In a low key affair by usual standards, Google unveiled the newest update to Android and two new Nexus devices in a blog post.
The newest version of Android and version 5.0 is named Lollipop. By all means, it’s a major update. As you’d expect there are plenty of new features like guest mode, the option to censor notifications if you are in a meeting and the ability to display notifications directly from the lock screen. This was already possible through apps like Dashclock Extension but it’s nice to see more stuff being directly baked into Android.
Android Lollipop includes a new approach to making everything called Material Design which focuses on a uniform OS experience across all your devices. So no jarring differences in how a tablet version of an app looks compared to the smartphone version, if it’s designed according to the latest guidelines of course. Another welcome addition is a battery saver feature which extends the life of your device by up to 90 minutes. Lastly, developer support has been massively extended with over 5000 new APIs.
That’s not the only new news. The Nexus 6 has finally been revealed and it looks pretty darn good. The headliner on the handset manufactured by Motorola is the 6 inch screen with an insane 2560 x 1440 display. It’s powered by a 2.65 GHz quad core processor alongside 3GB of RAM. At the back there is a 13MP camera with dual LED flash.
Other features include dual stereo speakers, a 3220 mAh battery (non user replaceable) and Turbo Charging which will allow you to get six hours of usage with a 15 minute charge.
The phone will run Android Lollipop and will be available in 32GB and 64GB variants. It will start shipping in November with pre-orders going live on 29th October. The pricing hasn’t been made official yet but the 32GB version is expected to cost $649 (more than 65,000 PKR). If you want a cheaper option, the Nexus 5 is still going to be sold and is not being retired.
Here is the complete run down of specs:
There’s a new tablet in town as well. The HTC made Nexus 9 has also been announced. The display is an 8.9 inch IPS LCD panel and will feature a resolution of 2048 x 1536. Inside the tablet, you’ll find a 64 bit Nvidia Tegra TK1 dual core CPU clocking in at 2.6GHz and 2GB of RAM. Two storage variants are available, 16GB and 32GB but there is no expandable memory slot which is a crying shame.
For your photography needs, there’s an 8MP camera at the back and a 1.6MP camera at the front of the Nexus 9.
Other features include BoomSurround stereo speakers, a massive 6700 mAh battery and an optional magnetic keyboard that attaches to the back of the device. The Nexus 9 goes up on preorders on 17th October and shipping will start in the first week of November. While there is no official word on pricing, prices are expected to start at the $400 (40,000 PKR) mark.
