Though LG executives had seemingly denied that the company is working on the successor to the current Nexus 4, LG is once again back in the spotlight with a Nexus 5 rumor. The co-developed Google Android smartphone would have updated specs to keep it competitive in the smartphone space, but the device’s killer features according to the latest speculations would be that the Nexus 5 may cost as little as $299, or the same price as the Nexus 4 sold today.
LG’s denial doesn’t mean that the company isn’t interested in a future partnership with Google.
Next Nexus smartphone rumored to be based on LG G2 flagship design
For consumers and developers interested in a pure Google Nexus experience, this means that you’ll be getting a lot of Android for your money in terms of hardware specs. With a specs sheet that rivals today’s high-end Android phones, like the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4, the rumored LG Nexus 5 and its price tag will give you some of the finest, albeit not the best, specs for the money. It would also mean that the Nexus partnership with LG, if this latest rumor is accurate, would allow Google to undercut its own hardware division run by Motorola Mobility; the Moto X by Google’s Motorola sells for $575 to $629 without a carrier service agreement, depending on storage configuration.
The LG Nexus 4 retails currently for $299 for an 8 GB variant with no expandable storage and $349 for a 16 GB model. It’s unclear if the LG Nexus 5 would come with a micro SDXC card slot to add more memory. Storage may continue to be a problem for the Nexus line with no removable storage card slot, especially given the 1080p display would allow higher resolution graphics in apps and the 13-megapixel camera would mean each photo captured will be a little bit larger in size.
Though the design of the LG Nexus 5 is said to be borrowed from LG’s recently announced G2 flagship, there will be some variations in specs.
For one, the G2 features the top shelf Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor whereas the G2 may make due with the Snapdragon 600 processor. This isn’t shabby at all given that the Snapdragon 600 would still be more powerful than the Snapdragon S4 Pro found on the recently updated Nexus 7 tablet made by Asus for 2013 and the chipset is the same powerful CPU that’s powering the Galaxy S4 and HTC One in the U.S. market.
The G2 will also feature a full HD 1080p display, matching the high-end screens of Samsung and HTC and besting the Moto X’s 720p HD display.
SlashGear is listing the full specs of the phone as:
- 5.2-inch display
- 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core SoC
- Internal storage: 16, 32GB
- 2GB RAM
- Multi-mode modified carrier support*
- 3000mAh battery
- 13 megapixel camera
- 5.5 inches tall x 2.8 inches wide x UNKNOWN THICKNESS
Given that LG is investing in its camera experience with the LG G2, a Nexus 5 based on the G2′s optical image stabilized camera may be a huge win for consumers looking to take photos in low light.
It’s unclear if LTE will be part of the equation for 2013. The faster 4G mobile broadband networking protocol was noticeably absent from the Nexus 4, leading many to bemoan the smartphone. However, given Asus was able to implent a tri-band LTE radio that’s compatible with three of the four largest U.S. carriers on the 2013 Nexus 7 tablet, an unlocked Nexus 5 that would use the same radio/modem and could be unlocked to operate on AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile US, and Verizon Wireless would be a huge win for consumers who may be commitment-phobic.
Coupled with the low asking price unlocked, the device may be perfect for contract-less plans on T-Mobile’s Jump program, AT&T’s Next, and Verizon’s Edge plans, neither of which offer device subsidies for a contract-free existence.
An LG Nexus 5 rumor may bear some credence given that LG has stated that it won’t be offering aGoogle Play Edition of its LG G2 flagship. If the company is making a Nexus 5 based on the LG G2, it may not want to confuse customers whereas Samsung, HTC, and Motorola all are offering Google Play Edition variants of their flagship Galaxy S4, One, and Moto X respectively. Sony is the other manufacturer without a Google Play Edition phone at this time.
At the announcement event for the LG G2, LG stated that the phone would be headed to all four major networks in the U.S.
In addition to LG, Motorola Mobility was also recently rumored to be a front-runner in building Google’s Nexus 5. The Nexus 5, along with the next generation Android Key Lime Pie OS, colloquially referred to as Android 5.0, are expected to be unveiled this fall, offering some competition to Apple’s rumored iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C debuts.
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