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Nexus 5: 3 Key Details Emerge

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The Nexus 5, or at least the phone widely believed to be the new Nexus is leaking in full force after showing up first in a Google promotion video and then making a stop at the FCC where photo after photo of the Nexus 5 revealed key details about Google’s new flagship.

Google remains silent on any Nexus 5 event date or confirmation that it is working on a new device, but the leak with Android 4.4 KitKat looks like a controlled leak that attempts to steal the spotlight from Apple’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c announcement.

Then, this week the Nexus 5 stopped at the FCC and showed off a new design and a lot more. Again, this looks less like a mistake or leak and more like a timed FCC filing designed to arrive as Apple’s new iPhones are in the spotlight.

The Nexus 5 passes through the FCC, and a closer inspection reveals 3 key details about the new Nexus for 2013.

The Nexus 5 passes through the FCC, and a closer inspection reveals 3 key details about the new Nexus for 2013.

While many companies make Android smartphones and Samsung is one of the best known, Google also delivers a branded experience with the Nexus devices. The Nexus is Android’s iPhone in the sense that it runs the latest software designed specifically for the device and gets fast access to updates.

Read: Android 4.4 KitKat Update Breakdown: Everything We Know So Far

It looks like Google is partnering with LG again, but is moving away from the glass back to a design that mirrors the Nexus 7. The Nexus 5 design wasn’t all we saw in the photos. Thanks to smartfan.pl we know a few more key details about the Nexus 5 that recently traipsed through the FCC to bare all for the cameras.

Better Camera with Optical Image Stabilization

It looks like the Nexus 5 will use the same camera as the LG G2, which uses a 13MP sensor with optical image stabilization. The camera module shown in the FCC matches one posted by Anandtech, which means we could see a boost in camera performance on the Nexus 5. The video below showcases the technology on the LG G2.

With Optical Image Stabilization the lens will move inside the Nexus 5 when the phone senses movement so it can react to a shake and hopefully negate the shake of the phone in your hand. This is a HTC One feature and something we are seeing come to other smartphone cameras as well.

No Removable Nexus 5 Back, Battery or Micro SD

If you were holding out hope that Google and LG would reverse course and offer a removable back on the Nexus 5, it’s time to accept reality and the fact that like the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 the Nexus 5 will feature a sealed design.

There is no apparent Micro SD card slot on the Nexus 5 as shown in photos taken by the FCC.

There is no apparent Micro SD card slot on the Nexus 5 as shown in photos taken by the FCC.

Aside from no visible way to remove the back, the photos of internal parts show no access for a Micro SD card and a battery that is connected with motherboard tape, which means it is not removable. If there is no ability to add storage or a new battery, there is no reason for a removable back.

Bigger Nexus 5 Battery

The Nexus 5 battery shown in the FCC filing is rated at 2,300mAh, a boost of 200mAh from the Nexus 4. The size of the battery and efficiencies of Android 4.4 KitKat are important considering users won’t be able to pop a new battery in mid-day.

The Nexus 5 battery is larger than the Nexus 4's but smaller than the LG G2's according to the FCC filing.

The Nexus 5 battery is larger than the Nexus 4’s but smaller than the LG G2’s according to the FCC filing.

This battery is smaller than the LG G2’s which clocks in at 3,000mAh. So while the LG G2 is apparently the inspiration for the Nexus 5, it is looking like the devices will have less in common than previously thought.

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Mik

    09/13/2013 at 8:47 am

    Very good insight sir!

  2. Andrew

    09/13/2013 at 11:11 am

    keep it up, i like reading your updates on my next device. lol i dont even know all the specs or price but i know im buying

  3. Peter hendry

    09/13/2013 at 1:37 pm

    You seem to have nailed the most sensible comments so far on the new Nexus 5.Well done! I am really sad though about the still small capacity battery…will they ever learn? That said, I will be buying one…. regardless…. as soon as it comes out……… in spite of the fact I have over a year still left on my contract.with my Nokia 820 which I got to try out the Windows 8 operating system. Big mistake both of them! It’s back to Android for me, so keep up the information flow Josh. Pete

    • Ben Wade

      07/04/2015 at 10:31 am

      You say, “will they ever learn?” The answer is in your next statement, “That said, I will be buying one…. regardless…”

      No. They will never learn unless you stop buying their crippled product. I’m in the same boat you are. I want the latest phone, I want a clean Android install without bloatware, I want frequent updates, BUT- I will not vote with my money to reward them for stupid decisions. Write them an email in protest. Post to the web. Post to Facebook and wherever else you can. Don’t accept and reward crap.

