back to article Google's leaky ship spills new Nexus 5 photos, $349 price tags all over web

Google's next smartphone, the Nexus 5, will apparently be priced $349 just like its predecessor – but it will come with a bigger screen and more pixels to show off the much-heralded KitKat version of Android. The Nexus 5 has been comprehensively leaked all over the web, with purported photographs popping up on network operator …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How's those Linux builds coming?

    Giving 'Mericans faster access to my info is not a reason to buy this. Putting a decent open source build on the hardware is.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      A monkey and a photographer were handed a Nexus 5.........

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Will it come with embedded malware?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "Will it come with embedded malware?"

        No but feel free to install it yourself, that's the advantage of an open system.

      2. JeffyPoooh
        Pint

        Will it come with embedded malware?

        Important keyword: Nexus.

        So, in principle, effectively no.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why all the pixels

    Seems like a nice device. Shame there aren't pictures/renderings of the back to confirm that it's no longer glass, but I can't imagine it would be after all the problems with the Nexus 4's fragile rear glass.

    Why confuses me is the recent trend to 1080p in these devices, going from 317 PPI to 440 PPI. Anything over ~300 is pointless for human beings holding the phone at a comfortable distance. More pixels means more backlight-obscuring wiring, which means brighter backlights are necessary to achieve the same effective brightness, which means battery power is reduced. On top of that, the GPU has to work harder and use more memory to drive that resolution. People will say it's great for watching 1080p video, but I don't see how... do you usually pause your videos and examine individual frames with a magnifying glass to see all the detail?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why all the pixels

      I don't understand the 1080p thing either, unless it's to converge phones and tablets. Apple have at least been sensible in tailoring their resolutions to what makes sense, but on that basis an iPhone with a 5 inch screen would be 1280 by 720, so they aren't driving it. It may simply be a marketing war.

      The "leaked" side view pictures show a profile very similar to a BlackBerry Q10 - which I find is excellent for grip - and that would suggest it isn't glass, especially as Samsung has copied BlackBerry with the back of the Note 3, and it seems that softer backs are catching on again.

      If the battery life is decent and it doesn't tend to overheat, I might buy one to use as a viewfinder for a Sony QX-100.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Why all the pixels

        Apple hasn't been sensible at all. Apple have no choice. Their app system can't cope with resolution changes. Each time they change apps need all rewriting. That's true fragmentation right there and its why the iPad mini has that ridiculous aspect ratio and rubbish resolution.

        Android just deals with all this. A single app Apk works everywhere and has as few or s as many layouts as you need. (Typically just two, phone and tablet)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Why all the pixels

          "Apple hasn't been sensible at all. Apple have no choice. Their app system can't cope with resolution changes. Each time they change apps need all rewriting. That's true fragmentation right there and its why the iPad mini has that ridiculous aspect ratio and rubbish resolution."

          Your information is incomplete and out of date. Yes, it was true that nib files (made with Interface Builder) had coordinates hardcoded (i.e., no autolayout) up until ~2 (?) years ago. But since day 1, developers have been able to generate UI programmatically and that's very easy to make resolution-agnostic. And of course OpenGL games are resolution-agnostic. I would guess that the majority of iOS apps by now would run fine at any resolution you cared to throw at them.

          As for the iPads having a ridiculous aspect ratio, what's wrong with 4:3? It's closer to the aspect ratio of typical paperback books and documents on A4 or 8 1/2 x 11 paper. And I bet that while most computer users have 16:9 monitors these days, they don't surf the web with their browsers set to full-screen... most people I see prefer to have their web browser windows in more of a square shape, i.e., closer to the iPad's screen shape...

          1. Geoff Campbell Silver badge

            Re: paperback books

            Check your facts, dude. Paperbacks are generally 16:9 or 16:10.

          2. Hairy Spod

            Re: Why all the pixels

            Whats wrong with it is the aspect ratio which helps define its dimensions and those dimensions don't fit inside a coat pocket. If you shrank one so that it could fit, it would just end up the size of an odd shaped phablet.

            Widescreen tab like the Nexus fit nicely in your pocket and have the added bonus of being easier to hold with one hand.

    2. PaulR79

      Nexus 4 fragile glass

      I've dropped mine quite a lot and it hasn't broken. Admittedly the drops tend to be on softer surfaces like carpet or wooden flooring but they do so at quite a speed as I stupidly stand on the charging cable and send it flying when I stand up. In fact the only damage it's sustained is a small <10mm long dent where the colour has also been knocked off. I was expecting the screen or back to be cracked or scratched when I saw that but they're both fine.

      Do I want another phone with glass back? Hell no! This thing is ludicrously slippy on any surface! They could use Nexus 4s as lubricant for large machines and see massive improvement.

    3. Graham 24

      Re: Why all the pixels

      Because most people don't think like you do - they just assume that more pixels equals "better".

      See also: Digital cameras with gazillion pixel sensors supplied with cheap lenses that have terrible vignetting and chromatic aberration.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why all the pixels

      "do you usually pause your videos and examine individual frames with a magnifying glass to see all the detail?"

