Google unveils new Nexus phones, Chromecasts, Pixel C tablet & more

Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2015
At a Tuesday press event, Apple rival Google announced a wide slate of new hardware including two new Nexus phones, new Chromecasts, and the Pixel C Android tablet.


Nexus 6P




The company's new flagship phone is the Huawei-made Nexus 6P, a sequel to last year's Nexus 6 that actually shrinks the display down slightly to 5.7 inches. It sports an all-metal body, however, slimmed to be roughly the same size as the iPhone 6 Plus. The 6P's AMOLED display is also sharper than the 6/6s Plus at 2560 by 1440.

On the back is a new fingerprint sensor known as the Nexus Imprint, which can be used to unlock the phone, authorize Play Store purchases, or use Android Pay. For sync and charging the phone uses USB Type-C, which Google said can charge the 3,450 milliamp-hour battery in half the time it takes to charge a 6 Plus.

The centerpiece of the phone is a 12.3-megapixel rear camera, using a Sony sensor with large pixels intended for low-light shooting, and support for various recording options like 4K video. On the front is an 8-megapixel camera.

Preorders begin today in several countries, with shipments starting in late October. In the U.S., a 32-gigabyte model is $499 -- 64- and 128-gigabyte models are $549 and $649, respectively. White, silver, and black options are available, and the phone comes both unlocked and compatible with Google's Project Fi network. A new $89 warranty option will cover the device for two years, including accidental damage.

Nexus 5X




Made by LG, the 5X improves over the original Nexus 5 with a 5.2-inch 1080p display. The phone otherwise shares many of the same features as the 6P, such as Nexus Imprint, USB Type-C, and the same 12.3-megapixel rear camera.

5X preorders are also starting today. The phone is available in 16- and 32-gigabyte models costing $379 and $429, with white, blue, and black color options. Both it and the 6P wil ship with Android Marshmallow (6.0), which is rolling out to some existing Android devices starting next week.

Chromecast & Chromecast Audio

The second-generation Chromecast comes in a new disc shape with red, black, and yellow color options. Perhaps the biggest technical improvement is better Wi-Fi, thanks to two additional antennas and support for 5-gigahertz connections.

Coming in the next few weeks is an updated Chromecast app for iOS and Android, which will include playback controls, cross-service voice search, and a "What's On" section for browsing content from compatible apps. Also introduced today was a technology called Fast Play, which like Amazon's Fire TV will allow Chromecasts to predictively cache video for faster streaming.

Long-time holdout Spotify officially announced support for the Chromecast platform, in tandem with Google revealing the Chromecast Audio, a device with RCA, 3.5mm, and optical connections instead of HDMI.

The Audio and the second-gen Chromecast are shipping today for $35 apiece.

Pixel C




The Pixel C is a 10.2-inch tablet with an Nvidia X1 processor, 3 gigabytes of RAM, and Android Marshmallow. Little else has been revealed except that prices will start at $499, with an optional $149 keyboard. The latter attaches magnetically, and can be charged inductively by the C. The tablet should ship in time for the holidays.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 158

    Nice version of a Touch ID sensor/ring on the back there. Worst place ever to put a fingerprint sensor. What about mobile payments? Turn your phone over to scan your fingerprint? And what about people who like cases? You're going to have a cutout for the sensor? Lame.

     

    And how dare they make the Nexus 5X with only 16GB of storage.

  • Reply 2 of 158
    Nice version of a Touch ID sensor/ring on the back there. Worst place ever to put a fingerprint sensor. What about mobile payments? Turn your phone over to scan your fingerprint? And what about people who like cases? You're going to have a cutout for the sensor? Lame.

    Pretty weird, that's for sure.
  • Reply 3 of 158
    All due respect, those are seriously ugly phones.
  • Reply 4 of 158
    1. Does Chromecast Audio allow multi-room setups (i.e. a cheap version of the Ridiculously $$$ Sonos Platform)?

    2. Hopefully it does and Apple will copy it.
  • Reply 5 of 158



    That's the first thing that I thought!

  • Reply 6 of 158
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    once again proving Google has horrible taste and can't design nice hardware to save their lives.

     

     

    I bet we won't see the media telling Google starting their Nexus phones at 16GB is a travesty.


     

     

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post

     

    Nice version of a Touch ID sensor/ring on the back there. Worst place ever to put a fingerprint sensor. What about mobile payments? Turn your phone over to scan your fingerprint? And what about people who like cases? You're going to have a cutout for the sensor? Lame.

     

    And how dare they make the Nexus 5X with only 16GB of storage.


