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Google launches flagship Nexus 6 with Quad HD display, 13MP shooter & more; unveils Nexus 9 tablet

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Google has finally taken the wraps off its next generation of Nexus devices. However, instead of hosting an event for the same, the company has simply unveiled them via a blog post. The search giant has also ditched LG in favour of Motorola for its flagship device- the Nexus 6.

In addition, the company has unveiled the Nexus 9 tablet in partnership with Taiwanese manufacturer of tablets and smartphones HTC. The other releases by the company include a Nexus Player, as well as the next iteration of the Android operating system called Android 5.0 or Android Lollipop (now you know what the 'L' stand for), but more on that later.

Nexus 6

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NexusNexus 6 has a 5.96 inch Quad HD AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display (2560×1440 pixel resolution) with 493 ppi pixel density and runs on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system. It is powered by a 2.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor and Adreno 420 GPU. The phablet comes with 3GB of RAM and will be available in 32 and 64GB of internal memory options.

The device has a 13 mega pixel autofocus rear camera (with optical image stabilisation) with dual LED ring flash that is capable of 4K Ultra HD video recording at 30 frames per second. It also has a 2MP front facing camera that can record HD videos. On the connectivity front, it has Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi, 3G and LTE (depending on the region), and comes with a microUSB port.

The dimensions of the device are 82.98mm x 159.26mm x 10.06mm and its weight is 184 gm. Motorola has provided a 3,220 mAh battery in the device, which it claims will provide 24 hours of talk time, 9.5 hours of internet browsing on Wi-Fi, and 330 hours of standby time. It has GPS (with A-GPS support), Near Field Communication (NFC), and dual front-facing speakers. Nexus 6 will be available in midnight blue and cloud white colours.

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The phablet has a contoured aluminum frame, and also comes with a 'Turbo Charger', which the company claims can get the device running for up to six hours of use with only 15 minutes of charge. Note that being a Nexus device; it will always be the first one to receive new Android software updates from Google.

Here is an introductory video of the device.

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Pricing & availability

While the company has not disclosed an exact launch date or pricing for the device, it has revealed that India is part of the 28 countries that will get Nexus 6 later this year. In the US, the phablet has been priced (off-contract) at $649 (Rs 39,968) and $699 (Rs 43,047) for the 32GB and 64GB models respectively. In comparison, Nexus 5 was launched in India for Rs 28,999 (16GB) and Rs 32,999 (32GB) last year.

Competition

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While earlier Nexus smartphones have been criticised for their average specifications, this time around Motorola has taken its gloves off to challenge big wigs like Apple and Samsung. Nexus 6 will mainly compete with Samsung's recently launched Galaxy Note 4 that is available for Rs 58,300, and the soon to be launched iPhone 6 Plus that has been priced at Rs 62,500 and Rs 71,500 for the 32 and 64GB models respectively. You can read about the detailed specifications of Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus here and here.

Nexus 9

Nexus 9Built in partnership with HTC, Nexus 9 has an 8.9 inch QXGA IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display (2048x1536 pixel resolution) with 281 ppi pixel density and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop OS. It is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor and Kepler DX1 GPU. It comes with 2GB of RAM and will be available in 16 and 32GB of internal memory options.

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The tablet has an 8MP auto-focus rear camera with LED flash that can record full HD videos (1080p) at 30 fps, and a 1.6MP front-facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, it has Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi, 4G LTE (depending on the region), and comes with a microUSB port. It has GPS (with A-GPS support), Near Field Communication (NFC), and dual front-facing speakers with HTC BoomSound.

The dimensions of the device are 153.68mm x 228.25mm x 7.95mm and its weight is 425gm (436g for the LTE version). HTC has provided a 6,700 mAh battery in the device, which it claims will provide 9.5 hours of internet browsing on Wi-Fi, up to 9.5 hours of video play back and 720 hours of standby time. Nexus 9 will be available in indigo black, lunar white and sand colours.

"And since more and more people want to have the same simple experience they have on their tablets when they have to do real work, we designed a keyboard folio that magnetically attaches to the Nexus 9, folds into two different angles and rests securely on your lap like a laptop," wrote Sundar Pichai, SVP, Android, Chrome and Apps at Google.

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Google is planning to launch the tablet in 29 countries (most probably including India) over the coming weeks. And while its India pricing is not available as of now, it will be available for $399 (Rs 24,572), $489 (Rs 30,115) and $569 (Rs 35,041) for the 16GB Wi-Fi, 32GB Wi-Fi and 32GB LTE models. HTC had earlier worked with Google back in 2010 for the original Nexus One smartphone.


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