Even though Google's event today was officially called the "Google Press Event," fans of the company and the tech that Google produces nicknamed it the "Google Nexus Event" – and after the official drop of one of their two new Androids, the Nexus 5X, it's clear to see why.
The release of one of the new Nexus devices was prologued by Google Product Chief Sundar Pichai, who promised a list of generalities about Google's updates that simultaneously applied specifically to the Nexus 5X, with a "[focus] on productivity," and "thinking beyond phones and tablets," as well as keeping up the pace "[in] this multiscreen world."
Introduced in tandem with the Nexus 6P, the Nexus 5X – the latest generation of the Nexus 5, which Google produced in collaboration with LG – was introduced by David Burke, senior programmer and director of engineering at Google UK, who proclaimed that the Nexus 5X touts "the most advanced software built into the most innovative hardware," and that the Android software itself was the newest to date.
According to the presentation, the Nexus 5X is meant to proffer advanced, extremely enhanced smartphone performance while being affordable and accessible (harkening back to Pichai's introductory event speech, wherein he discussed making Google's tech attainable to populations in the developing world). The design is compact, with a slim screen-to-weight ratio, made even more startling by the increased battery size, which now adds another 20 percent to the smartphone's battery life, and is juiced with USB Type-C charging. The phone also includes a 5.2-inch display, and a tiny-but-powerful processor.
Burke also lectured about the much-extolled 12.3 MP/1.55 micron camera, which also operates the same way as its presentation counterpart, the 6P. The phone camera is maximized for both indoor and outdoor photography, with software tech that was originally designed for devices like camcorders and other types of video cameras; inasmuch to this, the phone has the capability of recording slow-motion video at 120 frames per second. The Nexus 5X also supports a 4K video resolution.
Also discussed was the Nexus 5X's sensor hub, which features "advanced activity recognition." Essentially, the Android can identify when the phone is picked up, affecting whether the ambient display is in sleep mode or "doze mode" (see below). Regarding similar recognition software, the phone also comes with Nexus Imprint – a type of fingerprint biometrics that unlocks the Nexus 5X by tapping it on the back; in addition to this, the phone recognizes more details about the recorded fingerprint over time, making data and other items contained within the Nexus 5X even more difficult to crack.
Also available on the phone is the latest update of Marshmallow OTA, which according to Burke operates on a "learning system." Marshmallow OTA includes new or improved features like Lockstream, quicker access to Voice Activation, an app that indicates how fast the phone is charging, new animations, an improved interface for opening apps, a homescreen organized from A to Z to make searching and scrolling more efficient, software that picks up on the user's patterns and makes subsequent suggestions for which apps they want to use over time, a "doze mode," and run-time permissions. Preloaded apps can also be uninstalled with the user's discretion.
The release date for the Nexus 5X has not been officially announced, but when released it will be available at the online hardware retailer the Google Store; it is also available for preorder in the U.K., the U.S., Ireland, and Japan. The Android comes in three different colors – black, ice blue, and white – and is priced at $379. A two-year warranty program for mechanical malfunction and accidental damages named Nexus Protect is also available at an additional $69.
Learn more about the Nexus 5X in Google's video below.