     

    Because a $380 phone with 16GB is the same as a $650 phone with 16GB of storage. At least be realistic, this is a decent budget phone; I would much rather a Nexus 6P (which is $500) than any Samsung phone. I would argue it is much more pathetic for the $650 iPhone to have 16GB of storage than for a $380 phone, it is certainly not a point I would argue to take up for Apple. They clearly did it for the higher selling price, which is pretty much fine by me because I always bought the 32GB iPhone, so 64GB is a good deal for me. Apple clearly wants to protect their margins, a business move (certainly a good one). 

     

    Just saying, you can bash but apply some logic, even the Nexus 6P is 150$ cheaper but not, by any means, better. 

  • Reply 7 of 158
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member

    6P is made by Huawei... now there's a winner, if you don't care about reliability, security or privacy! And it charges at the same speed as the 6[s] Plus with the iPad charger. Wow, that's how to impress people who have any awareness about these products.

     

    I am so impressed with Chromecast support for 5 GHz wi-fi, too. I really didn't think that would happen until 2020.

  • Reply 8 of 158
    Nice version of a Touch ID sensor/ring on the back there. Worst place ever to put a fingerprint sensor.

    Exactly.

    I have my iPhone sitting next to me on my desk. I can unlock my phone by simply pressing on the home button and letting TouchID do its thing.

    How would you unlock the Nexus phone if the fingerprint sensor is on the back of the phone... facing down on the desk?
  • Reply 9 of 158
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Seankill View Post

     

    Just saying, you can bash but apply some logic, even the Nexus 6P is 150$ cheaper but not, by any means, better.


    Lower prices for the Google products are offset by the increased surveillance.

    But just like with Apple, if you ever have trouble with your flagship phone, you can get help at the Google store.<img class=" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" /> 

  • Reply 10 of 158
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    Amazing!

    It sends your data off to twice as many third parties - both Google AND the Chinese government!

    Now that's a technological advancement!
  • Reply 11 of 158
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    How would you unlock the Nexus phone if the fingerprint sensor is on the back of the phone... facing down on the desk?

    Most Google devices are usually face down in a drawer somewhere...

    ????
  • Reply 12 of 158
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    What's the point of this Pixel tablet? I don't get it. And I wish people would quit calling these Surface clones. The original iPad in 2010 had a keyboard accessory. Microsoft didn't invent attaching a keyboard to a tablet.
  • Reply 13 of 158
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Nice version of a Touch ID sensor/ring on the back there. Worst place ever to put a fingerprint sensor. What about mobile payments? Turn your phone over to scan your fingerprint? And what about people who like cases? You're going to have a cutout for the sensor? Lame.

    And how dare they make the Nexus 5X with only 16GB of storage.

    I wasn't aware the Nexus 5X cost $649.
  • Reply 14 of 158
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member

    I'm guessing the fingerprint sensor is to used with the index finger. Holding a phone in my hand, I can't see what other finger would work.

     

    As much as I dislike the back of the iPhone 6 (antennae lines), what was Google thinking when they came up with this Nexus 6P?  Perhaps the antenna is behind this black plastic lozenge shaped area, but it sure ain't pretty.

  • Reply 15 of 158

    Yawn. Probably the only thing I really care about is better WiFi on Chromecast.  Seems like Google couldn't even outclass Apple on basic specs and definitely not on design.

  • Reply 16 of 158
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    I wasn't aware the Nexus 5X cost $649.

    The cost of the lost privacy is higher than that. Who knows if Google profits directly from the hardware sale? It might be important enough for Google's public image (and feelings of self-worth) to sell at a loss. That's why I don't put much stock in these prices. Under the Google umbrella, these devices are all part of maintaining advertising revenue, paid for by higher prices for the items you buy. If Google is involved in your purchasing decisions, you will pay indirectly.

  • Reply 17 of 158
    It goes to show that Samsung trounces Google in hardware. Apple trounces Samsung in the OS along with most aspects of hardware with the OLED screen on Samsung phones something Apple should adopt.

    Google still has a long way to go in competing with Apple much less Samsung.
  • Reply 18 of 158
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post

    I wasn't aware the Nexus 5X cost $649.

    But if all your ranting before was to be believed, a 16GB phone is "unusable" today, especially with a 12MP camera that shoots 4K.  And with no mention of an SD slot, you cannot upgrade the phone.  Regardless of price, if you said that 16GB was no good on an iPhone, that is still the case here, no?

  • Reply 19 of 158
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member

    And no 4k on the Chromecast?  Clearly you guys will be all over Google for clearly falling behind.

  • Reply 20 of 158
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member

    Huawei uses a back panel fingerprint reader on its latest Android devices (apparently a very fast acting one according to the reviews) as the 6P is made by Huawei, Google I suppose borrowed and restyled their tech - as on the Huawei phones its square, here its round, aping Apple's Touch ID reader. As for the spec of these new devices...all a bit meh really. Nothing new or innovative and rather forgettable.

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