Google has rather silently announced the new Nexus 5 and Android KitKat 4.4, adding the smartphone onto the Google Play store pre-loaded with the latest version of Android, available for a few Nexus devices.
We have been waiting for the Nexus 5 for what feels like forever, rumours started around three months ago on the device. Most of the rumours and leaks have been accurate to the T and the official specs and pricing points match what we have seen hundreds of times before.
The Nexus 5 is manufactured by Google’s previous smartphone partner LG, who did a good job with the Nexus 4. This time the smartphone has been design almost to mimic the LG G2, the thin side bezels and minimalistic front remind us of LG’s flagship device, the only major change being the side buttons instead of back buttons.
Inside the Nexus 5 is a story we have heard over and over again, the Snapdragon 800 CPU, Adreno 300 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16/32GB of internal storage, 2300mAh battery, dual-band WiFi, LTE, NFC and Bluetooth 4.0.
On the software side, the new update to Android KitKat 4.4 includes a host of new features, including Hangouts on SMS, new NFC payments and services API, Google Cloud Print integration, low-energy sensor support and a new fitness app to track walking steps per day.
For other Android devices, KitKat offers less fragmentation because of the ability to run smoothly on smartphones with as little as 512MB of RAM. Google has definitely pushed this as a play to Asian countries where cheap mobiles are all the range.
The Nexus 5 is now on sale at the Google Play store, priced at £299 for the 16GB model or £339 for 32GB model. Google is offering bumper and flip covers for users as accessories.
