Compact it is for the Nexus 5, a new report said, indicating that the replacement for the well-received but scarcely available stock Android handset is getting a slight downgrade in screen size.

From the 4.7-inch screen that LG and Google delivered with the Nexus 4, PhoneArena reported that the Nexus 5 is steering away from the massive screen real estate, opting instead for the tamer 4.5-inch.

The upcoming Nexus smartphone is also expected to shave off considerable heft as the new design will be centred on the screen, which will take up some 88 per cent of the device's front portion.

Fans of the powerful but affordable handset can expect the Nexus 5 upgrade to display "a drastically narrower bezel," the PhoneArena report said, citing an unnamed source.

The screen technology is IPS and the Nexus 5 will be a 720p gadget that draws power from a quad-core 1.5GHz processing chip bearing the label Snapdragon 600, made by Qualcomm.

The new Nexus is likely to carry over the 8GB and 16GB storage configurations with no expansion option. But it will get a monstrous power-source upgrade in the form of a 2800mAh battery.

On the camera front, the main snapper is on 9MP CCD camera, which PhoneArena observed is a strange choice on Google's part, considering that later versions of smartphones that have been coming out are using CMOS sensors, known for its faster image processing prowess.

As expected, Key Lime Pie will govern the handset's overall operation but it doesn't necessarily mean that Nexus 5 will get the latest Android vanilla since the smartphone is not expected to come out until Q4 2013.

But one more good news for hardcore Android lovers - the Nexus 5 promises to be the cheaper version of the already reasonably priced Nexus 4.

It is possible that for this year, Google is giving out a more attractive price mark for its signature smartphone, likely lower than the $US299 starting price of the Nexus 4 when it debuted November last year.