Google’s Nexus 5X and 6P offer a glimpse into the future of Android

There are few industry events that offer a glimpse into the future of the most widely-used mobile operating system than Google’s own Nexus showcase.

The Google Nexus 5X (left) and 6P
The Google Nexus 5X (left) and 6P

Rather than partnering with one OEM to create the next Nexus-branded smartphone and simply changing the number in the sequence (remember that the Nexus 7 is a tablet), Google is opting instead to pair with two manufacturers and updating its existing 5 and 6 lines.

While the 5.2-inch Nexus 5X will be manufactured by LG, the 5.7-inch 6P will be made by Huawei.

As usual, the two Nexus phones will be the first devices to operate on Android 6.0, which, at a glance, does not look drastically different than Lollipop.

However, Google has promised major upgrades under the hood, including better battery life, less apps installed by default (and the ability to remove more of them), a new Now on Tab feature, which integrates Google search in other apps, allowing Google Now to analyse data outside of search and emails.

The feature can be brought up much like how it is accessed now, by holding the home button or saying “Ok Google”, at which point the device will analyse the screen displayed to deliver relevant information.

The Toronto Star reports that For non-Nexus devices, Marshmallow will be released starting next week.

Other specs shared by the two devices include an updated rear camera, often seen as an Android device’s achilles heel, with 12.3MP, a new 1.5-micron pixel sensor for low-light photography, a laser-assisted autofocus, and 4K and slow motion video capture.

You may have also noticed that both phones now come with a fingerprint sensor on the back, just underneath the camera. They both also come with a USB Type-C port.

Other specs:

Nexus 5X Nexus 6P
Operating System Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Display 5.2 inches

FHD (1920 x 1080) LCD at 423 ppi

5.7 inches

WQHD (2560 x 1440) AMOLED display at 518 ppi

Rear Camera 12.3 MP2

1.55 ?m pixels

f/2.0 aperture

IR laser-assisted autofocus

4K (30 fps) video capture

Broad-spectrum CRI-90 dual flash

Slow motion at 120 FPS

12.3 MP2

1.55 ?m pixels

f/2.0 aperture

IR laser-assisted autofocus

4K (30 fps) video capture

Broad-spectrum CRI-90 dual flash

Slow motion at 240 FPS

 

Front Camera 5 MP

1.4 ?m pixels

f/2.0 aperture

8 MP

1.4 ?m pixels

f/2.4 aperture

HD video capture (30 fps)

Processors Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 1.8 GHz hexa-core 64-bit

Adreno 418 GPU

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1, 2.0 GHz octa-core 64-bit

Adreno 430 GPU

Memory and Storage RAM: 2 GB LPDDR3

Internal storage: 16 GB or 32 GB

RAM: 3 GB LPDDR4

Internal storage: 32 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB

Dimensions 147.0 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm 159.3 X 77.8 X 7.3 mm
Weight 136 g 178 g
Color Carbon

Quartz

Ice

Aluminium

Graphite

Frost

Media Single front-facing speaker

3 microphones (1 front, 1 top, 1 bottom) with noise cancellation

Dual front-facing stereo speaker

3 microphones (2 front, 1 rear) with noise cancellation

Battery 2700 mAh Battery 3450 mAh Battery
Wireless & Location LTE cat. 6

WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, dual-band (2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz)

Bluetooth 4.2

NFC

GPS / GLONASS

LTE cat. 6

WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, dual-band (2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz)

Bluetooth 4.2

NFC

GPS / GLONASS

Network GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz

UMTS/WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/8

CDMA: BC0/1/10

LTE (FDD): B1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/20/25/26/29

LTE (TDD): B41

LTE CA DL: B2-B2, B2-B4, B2-B5, B2-B12, B2-B13, B2-B17, B2-B29, B4-B4, B4-B5, B4-B7, B4-B12, B4-B13, B4-B17, B4-B29, B41-B41

GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz

UMTS/WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/8

CDMA: BC0/1/10

LTE (FDD): B2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/25/26/29/30

LTE (TDD): B41

CA DL: B2-B2, B2-B4, B2-B5, B2-B12, B2-B13, B2-B17, B2-B29, B4-B4, B4-B5, B4-B13, B4-B17, B4-B29, B41-B41

Sensors Fingerprint sensor

Android Sensor Hub

Accelerometer

Gyroscope

Barometer

Proximity sensor

Ambient light sensor

Hall sensor

Fingerprint sensor

Accelerometer

Barometer

Proximity sensor

Ambient light sensor

Hall sensor

Android Sensor Hub

Gyroscope

Ports Single USB Type-C

3.5 mm audio jack

Single Nano SIM slot

Single USB Type-C

Single Nano SIM slot

3.5 mm audio jack

Material Polycarbonate Anodized aluminum

In keeping with the price points set by the previous generations the Nexus 5X is the cheaper of the two at $499 with a launch date in late October while the 6P starts at $699 and is available for preorder for shipping around the same time.

The phones will be compatible with major Canadian carriers.

 

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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Dave Yin
Dave Yin
Digital Staff Writer at Computer Dealer News, covering Canada's IT channel.

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