Google is countering the release of Apple’s latest iPhones with two devices running on a new version of Android software.
The Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, the first smartphones sold with the Marshmallow upgrade, were launched in India on October 13.
Nexus 5X is priced at Rs. 31,990 for the 16GB version while the 32GB is priced at Rs. 35,990. Nexus 6P, made by Huawei, is priced at Rs. 39,999 for the 32GB model while the 64GB model will retail for Rs 42,999.
Earlier in September, Google began taking pre-orders for the Nexus phones in the U.S., United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan with prices for the 6P starting at $499 and $379 for the 5X with no commitment to a wireless contract required. They are expected to start shipping by mid-October.
The Marshmallow version of Android enables users to summon Google Now to scan whatever content might be on a mobile device’s screen so it can present pertinent information about the topic of a text, a song, a video clip or an article.
The new Android feature, called ‘Now on Tap’, can be activated by holding down the device’s home button or speaking, “OK Google,” into the microphone. It will prompt ‘Now on Tap’ to scan the screen in an attempt to figure out how to be the most helpful.
“In a multiscreen world, it is even more important for Google to do the hard work so the experience is simple and delightful for the users,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said.
Apple’s new operating system also has programmed the iPhone’s Siri assistant to be more intuitive so it can anticipate what the user might want or need before being explicitly asked.
The Nexus phones are undercutting Apple, which sells the iPhone 6s for $649 and the 6S Plus for $749 without a subsidy from a wireless carrier.
Google uses its Nexus line of phones to showcase how the company would like Android to be set up. Most phone makers, though, still take advantage of the freedom that Google gives them to alter Android, although the free software usually is still set up to drive traffic to Google’s search engine, YouTube video site and other digital services.
The Nexus phones also feature better cameras than previous models, matching similar upgrades that Apple just made to its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
The Nexus 6P has a 5.7-inch screen, slightly larger than the iPhone 6s Plus. The Nexus 5X has a 5.2-inch screen.
But it won’t be necessary to have a Nexus phone to get Marshmallow. People will receive the option to install a free upgrade beginning next week.
The debut of the latest Nexus phones underscores the steadily intensifying rivalry between Google and Apple as they duel for consumers’ loyalty in the increasingly important mobile device market.
Besides its Nexus phones, Google also began selling upgrades to its Chromecast video-streaming device and a new Chromecast model that can be plugged into speakers to play music from a phone or an Internet service. The devices will sell for $35 apiece, the same price that Google has been charging for the original Chromecast, which has won over a lot of households.
Google had also disclosed that more than 20 million of the Chromecast video devices have been sold since the gadget’s debut two years ago.
Google earlier provided a peek at a tablet called the Pixel C that is aimed at consumers and workers who want a device that can accommodate a lot of typing. The $499 tablet comes with a 10-inch display screen an attachable $149 keyboard that transforms the device into the equivalent of a laptop, when needed. Apple will begin selling a similar model of its pioneering iPad with a 13-inch screen later this fall. Prices start at $799 for that iPad and $169 for the keyboard.
| Nexus 5X | Nexus 6P | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 72.6 x 147.0 x 7.9 mm | 77.8 x 159.3 x 7.3mm |
| 136g | 178g | |
| Processor | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 808 processor, 1.8 GHz Hexa-core 64-bit Adreno 418 GPU | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 810 v2.1, 2.0 GHz Octa-core 64-bit Adreno 430 GPU |
| Screen | 5.2" FHD LCD | 5.7" AMOLED |
| Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 | |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels | 2560 x 1440 pixels |
| Camera | Rear: 12.3 MP; 1.55μm pixels; f/2.0 | Rear: 12.3 MP; 1.55μm pixels; f/2.0 |
| Front: 5 MP | Front: 8 MP | |
| Battery | 2700 mAh | 3450 mAh |
