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LG will deny they’re making the Nexus 5 until the cow comes home, but that won’t keep the rumor mill from spinning. The latest report out of Chinese outlet MyDrivers suggests LG definitely is making the next Nexus device (which we assume could be named the Nexus 5).
According to them, LG’s second Nexus phone would be quite similar to the LG G2 that was just unveiled about a week ago (be sure to check out our hands-on coverage). It’s said to have a 5.2 inch 1080p display, 2GB of RAM, and more, though the processor will be a Snapdragon 600 instead of a Snapdragon 800. This is reportedly to make the handset cheaper so Google can get back toward that $300-350 price point we all enjoyed on the Nexus 4.
We’d love to take all of this at face value, but as with any rumor we have to take it with a grain of salt. LG didn’t do a bad job with the Nexus 4 at all, and if the G2 is anything to go by we wouldn’t mind them taking another shot at Google’s premier flagship Android device. Let’s just hope whatever it is doesn’t come with those awkward-feeling buttons on the back.
I knew it! LG Nexus 5!
yea im not a fan of those buttons either from looking at it, but it may have a better feel than i expect. I will have the nexus 5
I like the idea… I’d obviously want to try it before deciding but I’m one if those people that naturally keeps their finger somewhere right on the back. Seems like it would be very practical.
I wish they wouldn’t knock the processor down. I’d be up for the extra money to get that 800 processor.
I think the point of knocking down the processor is to keep the price point low, which would be welcomed if it has the sub $400 price tag.
if this comes true, I know where my 300-350$ are gonna go.
give me a thick phone with a thick battery and the S800, i dont want an upgraded S4 pro one year 8 months or so after its release.
they are dropping the ball… honami ftw
So just to be clear, are you saying the QSD 600 is an upgraded S4 Pro? And if that’s the case then what is the QSD 400?
the s600 is an overclocked updated upgraded version of the cores used in the s4 pro, if you go to wikipedia you’ll see the s4 pro and the s600 actually have the same model number prefix 8064… the s800 is a actually a newer model using newer cores with a prefix of 8974.
what @malcmilli:disqus said, S600 its a fine processor but the last N4 got a top tier SoC, and this year getting a mid-high (compared to S800).
and the S400 is mid tier, S200 is low tier
It kinda is lol, same GPU slightly overclocked CPU
the s600 is an overclocked updated upgraded version of the cores used in the s4 pro, if you go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapdragon_(system_on_chip) you’ll see the s4 pro and the s600 actually have the same model number prefix 8064… the s800 is a actually a newer model using newer cores with a prefix of 8974.
I rather Motorola make the next nexus.
Yeah, no IPS displays with faulty issues (at least aesthetic) and no overheating issues sounds a lot better.
and not covered in glass
and includes LTE
And working USB OTG.
Though now I can’t remember why I wanted that on the N4…
G2 is not covered in glass and supports LTE…
I’d get the device provided it has at least 32GB of memory. The QSD 600 is more than capable for driving vanilla android and I’m sure software optimizations will make this phone even snappier than the Moto X. The price point will be just right for me to grab this from the play store..oh hold up, that’s assuming it will be available on Sprint. Otherwise, I’d really consider switching to a new carrier.
I really disliked the treatment Sprint users got on the Nexus 4. Esp. since Sprint has traditionally been pretty supportive of Google. (ie, voice and wallet)
I concur. I enjoyed the Nexus S 4G even though it had terrible radios and not so good battery life, but it was fun.
Do we have to go bigger? We weren’t really expecting a Nexus 8, I’m fine with a Nexus 4 (2013).
Which they wouldn’t knock down the processor but I understand the decision to not affect their own sales of the G2 by having both phones be exactly alike.
5.2 inch screen….I thought the jump from the n1’s 3.5 to gN 4.7 was big…but going beyond that….hmmmm hope the bezel shrinks considerably because I like a bigger screen, as long as it fits neatly in my normal sized pockets.
Also, please let me be able to order one directly from Google and get it fast…had to wait a few months for both the N1 and the gN to fall into my arms because the hardware playstore isn’t available in the Netherlands. Hope they launch it here before the release of the N5.
