The newly unveiled Google Nexus 6P smartphone has a gold color option — but it comes separately as a Special Edition model and may be exclusive to one market.
Made in collaboration with Huawei, the new Nexus 6P phablet has raised more interest than its smaller LG Nexus 5X counterpart because it carries higher-end specs and a more premium design and build material.
The device is the first Nexus smartphone to rock a full-metal body, made of "aeronautical-grade aluminum," according to Google. Other highlights of the Nexus 6P include a 5.7-inch QHD display, a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 3 GB of RAM, a 12.3-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel selfie cam, a USB Type-C port for fast charging and a 3,450 mAh battery.
Before the official unveiling, the Nexus 6P leaked online in four color options, including a stylish gold avatar. On September 29, however, Google formally took the wraps off its latest devices, announcing only three color options for the Huawei Nexus 6P.
More specifically, Google unveiled the Nexus 6P in black, white and silver color options, but made no mention of the expected gold avatar. As it turns out, a gold version of the Nexus 6P does exist — it's just more exclusive than the standard variants.
A Nexus 6P Special Edition is now listed on the Google Store page in Japan, just below the standard device. Aside from the color variation, this special edition doesn't seem to sport any other differences. Considering that this gold Nexus 6P variant doesn't appear in the Google Store for any other country so far, it seems that it may be an exclusive for Japan, at least at first.
The Google Store Japan page doesn't offer any option to purchase or pre-order the Nexus 6P Special Edition just yet, but does allow interested customers to register and receive more information closer to launch. Outside of Japan, the Nexus 6P Special Edition product page simply says, "This product is unavailable in your country."
It's currently unclear whether the Japan-only gold color option of the Nexus 6P is reserved for the model with the highest storage configuration or whether it will be available for all storage versions. Sony, for one, has occasionally offered some color choices for just the biggest storage options.
It also remains unclear whether other markets will get this Nexus 6P Special Edition as well, at least later on. Considering that the official announcement didn't mention this gold color option, however, it's possible that this version won't make it globally. At the same time, there's also a possibility that Google will eventually release this option as a standard variant, releasing it in all global markets at a later date. But without any official word from Google in this regard, it's impossible to know for sure.
Colors aside, the Nexus 6P is expected to be a success, considering what it has to offer for the price it carries. The new Huawei Nexus 6P starts at $499 — notably cheaper than the Motorola-made Nexus 6 that launched at a $650 starting price last year.
