Google's event today is almost certain to finally see the announcement of the new Nexus smartphones, prices of which were leaked earlier today. Following up on the rumours that have been around, how do the two devices fare against its predecessors? Here's taking a look at all the Nexus smartphones and tablets that we have seen in the past.
Nexus One
Google's Nexus initiative started off with the Nexus One, manufactured by HTC. It was announced in January 2010, and came with Android v2.1 Eclair. The company then released the HTC Desire soon after Nexus One, which came with similar specifications, and ran HTC’s Sense UI on top of Froyo. HTC was also the first manufacturer to bring the first Android-powered phone, called the HTC Dream, which came with Android v1.6 Donut.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 200
Display: 3.7-inch, 480p
RAM: 512MB
Storage: 512MB
Camera: 5MP
OS: Android v2.1 Eclair
Nexus S
2010 also saw the launch of the second Nexus phone, the Nexus S. To make it, Google had partnered with Samsung, who came up with a slightly curved glass touch screen for the phone, officially naming it as 'Contour Display'. The phone was based on the Samsung Galaxy S, and did not feature a microSD card slot.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Exynos 3
Display: 4-inch, 480p
RAM: 512MB
Storage: 4GB
Camera: 5MP, VGA
OS: Android v2.3 Gingerbread
Galaxy Nexus
Year 2011, and Samsung was given another chance at making the Nexus. In came the Galaxy Nexus. This phone marked the departure of the capacitive touch navigation keys, and software navigation keys were introduced in their place. This was also the first Nexus phone to introduce an HD display to the Nexus lineup. However, the prime attraction factor of the Galaxy Nexus was its slightly curved design, and the hump at the back. The phone was based on the Samsung Galaxy S2.
Quick Specs:
SoC: TI OMAP 4460
Display: 4.65-inch, 720p
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 16GB
Camera: 5MP, 1.3MP
OS: Android v4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Nexus 4
In 2012, the Nexus baton was given to LG. Based on the LG Optimus G, the Nexus 4 remains one of the best smartphones in this lineup till date. It featured glass panels on the front and back, giving it the unique, suave look. This was also the first Nexus to bring a quad-core processor, along with 2GB of RAM. This phone, however, was a downgrade from last year’s Galaxy Nexus in terms of connectivity as it only supported HSPA+ instead of 4G LTE.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro
Display: 4.7-inch, 720p
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 8/16GB
Camera: 8MP, 1.3MP
OS: Android v4.2 Jellybean
Nexus 7
Google also came up with its Nexus range of tablets. In 2012, the first Nexus tablet, the Nexus 7, was announced. It was made in partnership with Asus, and became the tablet of choice for many. It gained popularity for being a small, powerful device, with the added benefit of the affordable pricing.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Nvidia Tegra 3
Display: 7.0-inch, 1280 x 800p
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 8/16/32GB
Camera: 1.2MP
OS: Android v4.1 Jelly Bean
Nexus 10
Released alongside the original Nexus 7 in 2012, the 10-inch Nexus 10 made it to India a year late. The 10-inch tablet was made by Samsung, and instantly became the best Android tablet with a large display, which was also composed of high resolution. Samsung gave the tablet a 2560x1600px resolution, and a large, 9000mAh battery to keep it going through the day.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Exynos 5250
Display: 10.1-inch, 2560 x 1600p
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16/32GB
Camera: 5MP, 1.9MP
OS: Android v4.2 Jelly Bean
Nexus Q
This was a digital media player developed by Google itself. Announced at Google I/O in 2012, the Nexus Q was made to stream audio via YouTube and Google Play. The device didn't get much traction, and has apparently been the biggest failure in the Nexus lineup.
Nexus 5
The Nexus 5 was the first Nexus smartphone introduced for the masses. Unlike the previous Nexus smartphones which comprised top-of-the-line specs at their respective times of launch, the Nexus 5 was not the best Android smartphone that money could buy, at least in terms of specifications. Having said that, the phone was still quite powerful, and offered a smooth-flowing Android experience. It was relatively inexpensive in comparison to other flagship phones from the year 2013, making it possibly the best value-for-money device. The phone was made by LG, and was loosely based on the LG G2.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
Display: 4.95-inch, 1080p
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16/32GB
Camera: 8MP, 1.3MP
OS: Android v5.0 Lollipop
Nexus 7 (2013)
The next year, Google updated the Nexus 7 with a facial overhaul. Additionally, the device became lighter, and more powerful. The new update discarded the dimpled back, and went with a similar matte rear, which was used on the Nexus 5.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro
Display: 7.0-inch, 1920 x 1200p
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16/32GB
Camera: 5MP, 1.2MP
OS: Android v4.3 JellyBean
Nexus 6
The last Nexus smartphone till now, the Nexus 6, was big and bulky, but still made for a very powerful device. It was made by Motorola, and carried a large 5.96-inch display. The display also became a subject of memes and various jokes on the internet. Nevertheless, Google stuck to it. On paper, the phone itself was a big update in comparison to the Nexus 5, despite the bigger footprint. Pun Intended.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 805
Display: 5.96-inch, 1440p
RAM: 3GB
Storage: 32/64GB
Camera: 13MP, 2MP
OS: Android v5.0 Lollipop
Nexus 9
The last Nexus tablet was made by HTC. It was well received, and offered top-of-the-line specs. With a 4:3 aspect ratio, it became a direct competitor to Apple's iPad Air.
Quick Specs:
SoC: Nvidia Tegra K1
Display: 8.9-inch, 2048 x 1536p
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16/32GB
Camera: 8MP, 1.6MP
OS: Android v5.0 Lollipop
Nexus Player
The Nexus Player was the first device to feature Android TV. This was a custom interface made specifically for TVs. It was based on Android v5.1 Lollipop. Since then, many third party companies have tried their hands on the platform. Moreover, TV manufacturers like Sony have embedded the Android TV ecosystem in their latest TVs itself. Hit.
Upcoming Nexus devices
We are expecting the new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, today, and LG and Huawei have been earmarked to be the manufacturers. Alongside, the main highlight will be on Android Marshmallow v6.0, while Google might surprise us with an all new tablet.
Image Courtesy: Android Police