      Not normally. But if an HD video had the right content, then maybe I would.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oops video seems to have been withdrawn already.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Most Importantly

    Does it have Micro SD slot? Or a replaceable battery? Would it Support OTG? (Nexus 4 didnt).

    What is the battery dies. Cost of replacing?

    1. James Hughes 1

      Re: Most Importantly

      Did you read the bit about not yet being many details available?

    2. Stefan 2

      Re: Most Importantly

      How many Nexus devices include a MicroSD slot?

      Has Google's vision of 'everything in the cloud' changed recently to make them about-face and include a MicroSD slot in the Nexus 5?

      Not likely.

      1. Steven Raith

        Re: Most Importantly

        Given that it spend most of it's life sold out, I expect google don't give a fuck.

        If you want an SD card, get a Galaxy S4...oh, wait, does that cost too much?

        Aaaw....

        I've got a 16gb Nexus4, never even come close to filling it, using a network share, youtube, etc.

        You want yer bleeding edge cheep as chips because it's effectively subsidised by Google? Then get over the SD card or GTFO.

        Steven R

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Most Importantly

          Steven R

          "effectively subsidized" ? WTF ?

          Do you know your math?

          BOM is not more than $120 max. Although they would like you to believe they are subsidizing. And you feel good.

          Where do you think Apple & Samsung are amassing their bilions from? Subsidy?

          If the likes of Huawei, ZTE and Lenovo can sell their phone for around £150 (and make some profits), go figure what a ripoff the big players are.

          1. Steven Raith

            Re: Most Importantly

            Are those devices using SnapDragon 800?

            That's not a bitchy comeback, I'm curious. There will be differences in thermal configs, eMMC setups, displays, too.

            Unless all parts are equal, then your argument falls apart.

            Steven R

          2. Rampant Spaniel

            Re: Most Importantly

            120 is ridiculous. It will be closer to 200 if the rumored specifications are correct and that is only the BOM. On top of that you have a lot of other costs, labor, design, tooling, certification, marketing, packaging etc. At 349 it is closet to being sold at real cost or at a small profit in the longer term like Amazon. I'm not convinced they are actively subsidizing the phone but there's no meat left on the bone for any significant profit.

            Phones that actually retail for sub 200 dollars tend to have a very low spec. This phone seems to actually have a reasonably high end specification.

            As for 1080 screens, it's great for remote desktop and whilst the pixel pitch is very small it helps with tonality greatly. Check out the screens side by side, I'd you don't like it there are lower resolution screens :) fwiw my note 3 had the best battery life of any phone I've had in the last 6 years on the stock battery so they seem to have that under control. I thought 4k was sea monkeys but I have had chance to see it side by side and Whilst the increase in visible detail is minimal at normal distances the tonality is massively improved. Once Hollywood had compressed the hell out of footage that could/will be lost but for editing pictures it is perfect.

  5. billium

    If you at El Reg review it, can you please also review its capability as a telephone.

    My Nexus 4 is useless in low signal areas, and as I am on 3, that means most of the country.

    1. Reality Dysfunction

      I have a nexus 4 on three and thats the issue, my wife has one on virgin and its fine where mine dies, no 2g signal on Three. Love the phone though.

    2. Rampant Spaniel

      for models like this check out the FCC documents showing the EIRP figures, they should give you a reliable idea of rf performance. It's pretty tough for a reviewer to make any accurate conclusions about signal quality from phone to phone as so much can cause it to vary like weather or network load. hell a guy in the next office over using a cheap microwave can affect speedtests, so the best figures come from lab testing. It would be great to see more independent lab testing but that's probably out of the budget scope for an El reg article.

  6. Tony Paulazzo

    I want one, as my htc sensation with cyanogenmod 10.2 is getting kind of long in the tooth (hardware wise), and tends to shut down whenever I use sat nav. But I do want to know if it come's with uk offline dictation as I'm getting used to talking to my phone and it annoys me when you can't reach the google or apple servers.

  7. Prof Denzil Dexter

    probably going to buy one day one regardless. My nexus 4 has been excellent, but as per previous posts, the glass rear is a bit of a liability.

    We all know there wont be otg or SD storage, its been the same for a while now. For the price, i can't really argue. not gonna spend £200 more just for an SD slot and a bastardised andriod ui.

    still, i do wish Google would front up over spec and price. I don't understand the need for the last minute secrecy. we know its made, we know its pending.

  8. Jamie Jones Silver badge

    Hmmmm

    My 33 quid tablet has both OTG and a microsd slot....

    1. Rampant Spaniel

      Re: Hmmmm

      Now are those the only differences ? ;)

      1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

        Re: Hmmmm

        *cough* :-)

    2. gautam

      Re: Hmmmm

      Brand and links please?

      1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

        Re: Hmmmm

        No problem! I actually posted abot it here:

        http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/containing/1977777

        Send me an email (address a couple of posts down from the one above) if you get one - it will be useful to know a fellow techie with one!

        1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

          Re: Hmmmm

          Incidently, it's 1GHz not 1.2, and whilst it can *play* 1080 without breaking a sweat (hardware video decoder) it is (obviously) downsized to the 800x480 screen resolution, and there is no hdmi out.

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