Google unveils Nexus 5, to be available in India soon

NEW DELHI: Google today took the curtains off the Nexus 5 smartphone and Android 4.4 (KitKat), the latest version of its mobile operating system. The company said that the device is now available in major international markets via Play Store, but also announced that it is coming soon to India.

In line with leaked details, the new Nexus 5 smartphone has a 4.95-inch LCD screen with Full HD (1080p) resolution and protected by Gorilla Glass 3 panel. It packs the 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor under the hood, with 2GB RAM. The device will be available in 16 and 32GB versions (with no microSD support) and come in white and black colours.

On the back, Nexus 5 sports an 8MP camera with optical image stabilization, 1/3.2-inch sensor and f/2.4 aperture. LED flash is present on the back, while a 1.3MP unit is used in front. Its connectivity suite consists of 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and LE, NFC and microUSB. Powered by a 2,300mAh battery, this device has wireless charging and will cost $349 in the US market without contract.

Instead of the glass body that was used in Nexus 4, the new model sports a plastic shell with a "silky texture," as the chief of Android Sundar Pichai put it. Early hands-on reviews of the device say that this material has soft touch matte finish similar to that of Nexus 7 tablet. Instead of plastic, volume rocker and Power/Lock keys are made of technical ceramic material.

Just like Nexus 4, Google has partnered with LG to manufacture the new device.

The new Android 4.4 operating system that was launched today has been optimized for low-cost smartphones and tablets and is currently available only for Nexus 5. It will be released for Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets, Nexu 4 smartphone and the Google Play versions of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One in coming weeks.