Even though the Nexus 4 was a very nice smartphone, and one of our favorite handsets of 2012, it had quite a few areas where it could improve. LTE capabilities and bad battery life were two of the most glaring negatives about the handset, and Google has seemed to fix those issues with its latest smartphone. Many leaked manuals have claimed that the Nexus 5 will have a 2.3 gigahertz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 2,300 miliamp hour battery, and a 4.95 inch 1080p display. These specs have yet to be confirmed by Google, but the design has practically been made official by today's Nexus 5 leak. Let's take a look.
The Nexus 5 basically looks like a somewhat better version of LG's most recent flagship smartphone, the G2. It has the same thin bezels around the screen, and the screen itself is only 0.25 inches smaller. The back appears to be made of a matte or soft touch plastic, which would feel immensely better than the G2's cheap and disgusting glossy one. Thankfully the Nexus 5 does not have any of LG's crazy back power and volume buttons, which might steer some buyers away from the G2 and to the Nexus. The camera module has a plastic disk around it with a spun metal-looking finish, which draws much attention to it. We are not design experts here, but this flashy camera accent might mean that Google and LG want you to pay attention to the camera on the brand new Nexus 5. This might be the first good camera on a Nexus device. Another design change from last year's Nexus 4 is that the “nexus" logo is in landscape instead of portrait. This new orientation makes the back look relatively unorganized compared to other smart phones, since the LG logo is in portrait. Only a few people, mostly us nerds, will care about this, but it is definitely something to bring up. Where Google has appeared to bring the most change is with the software.
More often than not, Google releases a new software update with each Nexus smartphone. The Nexus S brought Gingerbread, the Galaxy Nexus brought Ice Cream Sandwich, and the Nexus 4 gave us Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Android 4.4 KitKat is expected to be released with the Nexus 5, and the leaked pictures do shown us some change. The notification bar, standard Android soft keys, phone, messaging, camera, and app drawer icons, have all been altered. The phone icon is now a slightly lighter shade of blue, more curved, and the ear and mouthpieces are more prominent. The messaging icon probably has been changed more than anything else, since it looks like it has been replaced by Hangouts. If you do not know what it is, Google Hangouts is Google's very own messaging app and essentially an iMessage competitor. Google might be integrating regular SMS into Hangouts, but we'll have to wait till Google themselves say the word. The camera icon is now a lighter grey, and it no longer looks like an old fashioned camera. The lens is bigger on this new icon, the glass of the lens is smaller, and it resembles one of the Canon Powershots that you probably had in the early 2000's. The app drawer, notification tray, soft keys, and folders all have clear elements now. They are mostly see through, but the folders and app trays have prominent outlines. If you are trying to make sense out of all these new design elements, they basically make Android look friendlier to the consumer.
Stock Android has had a design mostly catered to nerds and geeks since it was first released. The wide use of blacks and greys, numerous buttons, and information dense menus made it appeal less to the average person. Apple's iOS brought many people to it because of its rather youthful, easy to use, and fun design. Android is going a similar route with what we see in Android 4.4 KitKat. The round page indicator bubbles, smooth, grey app drawer circle, and colorful stock background make you just want to pick up and use the Nexus 5. It is friendlier, more inviting, and asks for attention in a way that Android has never done before. Like with iOS 7, the translucent elements also create a sense of depth throughout the OS. We believe that these subtle differences will make more people like Android's design, but this can only happen if the manufacturers stop putting skins on their handsets. Sadly, everyone will continue to put TouchWiz, Sense, and whatever LG is calling their monstrosity of software on their popular smart phones.
Overall, the Nexus 5 looks like a very nice handset. If the rumors and leaks are true, then we do not see too many reasons why people would not buy this. LG might put a sub par camera and bad battery in the Nexus 5, but these are probably done to keep costs down. The Nexus 5 teaser is not in the Google Play Store anymore as of this writing, but it was put at $349 for a 16GB model when it was live. This price is an absolute bargain for the specs you are getting, and it is a great buy for anybody looking for a nice inexpensive unlocked device. T-Mobile subscribers should definitely look into the Nexus 5, since it offers similar if not better specs than devices twice its price. Need more Nexus rumor meat to sink your teeth into? Check out the source links below for more information.
Source: Engadget, The Verge
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