I would buy it for the right price and LTE. Only 1 reason I went with S4 instead of the nexus 4
hopefully released on all carriers…
If they can get it on Sprint with more than 16GB, I’ll at least give it a look
The Nexus 4 is about the perfect size right now (actually I’d go a little narrower like the Moto X size), so this Nexus 5 seems idiotic to me, if I wanted a huge phone then there is a Galaxy Note.
I hope they keep the Nexus 4 and simply update it like they did the Nexus 7.
Or they could do both sizes and give more options…
Rumors said that the new Nexus 4 is going to be made by Moto and Nexus 5 by LG
I could dig that – if they make a new Nexus line. They’ve already got 2 sizes of tablets, why not 2 sizes of phones.
With the technology LG put into their 5.2″ screen it has almost no bezel on either side. They can almost fit that 5.2″ screen in the same shell that held the 4.7″ Nexus 4. Not bad: http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/07/10/lg-creates-worlds-thinnest-1080p-lcd-5-2-inches-diagonal-2-2mm-thick-and-a-tiny-bezel/
I remember when it was announced that LG was making the Nexus 4 phone and people were flipping out saying that LG is known for their slow updates and Chris Chavez made a video saying that Google is in charge of updates and not the manufacturer. People are really dumb sometimes.
True, but how is it relevant to the article?
LG doesn’t make quality phones outside of the Optimus G. I had the LG G2X and Nexus 4. The G2X wasn’t comfortable to use in the first place and the battery life was really bad. The Nexus 4 has a glass design with overheating issues, a lack of a quality camera, an IPS display that shows the digitizer. The battery life on any LG phone is a problem for me. I sold my Nexus 4 after a month and bought the Note II. Now that’s the best overall phone on the market imo since I can get updates to 5.0 (probably),the battery life is great, my processor is not significantly weaker than the S600, I have a quality camera, a nice stylus to use, and the quality software of Samsung. So no complaints.
Quality software of samsung? That’s a typo right?
It is my opinion. If I like the layout of Touchwiz, Smart Actions, Multiscreen, etc, what’s the problem? I don’t like Pure Android because it doesn’t have the features I like such as a battery percentage display, Blocking Mode, or Multi Screen. I don’t want to root my phone as of now because of the problems it causes. I ran pure Android on my Nexus 4 and felt it was too bland. Samsung is my favorite for software. I
I kind of agree with you. I rooted the G-Nexus because I found vanilla android kind of dull. When I read and saw what certain roms provided I had to give it a try and didn’t look back. I like the customization that PacMan, Beanstalk and Carbon offer. Right now I’m running FTL Modded AOSP 4.3 and that’s only until PacMan releases a stable build of 4.3 so I can customize my phone how I had it.
Rooting has been nothing but problematic for me. I rooted my Nexus 4 to enable LTE. I had to put in a new audio program and rewrite the code to enable it to work. Rooting also caused me to replace two Galaxy S3’s. So I am good for now. I don’t even use any of those Roms.
I haven’t had a problem with rooting the G-Nexus yet, knock on wood…I guess not everyone’s experience is the same.
Well, the Nexus was always meant for rooting. Well, my dad didn’t get any problems when I rooted his Note II. Right now, I am not really in the mood to root, so that will happen later if I choose to do so.
I was agreeing with you until you said “and the quality software of Samsung.”
Overall, I do love my Note 2.
People treat TW like it is the worst. Imagine GB or Froyo on the G2x or using a cheap chinese gimmick phone of the S4 and then tell me how that works compared to TW.
This has the potential to be my next Nexus phone.
@Phandroid — I really hope you understand WHY it’s going to be called the Nexus 5…
Because it’ll have a 5″ display? Just like the Nexus 4 had a 4.7″ screen?
(And just like the next Nexus 4 will have a 4.x inch screen, too)
With your logic the Nexus 6 will have a 6″ display….I doubt it.
They aren’t naming their devices based on the generation. They are naming it based on screen size. Look at the 7 and 10 and get back to me.
If you say so, let’s see in 2 to 3 years from now how that goes…
Google/LG could really cash in, if they released it on all U.S. carriers.
That would be nice. It would be my next phone but I highly doubt that vzw will pick it up. I don’t think that Google want to deal with vzw BS again. After what they have been putting the poor G-Nexus through. What they should really do is make a 16/32GB none of the BS 8GB version. If they make a 32GB I would pick it up as my traveling companion for when I go on vacation.