  4. Tom Whetstine

    09/13/2013 at 3:15 pm

    Why wait for the Nexus 5 when you can get the LG G2 now? What advantage might there be?

    • John Zampier

      09/13/2013 at 3:40 pm

      Pure android, unlockable bootloader, half the price of G2, no contract, immediate OS update.

      • some internet dude

        09/13/2013 at 6:22 pm

        Well said John

    • Abdel Rahmy

      09/13/2013 at 4:10 pm

      What he said lol

  5. peter

    09/13/2013 at 4:22 pm

    I am thinking about buying a nexus 5 when it comes out around a month from now but I am not sure if i should get a nexus 7 instead. My only deciding factor would be processor speed. Do you guys think the new nexus 5 will have better benchmark scores then the new nexus 7?

    • John Zampier

      09/13/2013 at 5:00 pm

      Your other deciding factor is whether you want a tablet or a phone. Nexus 7 is a tablet. Nexus 5 is a phone. Nexus 5 will benchmark around 50% faster than the Nexus 7 though.

    • John Zampier

      09/13/2013 at 5:02 pm

      …and The Nexus 5 doesn’t come out till approximately mid-November. It will be announced next month

  6. Dan

    09/13/2013 at 7:11 pm

    I love Android, but I honestly don’t see the appeal of Nexus devices :/
    The instant updates are great, but then in an update, they usually only add things that Samsung/Sony/HTC have included in their earlier iterations of android anyway. And sure, stock android looks nice, but Sony doesn’t separate itself too far from stock so looks just as nice – worse in some areas, better in others.. (Samsung’s Touchwiz is very ugly IMO).

    And then of course the price – I don’t know about anywhere else in the world, but the Nexus 4 on contract was very similarly priced to the Xperia T, Galaxy S3 and HTC One X so it’s not winning any prizes there either. I own the Xperia Z and I’m very happy to stick with Sony for the waterproof flagships and if I were to go with a non Sony device, my first stop would be a Nexus with LG and HTC not far behind.

    But other than the instant updates which don’t introduce anything “new” as such, why are there so many hardcore Nexus fans? I’m not saying they’re bad in any way, but you get so many people saying they’ll only ever buy a Nexus/stock android, but why? I’m not calling people out here, I want to know from a Nexus device enthusiast what’s so amazing about stock android that makes it impossible to switch? I feel like I’m missing something lol.

    Also, the non expandable memory is very disappointing. I’m not saying I’m someone that needs 64GB, 16GB is plenty for me, but I still like to stick things on an SD. And I’m very surprised that Google hasn’t taken on Sony’s fantastic idea of ‘small apps’ floating over the screen. It’s another thing I’d struggle to live without. But of course, I’m not a diehard Sony fanboy, I’m aware they have their own flaws too, I just don’t get the obsession with Nexus devices. It seems as irrational to me as the current Samsung/Apple obsession when the competition offers pretty much the same thing but for some unknown reason Nexus devices or Samsung devices or Apple devices are the “only ones worth buying” (depending on the fanboy) when HTC offer the exact same thing but with a nicer screen and Sony offer the exact same thing but waterproof.

