The Nexus 5 has a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, either 16 or 32GB of internal storage, and a 2300mAh battery. It features a 4.95-inch 1080p IPS display, 8MP rear-facing camera, and 1.3MP front facer.
Carrier-specific software updates are typically boring, but when a Nexus device is involved, it’s definitely worth a quick look. Today, Sprint is rolling out a new software bump for its version of the Nexus 5 and along with its share of generic fixes, the update enables Sprint Spark support for Bands 26 and 41. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Spark, it’s the carrier’s latest take on mobile broadband and is capable of data speeds of 50-60Mbps.
Amid all of its April Fool’s day jokes, Google has done one legitimate thing today. The company is holding another sale on the Play Store that cuts the price of official Nexus device cases by 25 percent. Google’s cases are notoriously overpriced, so this is certainly a great deal.
Not every accessory qualifies for this deal, but most of the popular ones do. The Nexus 7 sleeve will now run you $22.49, while the case and folio for the device currently cost $37.49, as does the QuickCover for the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 bumper is on sale for $26.24.
As noted by Android Police, both Google’sNexus 5 and Nexus 7 phone and tablet can now be bought on the Google Play Store in several European markets: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden. Expand Expanding Close
After several weeks of rumors and speculation, a Bright Red variant of the Nexus 5 is now available for purchase on Google Play, as a leak from Sprint last week suggested it would be (via Droid Life). The model has an entirely red back and a black front, with the exception of the front ear speaker, which is also red. As you would expect, the specifications of the red Nexus 5 are identical to the black and white models, which we praised in our review.
Pricing is also the same, coming in at $349 for 16GB and 32GB for $399. The Bright Red Nexus 5 is shipping within 1-2 business days. LG’s PRess release:
LG AND GOOGLE ANNOUNCE FIRST RED NEXUS 5
Popular Nexus 5 Now Available in Three Colors ― Red, White and Black
SEOUL, Feb. 4, 2014 ㅡ The first red Nexus 5 device is now available on Google Play™. Nexus 5 is the first Google phone to be offered in three colors: red, white and black. Launched last October in partnership by LG and Google, Nexus 5 received praise as a stylish, high-performance Google phone. Nexus 5 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 processor, a stunning 5-inch Full HD IPS display and runs Android 4.4, KitKat, the latest version of the Android OS.
“The Nexus line has always been about doing things differently and consumers who share this philosophy have been our most loyal fans,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “We’re carrying this thinking over to the red Nexus 5, which we think will catch the eye of consumers who want to make an even bolder statement.”
The red Nexus 5 will be available on Google Play™ starting this month in the United States, Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Korea with wider availability across Europe by the end of the month. Customers will also be able to purchase a red Nexus 5 in retail stores in select markets.
I have to say, the device does look pretty slick in a red shade.
A series of leaks point to Google releasing a red variant of its popular Nexus 5 smartphone in the coming days. The launch would be perfectly timed ahead of this month’s Valentine’s Day “Hallmark holiday.”
For a limited time only, Google is offering 25% off of select Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 accessories on the Play Store. Unfortunately not every accessory qualifies for the deal, but many of the most popular ones do. The Nexus 7 sleeve, case, and folio are all available for 25% percent off, while the Nexus 5 bumper and QuickCover qualify for the offer.
Of course, even with the 25% discount, all of these accessories are still considerably more expensive than they should be. You can find much better cases and folios, for both the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, a lot cheaper on Amazon. If you want official, Google/LG made products, however, than this deal is certainly nothing to complain about.
As the clock continues to click away to January 1st, we’re taking a look at our last top 9to5Google subject post of 2013. This time around we’ve saved the best for last as we look back at the last year in Android and the top 5 most read stories as determined by you, the 9to5Google reader. Perhaps the inevitable news is that 3 out of 5 or 60% of the top stories surround KitKat and its release. There were quite a few happenings in Android this year, but none more notable than the launch of the latest version of Android which has long been known as Key Lime Pie. Ultimately, Google decided on KitKat and announced the release with a partnership with the KitKat candy bar…which is exactly our kind of partnership. Facebook took its own stab at Android this year with Facebook Home and the HTC First, a story we’ll get to a little later on. I think it’s safe to call 2013 more of an evolutionary year in Android more so than revolutionary, but still another year where the platform surged in growth and adoption.
While the world may be looking at Samsung with loving eyes thanks to the wild success of the Galaxy line, I wouldn’t call 2013 the year of the Samsung. Instead, I’m prepared to give that title to the folks at Motorola with a dose of LG on the side. There’s little question that Motorola roared back this year with the Moto X and the Moto G just boosted their game at the very end of the year. That’s not to say LG didn’t have a great year, but with the success and great reviews of the Nexus 5 comes disappointing sales of their flagship the LG G2.
To say that 2013 has been an interesting year in the world of Android would be putting it mildly, but has it really been a banner year? The release of Android-oriented products like Google Glass, Google Hangouts/revamp of Google+ and the beginnings of Google Retail led the way for a whole new approach for Google to take on the competition.
As we look back at the Android-based smartphones that launched in 2013, there isn’t any one handset that truly stands out as a market revolution. Instead, 2013 saw improvements and innovation on existing brands and lines that were already incredibly popular. For example, the Galaxy S 4 which kicks off our list below didn’t really raise the bar over the Galaxy S III in a truly big way, but it did improve on an already market-leading experience from the Galaxy S III.