I know I’m gonna have to give up some screen real estate to get that pure Google experience as I currently have a Note 2, but if they make it a 5.2″ screen, I’m gonna be one happy camper.
You are going to give up more screen real estate than you may be thinking… keep in mind that you would have virtual on screen buttons taking up further display area…
Can be toggled on a rooted device.
Not something I’ve bothered to do on my GNex, but it can be done.
Although now that I think about it… *activates toggle*
I customize the nav bar on the GN I usually have 5 buttons for when I use the nav bar and I change the color of the buttons as well. I added screen shot button and a last app button. I mainly use LMT Launcer as my nav buttons and if you use long press you’ll have 20 buttons to choose from of which I use 18 of them.
This being said as well. I’ve tried the physical buttons. Wasn’t a fan. Personal preference ran towards liking that I could add more virtual buttons (IE: Dedicated search button)
I LOVE my Note 2’s physical home button but that’s only because it’s WAY more convenient to wake the device up. Once touch-to-wake features (which have started to appear) become standard I will much prefer virtual buttons myself.
There’s an app for rooted devices that allows gesture-based wakeup (and different-gesture-based wakeup + unlock)
It worked well, but I just stopped using it.
I know of some custom kernels for some devices that have this feature built-in but I can’t see how’s that’s possible for an app unless it eats a lot of battery.
I didn’t pay a huge amount of attention, but I can’t say I saw any significant extra drain from it.
I’d guess that the power required to accept data input from the screen must be trivial compared with actually displaying (and lighting) the screen.
After reading your post I tried to search for that app but I haven’t come up with anything useful…
It’s called PGM, which is apparently GNex only
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ponury.pgm2free
However, while I was looking this up, I noticed this, which might be of interest.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.android.smartscreenon&hl=en
The first one is, like I said, a kernel module and, like I said, kernel based mods are available only ofr some devices, that one is only for the Nexus, for example.
The second one isn’t what we are talking about here, it uses the proximity sensor not the display (BTW, my Note II has a similar built-in feature and I don’t find that useful at all like slide/touch-to-wake would be).
Yeah, on re-reading what you wrote, I should have probably read what you wrote a bit more closely :P
But wasn’t really that useful. After my last update I didn’t bother re-enabling it.
Thanks for trying to find it anyway ;)
try PGM if you have a Nexus if not. Start there..
Pie gestures + full screen = draining of the meat grease!
I use PIE myself on my Note 2 and absolutely LOVE it. Still, I see it as a (awesome) complement.
it’d be about 5 in of usable space then. I’m sure that’s why they’ve made it into a 5.2″ screen. ;)
Yeah more or less the same as an S4. Put side to side an S4 and a Note II… HUGE usability difference (for me, at least), which was my point ;)
oh yueah because its soooooo important to see that much more of your wallpaper!
Snapdragon 600? NO thanks.
Because it’s horrible? Or because you are never happy unless you have the top specs so your browsing is smooth…
The price for the Snapdragon 600 is $20 according to this teardown. Are you telling me you wouldn’t pay an extra $20 to have a snapdragon 800? The price difference is probably even less than $20 between the 2 chips, but if it was an extra $20, wouldn’t you pay the extra $20? Phone CPU’s are cheap.
Look at it in another way.. That’s 100% increase of CPU price!
I couldn’t find the price of the S800, so I gave a theoretical price. And even if the price was $40 instaed of $20, that’s something I’d be willing to pay extra for, instead of paying $100 for another 16GB of RAM God Damn It!
By the time you get to retail, it’d be more like $40 more, but I’d be happy to pay it for LTE Advanced and adreno 330 graphics, rather than adreno 320 GPUs.
I agree. I’d even go as far as paying a $100 premium for a top-tier CPU, than pay $100 for a fu*ken memory upgrade
I’ll bet some of that sweet graphics RAM, would be cheap too, look at PS4 with 8 GB GDDR5, were only just starting to see G RAM in mobile, must be cheap as chips, I got the 32 GB flash Nexus 7 FHD for $40 more, at twice the pixels, FHD takes up twice the flash for movies. Your right though, for $20 I can pick up a 32 GB micro SD card retail, so the extra 16 GB would only cost $10 retail, not an extra $40, true it’s a bit faster flash, but 400% more, it’s a bit steep.
