As we patiently wait for October 29th to arrive, we are expecting to see at least one addition to the Nexus family, the LG Nexus. After countless leaks for the past month and much speculation, we think we may finally have a somewhat concrete idea of what the upcoming device giving the true “Google Experience” will offer. The device will as always, introduce new technology— while making existing technology a little bit better. Read on past the break to have a brief breakdown of what is known and what we can expect in this new superphone.
What we do know
- The LG Nexus will have superior internals. Much like the LG Optimus G that it is based off of, the LG Nexus will will a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chip, 2GB of RAM and a gorgeous 4.7-inch display.
- The LG Nexus will have an 8MP camera that should be vastly improved over the Galaxy Nexus.
- Google will most likely launch the newest Nexus without any LTE radios, giving the clear indication that Google wants full control of software updates— at least in the beginning. Thanks to our well-placed sources, we now know the LG Nexus will only utilize “faux-g” HSPA+ bands, meaning there will be no LTE version of the smartphone during its initial launch at the very least and be sold as an unlocked device. As you may well be aware already, unlocked devices tend to get software updates first, due to the elimination of pesky wireless carrier approval and thus– stopping the potential of another update fiasco for Nexus devices… especially on the larger wireless carriers. Further adding fuel to the fire is the existing evidence highlighting the LG Nexus already went through its FCC certification without any LTE bands. So this means those of you many of you may be out of luck for now. But…
What we expect
- … That doesn’t mean we’ll never see an LTE variant of the smartphone. We are expecting to see some sort of LTE variation eventually (see Verizon Galaxy Nexus & Sprint Galaxy Nexus).
- The device will (most likely) feature Android 4.2, offering a host of improvements to the Android UI and Google apps on the device. In the last week, we saw everything from pinch-to-zoom features in Gmail 4.2 to the double-notifications bar, allowing for a quick view of both notifications and potentially “Quick Settings”— allowing you to likely modify often-used items like WiFi settings. In addition, Android 4.2 will (most likely) feature “Premium SMS” confirmations— effectively targeting the bad guys who make our lives miserable with their text messaging scams and harassment. Google says we shouldn’t believe the hype, but this time— I think it’s OK for Android fans to believe the hype.
What we’re stumped on
- The true storage size of the LG Nexus. By all indications, the newest Nexus will
likelypossibly have a measly 8GB of onboard storage— something we can’t believe nor fathom. It’s no secret that Google doesn’t like the use of expandable storage on its flagship devices, but it certainly can’t expect users to be happy with only that amount of space. If it is, perhaps Google is trying to make a push for its Google Drive cloud service. But then again, Google is a champion for its customers and more importantly— the development community, so it surely must be offering at least 16GB of storage space, right? If we can see Google do that with its Nexus 7 tablet, we can see it done on the upcoming LG Nexus. The problem is we just won’t know with Google until the 29th of October arrives. - The exact name of the device. We’ve seen everything from the LG Nexus to the Optimus Nexus to the Nexus 4. We’ll go ahead and place our bets on the LG Nexus though.
So there you have it kids. A general breakdown of what you’ll see in the newest Google Experience device. Oh and don’t forget— we’ll be at the October 29th event, so we’ll be sure to give every last tidbit of the device. But in the meantime, stay tuned with us as we’ll continue to provide leaks and info in the next week leading up to the official announcement.