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Good Phones Can Be Cheap: Google Announces the Nexus 5X and 6P

Google is showing that flagship phones with the latest hardware and software can easily cost half the price
Image: Google

The latest, greatest phones don't all have to break the bank. At a press event on Tuesday, Google announced its two newest Nexus phones, the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, for just $379 and $499 USD.

That's certainly not cheap. But when compared to competing phones—even within the Android ecosystem, some of which can cost hundreds of dollars more—Google's latest phones are promising high-end performance for a relatively inexpensive price.

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The Nexus 5X is manufactured by LG, and boasts a 5.2" display and six-core processor. Google partnered with Chinese hardware manufacturer Huawei on the Nexus 6P, which features a 5.7" display, eight-core processor, and is the first Nexus phone with a full-metal aluminium body. Both phones will ship with the newest version of Android, 6.0 Marshmallow.

The Nexus 5X comes in carbon black, quartz white, and ice blue, while the Nexus 6P comes in frost white, aluminium, and graphite colours. The two phones are being sold unlocked through the Google Store, and will start shipping in October. If you live in the US, UK, Ireland and Japan, pre-orders start today, with more countries coming in the next few weeks.

Chief amongst the new features is a 12.3 megapixel imaging sensor made by Sony, which is included in both phones. According to Google's vice president of engineering for Android, Dave Burke, the sensor "can produce stunning images even in the toughest lighting conditions."

The Nexus 5X can also capture slow-motion video at 120fps, while the Nexus 6P can capture slow-motion video at 240fps. Both phones can capture normal video at resolutions up to 4K.

USB Type-C charging is present, and can apparently quick-charge a device in half the time of an iPhone 6. There is a fingerprint sensor on the back of both phones, called Nexus Imprint, which owners can use to quickly unlock their phone and verify their identity for retail payments using Android Pay.

Google knows that smartphones can be expensive, and even those bought on contract can still cost hundreds of dollars up-front. But with the Nexus 5X and 6P, Google is showing that flagship phones with the latest hardware and software can easily cost half the price.