Well, a week after the announcements from Apple with their new iPads, iMacs and Macbook, Google and Android announce two new Nexus devices and an update to an existing Nexus device.
The actual event was scheduled to take place in New York on Monday 29th October, but it was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.
So, what do we have? Two new devices announced, the much rumoured Nexus 4 smart phone and a Nexus 10 tablet. Then, the existing Nexus 7 has a couple of new offerings. In similar fashion to the previous Apple posts found here and here, I’ll give a summary overview of each product to try and keep it quick and simple.
Nexus 4;
Key Specifications
Processor – Quad Core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4
RAM – 2GB
Storage – 8GB or 16GB
Network – 3G & HSPA+
Camera – 8MP Rear, 1.3MP Front
Screen – 4.7″ 1280 x 768 WXGA True HD IPS Plus 320ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Battery – 2100mAh with Wireless Charging
Dimensions – 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm (5.27 x 2.70 x 0.36 in)
Weight – 139 g (4.90 oz)
Operation System – Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Manufacturer – Life’s Good or, as they’re more commonly known, LG
UK Pricing
Available from November 13th;
8GB – £239
16GB – £279
We’ve got to be honest, we think it’s a cracking device with awesome specs at a simply unbeatable price! Talking of price, we hate to do it like everyone else, but if you compare it to the price of the 16GB iPhone 5 at £529, the Nexus 4 is nearly half the price at £279. We know there’s a lot more to it than that, but Google / LG can’t be making much on these. If it wasn’t for the size, I would snap this up in a flash, infact, I still want to see it in the flesh before it’s totally discounted…
Nexus 10;
Key Specifications
Screen – 10” 2560 x 1600 WQXGA, HD PLS 300ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Dimensions – 263.8 x 177.8 x 8.9 mm (10.39 x 7.00 x 0.35 in)
Weight – 603 g (1.33 lb)
Camera – Rear 5MP, 1080p video and Front 1.9MP, 720p video
Processor – Dual-core 1.7GHz A15 Eagle
Graphics Processor – Quad-core Mail T604 GPU
RAM – 2GB
Operating System – Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Battery – 9,000 mAh Lithium Polymer
Network Connectivity – Wireless Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (MIMO+HT40)
Display Output – Micro HDMI
Manufacturer – Samsung
UK Pricing
Available from November 13th;
16GB – £319
32GB – £389
Now, this is high on my / our 🙂 ‘wanted’ list to replace the ageing Motorola Xoom. Powerful, with an awesome screen, it should be quite a package.
Nexus 7;
This isn’t a new model as such, more a ‘refresh’. When the Nexus 7 was released, it was available in two sizes, 8GB and 16GB. The 8GB version is no longer produced, to be replaced with the larger 32GB variant. So now available as 16GB at £159 and 32GB at £199.
Also announced is a Nexus 7 3G, with a catchy name of ‘Nexus 7 (32GB + Mobile)’. The device itself is the same as the standard 32GB model, but with the addition of pentaband HSPA+ modem. This will become available on 13th November at £239, but will then need a SIM card to take advantage of the 3G connectivity when out and about.
Key Specifications
Screen – 7” 800 x 1280 LED-backlit IPS LCD 216ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass
Dimensions – 198.5 x 120 x 10.5 mm (7.81 x 4.72 x 0.41 in)
Weight – 340 g (11.99 oz)
Camera – Rear 1.2MP, 7200p video
Processor – Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A9
Graphics Processor – ULP GeForce
RAM – 1GB
Operating System – Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Battery – 4,325 mAh
Network Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Manufacturer – Asus
Final Thoughts
Google really are pushing the boundaries in terms of price and spec. As previously mentioned, the profit must be marginal, if any, with the main focus being reputation and growing Android through sales. What’s also worth remembering for the Nexus range is as they’re pure Google products, they’ll be the first to receive any operating system updates for Android. So it’ll always be running the latest version.
So there’s now an Android device for every pocket in terms of both size and price. They’ll all be available from November 13th and more information can be found on Google Play. Will you be buying?
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