexus internal memory just got bump up
As much as Google wants all Android device users to simultaneously rely on built-in device memory and Google Drive, it is fully aware that full implement of such vision is not yet practical.
So before the full utility of Drive becomes a reality, Google thought it wise to upgrade the basic Nexus phone model from last year's 8GB to 16GB, which should be good enough for average smartphone users. But for the many that tend to create loads of digital contents, a 32GB model will be made available.
When the space need exceeds the 32GB mark, users have no recourse but to tap the Drive server as the Nexus 5 remains without a memory card slot for storage expansion.
iPhone killer Nexus 5 pricing
The best is always reserved for last and for the Nexus 5, the best offering that comes right out of the box is its relatively cheaper price per unit. Whereas the iPhone 5S will lead to a cash setback of around $500 for the 16GB model, the Nexus 5 will only cost $300.
For the 32GB, the amount to be set aside is only $400 or double the amount that buyer needs to save up in planning to take home a 5S with 32GB of built-in memory.
As mentioned, Google is holding an event on Oct 15, which should set off the countdown to the LG Nexus 5 release date, also in the same month.