Google Nexus ‘Shamu’ Priced At £349

Google’s next-generation reference smartphone, the code names of which include “Nexus 6”, “Nexus X”, “Moto S” and “Shamu”, will have a higher price tag than its predecessor, the Nexus 5, according to data released on an Indian import-export website.

The site, called Zauba, lists the Shamu handset among those imported into the country from the US, giving its pricing as 34,982 rupees, or £349.

That would be a hike from the Nexus 5 (pictured), manufactured by LG, which launched last November at £299 for the 16GB model.

High-end components

The steep price tag of the Nexus devices reflect their use of high-end components, due to the fact that they are designed to showcase Google’s Android mobile operating system. The devices are not modified by manufacturers or wireless carriers, and feature an unlockable bootloader, allowing them to be modified by the end user. The Nexus devices are the first to receive Android updates.

Shamu is expected to be manufactured by Motorola, and is expected to run the upcoming Android L operating system. Rumours have suggested it will use a 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 3GB RAM, featuring a 13MP rear camera, a 2MP front camera and a 5.9in display.

Screen growth

The Nexus 5 featured a five-inch display, at that time the largest to date on a Nexus smartphone. The screen was capable of 1920×1080 resolution and was protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The device ran a 2.3 GHz Krait 400 quad-core processor on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC, alongside 2GB of RAM, with 16GB and 32GB models, and an SD card slot notably absent.

The Nexus 5 had full support for 4G and NFC communication, and this is also likely for its successor.

Other devices currently available in the Nexus range include two tablets: the Nexus 7, made by Asus, and the Nexus 10, made by Samsung.

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