Nexus 5 Price Leak Points to 32GB Option with Bigger Battery

The Nexus 5 price information leaked out as we quickly approach a rumored mid-October event, and from the looks of it Google is planning to sell multiple models of the Nexus 5 with more than just storage separating the two nexus 5 models.

A leaked service manual revealed Google is planning a 16GB and a 32GB Nexus 5 for release this fall, and the latest information suggests that the more expensive Nexus 5 will come with 32GB of storage and a larger battery to make up for the higher price.

Aside from the storage and battery sizes, the Nexus 5 models will reportedly be the same. This strategy worked well for Motorola when it launched the Droid RAZR line of phones, offering a MAXX model with a bigger battery and more storage for the $100 price difference.

The Nexus 5 price information comes from Phone Arena, who cites an un-named source. The Nexus 5 price is expected to be affordable as an off-contract purchase, something that many high-end smartphones are not. This new information suggests the Nexus 5 price will start at $299 for the 16GB model and $399 for the 32GB model. This is close to the price of the Nexus 4, though Google only charged $50 more for the higher capacity model. If true, the Nexus 5 pricing will more closely mirror Apple’s on-contract iPhone 5s price, which jumps $100 for extra storage.  Unlike the iPhone 5s, the Nexus 5 price should also account for a bigger battery according to this latest information.

The Nexus 5 included a 2,300 mAh battery when it passed through the FCC last month, which is a boost from the Nexus 4, but still below the Droid MAXX and Galaxy Note 3 which feature batteries of 3,500 and 3,200 mAh respectively. The leak backs up the 2,300 mAh battery for the 16GB Nexus 5 alongside an affordable $299 price tag. The higher capacity version will reportedly come with a 3,000mAh battery. What is not clear is if the 32GB Nexus 5 is able to include the larger battery in the same size device.

Read: Nexus 5 Breakdown.

When Motorola introduced the Droid RAZR MAXX with a larger battery in 2012, the company needed a thicker phone to deliver the bigger battery, which we called, “the best use of 2mm in recent smartphone history.” Motorola was able to condense the Maxx line of smartphones down to within 1mm of the Droid Ultra this year, but the larger battery still requires a larger phone. It’s not clear if the Nexus 5 will come in multiple sizes to accommodate a larger battery, or if there is simply extra room inside the base 16GB Nexus 5. If this is the case, Google may be using the smaller battery to keep the base Nexus 5 price down and appeal to a wider audience who want a good Android phone at an attractive price to use on a pre-paid plan or to buy in the middle of a contract.

The Nexus 4 is still listed on the Google Play Store but it is out of stock and sources say that it will no longer be sold through Google. The Nexus 5 release could come in late October or early November. The latest information suggests Google plans to launch the Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat at an event in late October and the Nexus 5 release should follow close behind.