You make a good point
Well, regardless of the CPU and GPU, people will buy the phone. And nobody will know this info if they don’t see it, so the gullibility level of the masses will remain higher.
So long as its got an adreno 320 or better, 1080p, fast updates, loving my Nexus 7 FHD, sure I’d love 800s LTE Advanced, UD (4k,) etc.
So only the S800 can have LTE-Advance and not the S600?
I think the situation is no LTE Advanced with S600, only LTE, I’d love to have the option for S800, but like you say it might mean a lot of coding, for instance the different graphics, someone says later in the comments S600 $20, S800 $40, but that’s wholesale not retail I suspect. :-) .
Personally more concerned with RAM.
2GB is an acceptable minimum, but really hoping for more.
Mainly because of Ubuntu for Android.
Embarrassing
Nexi Purists Assemble!
S800 or bust.
ill stand alone on this one and say that im good with a snapdragon 600 clock it at 1.8ghz please and adreno 320…thanx nexus!!!!!
I agree….For now. But will we be able to say that in 2 years? Will it still be a capable beast, or an aging handset that we can’t wait to upgrade? It’s the same reason why I’m so hesitant on the MotoX and Droid line. But, if this is $350, I’d be willing to give it a shot.
Goodbye galaxy nexus
I highly doubt Big Red will get it. I would have more faith in Sprint getting the phone but I also doubt. Its why I left CDMA carriers.
“Awkward buttons on the back” The buttons on the back make the most sense. With a phone that size, and it’s more natural to use the back of the phone especially when your on a phone call and your trying to increase/decrease the volume and you have to remove it from your ear to do so. All the other reviews I have read said they thought it was weird at first, but after 10 minutes or so it became normal, and they enjoyed the button layout.
I was hoping for the s800 processor. it will be a total let down for me unfortunately.
Stop hoping for the biggest and the baddest when it comes to Nexus devices. It won’t be it.
last years was
not by a long shot
Really? Best processor and screen resolution at the time as well as best battery size outside of note/razr Maxx. How is that “not by a long shot”
Best battery size? Is that even an argument? Best battery consumption? no.
The nexus 4 didn’t have a wow in any category. Mediocre camera, processor was ok but not wow, screen resolution pretty ok.
I’m not saying the phone sucked. I’m just saying it was NOT a device within the wow factor.
Um… yeah if you are comparing the Nexus 4for to phones out now… but if you are comparing the Nexus 4 the day it launched in Novemeber (which you should be) then yes it was high end in all respects.
It had a 4.7 inch phone at 720p… that was the highest PPI you were going to get at that time before the Droid DNA launched.
It had a 2100 mah battery, the same as the Optimus G, GS3, and more than the HTC One X/Evo LTE.
It had an s4 pro processor… that WAS the best processor available at the time. Galaxy s3, One X, both had dual core s4 chips, Optimus G and Nexus 4, and later the droid DNA all had the S4 Pro processor.
Yes the camera and storage size sucked… but what are you talking about, everything else was best in class spec sheet.
Bring it on.
I don’t think this holds any relevance. G wants to make its pet Moto profitable. So far, its been in the restructuring and preparing Moto. Now they released Moto X as well. Why would they want to go with other maker rather than Moto. So would rather believe Moto making next Nexus vs this one. Its just my opinion!
Most wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the S800 or S600 when running stock, unless they ran Antutu.
true, but it makes it less desirable for someone who already owns a nexus 4 to upgrade… especially if we find out the s800 is more efficient than the s600.
“LG didn’t do a bad job with the Nexus 4 at all” Except ya know, making them and keeping availabilty up.
Processor seems more than enough, bump up the screen size and resolution and its a win… Period.
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I sold my Nexus 4 after a month and bought the Note II. Now that’s the
best overall phone on the market imo since I can get updates to 5.0
(probably),the battery life is great, my processor is not significantly
weaker than the S600, I have a quality camera, a nice stylus to use, and
the quality software of Samsung. So no complaints.
having to take pictures of myself nude with an eggplant up my tucus is not what I would call a job, honey, but glad it is working out for you
Bump up the screen size? Is 5.2 not enough? LoL!! I’m still in the 4’s. LoL!!
i agree, HTC HD2=4.3 , mytouch4g =3.8 , GS4= 4.8…….5.2 is my limit
Since the nexus one Google has yet to release a phone that is the highest end phone on the market. They don’t want to infringe on LG/Mfg sales. Nexus 5 needs to have is a 16GB version and a 32GB version, and lte that will work with ATT/TMobile. If they come out with a 8GB version again I’m going to laugh and then cry.