So without further adieu, here are the 9to5Google’s top Android smartphone picks for 2013: Expand Expanding Close
If you’re looking to Google-yourself into a holiday spirit, open yourself to the Android world with “let’s go caroling.” Just grab your phone, open Google Now/search and just say “let’s go caroling.”
While it doesn’t seem to be as big of an issue as it was with the glass-backed Nexus 4, there are many reports that the Nexus 5 display isn’t holding up to even minor impact. If you’d rather go the DIY route than going through a repair company (both of which will void your warranty) ETrade Supply points us to an instructional video from LE55ONS that will walk you through every step of replacing the display assembly. You’ll of course need to pick up a Nexus 5 replacement screen, but otherwise the tools required are pretty standard: Phillips and flathead drivers, pry tools, tweezers, etc. The video goes over other parts of the Nexus 5 as well, but there is a step-by-step guide focusing only on the display here.
When I wrote for Fortune in 2010 that inexpensive hardware would allow Android to ‘take over the world’, the concept of smartphones that were priced only slightly above feature phones was just starting to take hold. Fast forward three years and Android has by some accounts cleared 80% of the world smartphone market. The low end of that Android spectrum, with the exception of a few mediocre handsets (LG’s Optimus line comes to mind), has been, frankly, a mess.
Today there is a truly great, inexpensive Android phone that costs less than $200 unsubsidized, and it is made by Google’s Motorola division. I’ve tested the Moto G for the past week and a half and I love it. It could easily replace any high end handset on a day to day basis in terms of speed and functionality. The one caveat being the camera is mediocre, but still functional.
I’ll rundown the specs, but the important thing to consider is the price and positioning of Google (and believe me, this is a Google phone, not an old Motorola one).
The $179/$199 8GB/16GB Motorola G comes with a 4.5-inch 720P display, which isn’t the best by any means, but it also isn’t far from the best out there. I’ve argued for awhile that you can’t hardly make out the difference between 720P and 1080P on a display without some very close inspection. Even those with sub 20/20 vision don’t notice much day to day.
The G has a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor which falls along the same lines: Not the best, but not far from it. It is a little heavier than what I’d now expect from a 4.5-inch display phone, but that heft is largely because of the all day 2,070 mAh battery.
This thing looks and behaves like a flagship Nexus phone…from last year – all the way down to the hardly-touched Android 4.3 interface. Motorola has promised some form of 4.4 Kitkat by the end of next month. With the veracity that they’ve been updating their Moto X handsets, I have little doubt that it will get done.
But what does this all mean? Why this phone at this price? Why now? Expand Expanding Close
According to some a XDA-Developers forum thread, improved hardware for the Nexus 5 is now rolling out. The original batch of Nexus 5 devices is said to have suffered some minor hardware difficulties such as a protruding SIM tray, loose/noisy buttons and speaker-related issues.
Much like it has in recent years by offering employees their choice from a selection of devices as a Christmas/holiday gift, we’ve learned from several sources that this year Google will continue the tradition. Rather than the choice of Chromebook, a Motorola phone or the Nexus 7 tablet like it offered last year, this year the company will offer an option between the Nexus 5 and new Nexus 7.
Backing up our info is the screenshot below showing a family member of a Google employee mentioning the gift: Expand Expanding Close
With a brief look at our analytics earlier this week, we discovered the existence of Android 4.4.1 in the wild. As it turns out, Android 4.4.1 is closer than we think as a new Verge report shows how Google is using this software update to attack the Nexus 5 camera’s shortcomings. According to Dave Burke, Google’s Director of Engineering for Android, 4.4.1 will begin rolling out over the next few days in the hopes of fixing the “buggy and inconsistent” camera that is the Nexus 5.
While the majority of Android users might still be a version or two behind despite some impressive upgrade numbers for KitKat, Google appears to be prepping the first update to KitKat with Android 4.4.1. A look at our analytics shows hits from a number of devices running 4.4.1 originating from Google’s home turf in Santa Clara, California. Above we can see a huge increase in hits from 4.4.1 devices over the last week.
Among the devices are both phones and tablets including the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and Nexus 7: Expand Expanding Close
As Google releases its newest platform version numbers for December we’re giving a warm welcome to Android 4.4 KitKat and its first appearance. Arriving on the board at 1.1%, it’s an impressive feat for Android’s newest software considering it’s still only on a handful of the devices it’s actually available for outside of the Nexus 5. When Ice Cream Sandwich debuted back in December of 2011, it was only at 0.6% at the end of January. Jelly Bean saw a similar result as it released in August of 2012 and made its debut at 0.8%.
As Google’s engineers believed they reached a “feature parity” point, they turned their attention to performance and optimization, something that began with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and “Project Butter.” The hope was that Android would be faster, more reliable and devoid of the crashes that plagued many Android users.
Google has released three new commercials for its Nexus 5 today, all of which highlight a specific camera feature (via Android Central). The first one shows off the HDR+ feature of the device’s camera, while the other two show Photo Sphere and Auto Awesome. The ads are all short, coming in at roughly 15 seconds a piece.
Look, don’t get me wrong as I’m totally on board with wearables and smartwatches as a new part of the industry. However, I’m still having trouble swallowing Qualcomm’s $349 price tag even if they promise a significantly better display…
Chalk this story up with a grain of salt but a new report indicates LG pushed for an alternative name for the Nexus 5. According to a Chosun IIbo, a major Korean newspaper the manufacturer wanted to name the device the “Nexus G.” The Nexus G nomenclature would fall more in line with LG’s current line of smartphones ala the Optimus G, G2, G Flex and G Pad. Anyone see the pattern, anyone?