    • Luis Amador

      09/14/2013 at 3:14 am

      Let me tell you why. First off have you owned or played with a nexus 4 or the new nexus 7? You will notice they are the most consistently lag free experience you will find on any android device.. Yes even smoother than a gs4 running touchwiz and an HTC one running sense.. This is because the software is fully optimized to run best as stock and how Google’s android is imagined for their Nexus line, even regardless of a slightly slower CPU.. Again only slightly and even then 4.3 jelly bean will run with less hiccups than both gs4 and the one, which still suffer from noticeable small lag, not so smooth transitions/animations etc. So as you can see Dan, it is much more than just fast updates.. The update is a massive part of the experience, stock android encourages customization. Stock gives the user a blank unbloated slate. A clean simple user interface to start from scratch and you can keep it simple as it comes out of the box or you can tinker to make it look as bloated as a gs4.

      SD cards are not needed in these devices (also SD cards inhibit performance to an extent), Google provides you with the ability to upload 20,000 songs from your personal collection to their google music cloud.. From there you can stream your music on any device with the app or any browser (think YouTube)
      If you want to listen to your music without a data connection, then simply save a couple 100 songs to your phone by simply pinning a few playlist to keep offline on your device through the music app. You can always have your entire music collection when on Wi-Fi or on mobile data if you have enough to spare, but a few playlists of your favorite tunes kept on your device for offline use should be enough and it will still leave tons of storage available.

      What about storage for Photos and videos you may ask? Photos and videos can be auto backed up with the Google+ app when on WiFi or immediately after every photo you snap. Take as many as you want and upload them in unlimited amounts for free at 2048x pixels or at full resolution using up your free 15gb storage. All your uploaded photos to google+ are viewable directly from your gallery app even when offline or at Google+ photos of course..

      Google drive offers you 15gb free space shared across gmail and google+ or unlimited creation of documents. Upload personal files, movies, documents, media etc.. Once uploaded you can always keep offline the things you need most to conserve space just as with music.. For example you might decide to keep offline a movie to watch on a trip. Watch it and delete it later.

      The cloud is the future weather you have mobile data limits or not… We all have a WiFi connection and that’s all it takes to getting started on uploading your stuff to the cloud and keeping some stuff on our devices.

      • John Zampier

        09/14/2013 at 5:21 pm

        This. I upgraded from my GNex to a Razr HD, a full year after. Everything about the GNex was better, except the battery. I’ll never make that mistake again. I’m still stuck in contract, otherwise I would be using a Nexus 4. I bought my wife the Nexus 4 which came out within a month of the Razr HD. It makes my phone look like some cheap off-contract $100 Virgin mobile phone.

      • Ben Wade (@bestbenwade)

        10/17/2013 at 5:35 am

        We do NOT “all have WiFi” all the time, as you may sir. The rest of the world has to pay through the nose for data. A micro slot is a great time and money saver, which is apparently important to many people as proven by HTC’s lack of success despite their OTHERWISE great phones. LG has two great weaknesses that it refuses to address. The first is its stubborn refusal to include a memory slot. The second is its non-replaceable batteries. It insists on copying Apple in this regard, not realizing that Apple users don’t really care about function: Apple is a fashion choice, not a function choice, and HTC is NOT the fashion leader (or even a player really) so it can’t play follow-the-leader with Apple. It must compete in functionality, and both a replaceable battery and a memory slot are cheap, but necessary functional items that are missing from HTC phones.

    • Luis Amador

      09/14/2013 at 3:33 am

      Also Dan, I didn’t even mention photo sphere, the lockscreen ui with widgets(without leaving the lock screen you can take/view notes, turn flash light on, use calculator etc fast access! The nexus phone design is beautiful no hardware buttons only software keys allows for more screen real estate… There is just so many awesome things about nexus I could go on and on!

  7. Benjamin C. Wade

    10/17/2013 at 5:30 am

    I won’t buy this phone although I want to, because LG has two great weaknesses that it refuses to address. The first is its stubborn refusal to include a micro SD memory slot. The second is its non-replaceable battery. It insists on copying Apple in this regard, not realizing that Apple users don’t really care about function: Apple is a fashion choice, not a function choice, and HTC is NOT the fashion leader (or even a player really) so it can’t play follow-the-leader with Apple. It must compete in functionality, and both a replaceable battery and a memory slot are cheap, but necessary functional items that are missing from HTC phones.

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