Google Nexus 6 preview
After months of rumours, leaks, and rampant speculation, the Nexus 6 has officially revealed itself in all its glory.
It's big. It's powerful. And it's running the latest and greatest version of Android - 5.0 Lollipop.
Here's everything you need to know about Android's new poster boy:
READ MORE: These are the top 10 best smartphones in the world
It's big. It's powerful. And it's running the latest and greatest version of Android - 5.0 Lollipop.
Here's everything you need to know about Android's new poster boy:
READ MORE: These are the top 10 best smartphones in the world
Hello Giant Moto
The Nexus 6 is essentially a giant Moto X, which is no surprise given that Motorola designed it.
It was codenamed Shamu, and we can see why. It's massive, measuring in at just under 160mm long - a smidgen more than the gargantuan iPhone 6 Plus.
Apart from its size, it really does appear to be a carbon copy of the Moto X, sharing its rounded design, dual front-facing speakers, and rear dimple.
The most obvious visual difference is the nexus logo stamped on the rear, along with the lower position of the power and volume buttons on the right hand side, to accommodate for the larger size.
READ MORE: Motorola Moto X (2014) hands-on review
6 inches of pixel-packed goodness
The Nexus 6 has a 5.96in screen screen. But we're calling it 6 inches from now on, thank you very much.
Not only does that push the Nexus 6 well and truly into phablet territory, but its 2560 x 1440 2K resolution earns it a place alongside the LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in the 2K club.
That's a very decent 493 pixels per inch, and while not quite as dense as its LG and Samsung rivals, should still make for super-sharp images, even with your eyeballs hugging the display. Not that we'd recommend you do that, mind.
It's an AMOLED panel too, which means that it should match the Note 4 for vivid colours and true blacks.
Because AMOLED screens turn off all black pixels completely, it could help extend the battery life too.
READ MORE: Google Nexus 6 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: The weigh-in
Return of the flash
Like the Moto X, the Nexus 6's camera is surrounded in a rather attractive circular LED ring flash. Apart from looking awesome, it could improve how evenly-lit shots are, though we'll have to wait for our final review to make a final judgement.
The Nexus 6 also shares the Moto X's 13MP camera - a bump up from the 8MP camera of last year's LG-made Nexus 5.
Again, it's impossible to rate the camera performance until we compare identical test shots from different devices, so stay tuned for our final verdict.
READ MORE: Google Nexus 9: 7 things you need to know about the first Android Lollipop tablet
Power in spades
The Nexus 6 matches the Galaxy Note 4 spec-for-spec, making it one of the most powerful smartphones in the world.
Beating beneath its curvy shell is Qualcomm's mighty Snapdragon 805 2.7GHz quad-core processor, along with 3GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB on onboard storage.
It's a beast on paper, and we expect it to be fly in general use too, laughing in the face of multitasking and gaming.
The 805 is more efficient than the 801 processor found in other devices like the LG G3 and Sony Xperia Z3, which will also help squeeze out every last drop of battery.
Sadly there's no microSD slot, and the battery isn't removable either - the G3 and the Note 4 one-up the Nexus 6 in that regard.
READ MORE: Sony Xperia Z3 review
The sweetest version of Android yet
The Nexus 6 is, unsurprisingly, landing with the latest version of Android. In this case, that's Android 5.0 Lollipop, and its revamped Material UI looks stunning.
There's plenty more to Lollipop than a new paint job however, including battery optimisations, security enhancements and much, much more.
READ MORE: Android 5.0 Lollipop preview
A (mercifully) larger battery
That huge screen, coupled with all of those extra pixels, is the perfect recipe for a battery disaster.
Thankfully, the Nexus 6 has a large 3220mAh battery which, coupled with the more efficient processor, AMOLED screen and Android Lollipop's battery optimisations, should hopefully provide at least an all-day moderate to heavy usage experience.
Hopefully.
Price and release date
The Nexus 6 still doesn't have an official UK price or release date.
It will be available to pre-order at the end of October for US$650, SIM-free.
We'll let you know as soon as more specific price and release date information is revealed and update our preview accordingly.
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