All rumors and leaks indicate that today is a very big day in the world of Android as Google will unveil the Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Android L via a blog post. In the past, Nexus devices have leaked in abundance before their official announcement revealing almost everything about them.
The Nexus 6, however, is an exception this time around as it has only leaked a handful of times and its final spec sheet still remains a mystery.
Below, we list down everything we know about the Nexus 6 so far and what we should expect from the device.
Design and Display
The one thing that has been almost confirmed about the Nexus 6 is that it will feature a design that is similar to the new Moto X — a stark contrast to the previous Nexus devices. With the Nexus 4 and 7 (2012), Google started following a very understated design for its Nexus devices that it followed with the Nexus 5 and 7 (2013).
One probable reason behind this is the fact that Google was all set to kill its Nexus line-up of handsets and replace it with Android Silver. But because of some high level executives leaving Google and Android, the company had to put the Android Silver program on hold, and instead stick with releasing a new Nexus handset and the easiest way of doing that was to base it off an existing device from an OEM.
As for the screen size, the Nexus 6 will feature a gigantic 5.9-inch Quad HD display, which pushes it into the phablet category. For comparison’s sake, the Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 5.7-inch screen while the Nexus 5 only had a 4.97-inch screen. Perhaps, this is the reason behind the lack of excitement for the impending Nexus 6 launch on the Internet as such a large screen is a deal breaker for many.
Hardware
The Nexus 6 is rumored to come with a Snapdragon 805 processor, an Adreno 420 GPU, 3GB RAM and 16GB of storage space. Google has used the very latest Qualcomm chips in its last two Nexus handsets so this rumored specs of the Nexus 6 seem very plausible. However, there have been no concrete leaks confirming this spec sheet.
As for the battery, the device is expected to feature a 3200mAh battery, which sounds pretty tiny especially considering the screen size of 5.9-inches. Nexus devices are known to have less than adequate battery life and it looks like Google and Motorola are not going to buck the trend this time around as well. Nevertheless, the device is expected to feature support for Motorola’s Turbo charger which should provide an additional 8 hours of battery life with only 15 mins of charge. It is, however, not yet known if the charger will be included in the retail bundle or will be sold separately by Google.
Google has included Qi Wireless charging in all of its Nexus devices released in the last couple of years and the Nexus 6 is expected to come with it as well.
On the cameras front, the Nexus 6 will feature a 13MP sensor on its back with OIS and dual LED flash along with a 2MP shooter in the front.
Another notable rumored hardware feature of the Nexus 6 are front-facing speakers. While there are no concrete leaks confirming this rumor, the new Moto X — on which the Nexus 6 is based — also features a mono front-facing speaker, which is as good as a confirmation we can get before the official unveiling of the device.
Pricing
While there have been no concrete leaks about the pricing of the Nexus 6 so far, I don’t expect the device to retail for the same price as the Nexus 5 and 4 before it. This does not mean that Google will price the device like a flagship product though. Instead, the Nexus 6 should be reasonably priced for a phablet with a price tag of roughly around $499 for the unlocked variant.
Thankfully, if rumors are correct, Google will unveil the Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Android L tomorrow (or today depending on your timezone) which will end all the mysteries and confusion surrounding the Nexus 6 specs and features.
