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Nexus 5X goes official

By Victor Hristov

Updated: Sep 29, 2015, 12:34 PM

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Android Google

Two years after unveiling the popular Nexus 5, Google today unveils its successor: the Nexus 5X.

Also made by LG, the Nexus 5X is an evolution on the original design with an upgraded hardware. But it's also more than this: the Nexus 5X is the launch pad for the newest version of Google's operating system, Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Before going into all the interesting details, here is a quick look at the spec highlights of the Nexus 5X.

Nexus 5X specs highlights

Platform: Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Screen: 5.2-inch IPS LCD with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution

SoC: Hexa-core Snapdragon 808 clocked at up to 2.0GHz

RAM: 2GB LPDDR3

Camera: 12.3-megapixel with 1.55 micron pixels, f/2.0 aperture

Selfie cam: 5-megapixel with f/2.2 aperture

Internal storage: 16GB, 32GB

Battery: 2700mAh

Apart from the specs, there are three key signature features of the 2015 Nexus series and the Nexus 5X in particular:

front-facing speaker
one-tap fingerprint scanner on the back
USB Type C port for charging

We can also easily point out three features that are commonly requested, yet missing on the Nexus 5X:

no microSD card slot to expand storage
no wireless charging
no optical image stabilization (OIS)

Camera

Nexus phones have traditionally been extremely fast and smooth-running, but one thing that they have not truly excelled at is camera performance. With camera becoming more and more important on smartphones that are now the main camera for many people, good news is that Google has worked on improving the camera on the Nexus 5X.

The Nexus 5X features a 12.3-megapixel main camera with a large sensor with f/2.0 aperture and 1.55µm pixels, much larger than the average for even flagship smartphones. Up front there is a 5-megapixel camera with f/2.2 lens for selfies.

It's not all about the numbers, though. Google introduces a couple of great new features to the camera: slow motion video recording at 120 fps, as well as new burst shot mode that allows you to create fun GIFs.

All of this comes together in a new Camera app that now supports the latest Camera 3.0 API with faster capture speeds and all-around improvements to speed and quality. You can now also double tap the home button to quick start the camera, neat!

Nexus Imprint: fingerprint scanner that learns with time

Nexus Imprint is the first time that we have a native fingerprint API in Android. Unlike most fingerprint solution (including Apple and Samsung's) where you have to first unlock the screen and only then unlock the phone itself, Nexus Imprint allows you to bypass screen unlocking and directly unlock the device itself with a single tap on the fingerprint reader.

It's also a faster scanner that is able to scan your fingerprint much faster than existing solutions, while read speeds stand at the zippy 1/600milliseconds. Naturally, Nexus Imprint works with Android Pay.

Price and release date

Good news is that in a typical magical Google fashion, the Nexus 5X goes on pre-order right away, today on the Google Store, but the actual release date will be later on, in October.

The price is set at $379 for the base, 16GB model, and $429 for the 32GB version.

The phone is sold unlocked and will support 4G LTE bands for all major US carriers. What's even more interesting is that you will also be able to use the new Nexus 5X on Google's Project Fi mobile network. Project Fi allows you to pay only for what you use and allows you to use your megabytes with no additional charge even in international roaming.

source: Google

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.