The Nexus 4 was the highest end phone on the market when released
I stand corrected. The Nexus 4 was the top of the line and still pretty close to the top almost a year later. Maybe Google needs to be launching mfg like they did LG. An Asus phone in the USA on every network would be a game changer but it seems that Asus doesn’t want to pursue that for some reason.
Correction needed : the highest end Android phone on the market.
The Galaxy Nexus was pretty high end when it launched. It was one of the first phones with 720p resolution (I think it and the Rezound were pretty close together). The processor didn’t trump all the others, but it was in line with most high end phones at the time.
I thought it was closer to the S2, but came out later. I changed my statement since it is debatable and I clearly was losing the debate. I love nexus devices and hope that they don’t let MFG decide what a nexus device is or isn’t.
No winners and losers here. Just us discussing rumors about phones that may or may not even exist.
nexus4…
Google, I really hope you don’t ruin the next Nexus phone with a ridiculously large screen size. The Nexus 4 was great, but anything larger makes your seven inch tablet redundant.
I’m really hoping they don’t eclipse 5.” The S4 at 5″ is a good size because of its smaller bezels, any bigger and you might as well get a Note. anyways, eagerly waiting to retire my Gnex
The G2 is almost exactly the same size as the S4 with a 5.2″ screen.
The unofficial word on the market right now is that Kindle Fire HD will sport a 2560×1600 display with Snapdragon 800, now if Amazon can sell this device in the same price range as last year ($269 for 16GB), then why the hell can’t they make a Nexus 5 at a $350 price point?
services my friend, amazon offers alot more services than google play does…they can make more money off purchases via device than google, therefore recuperate money quicker.
both Google Play and Amazon sell tv shows, both sell music, both sell movies, and both sell apps. so i’m not sure if that’s the reason.
the whole point of selling a device below market standards, is to make the difference by offering services. u are right, they both sell the same stuff, but amazon has been doing so since 1996, google is just now building a library. amazon has more books,music,shows, and movies than google. also youtube and maps are available on the kindle Google two most used services…and android apps are available on kindle….so again, amazon has more venues in which it can make more money off of purchases.
perhaps cellular + HSPA + LTE radios have something to do with it?
I hope this is not true.
I hate that people’s expectations are now that “Nexus = Cheap.” Let me pay for quality and high end, future proof specs.
But I wanted Asus to do the Nexus 5. They have not targeted the US market for phones and that would be a great way to get started. I think the Nexus line should be used to launch manufacturers into the market like it did for LG. LG struggled for years and now they are building the best Android devices. right now Samsung is the face of Android to a large degree and Google needs to use the Nexus line to ensure competition so that no one gets to big for their britches.
Did you tell Google that you wanted Asus? Maybe they didn’t hear you.
The nexus handsets from LG, we are eager to see the next launch of the line, while maintaining quality of now will be good, now produce the best devices is even more interesting.
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It’s so pathetic that Google is trying to build a phone around a cheap price point. This means stripping features, downgraded hardware, and yet their phones aren’t selling very well. People don’t want a mid-range phone with stripped features, they want the best phone they can get.
The Nexus 4 is an incredible phone, even right now. All it lacks is storage.
Well, one of the reasons I didn’t get the Nexus 4 was because it had no card slot and only went up to 16GB (I need at least 32). The other reasons were that it wasn’t LTE or Verizon. It’s definitely a great phone, but Google is so focused on price that they’re undercutting their ability to make a fully-featured phone. I really don’t like them compromising on price, as most people will pay $100-300 on contract to get a new phone. It seems like they’re only marketing to techy types who know what stock Android is and don’t want to be on a contract; and yet those are the types that can afford a premium phone!
The Nexus line isn’t meant to be the “best”. It’s a reference design meant to showcase the features of Android. That’s all.
Mostly useless in the American market without LTE. Half useless with no CDMA. I would love to upgrade from my Gnex to another Nexus, but no LTE and low storage options just doesn’t cut it. I hope they buff it up a bit.