Google unveils new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P smartphones: Best features, price and release date revealed

Google has revealed two brand new smartphones to its family of devices – the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. With Apple's latest launch still fresh in our minds it was time for Google to grab a piece of the limelight and at an event with far less fanfare it rolled out two new devices along with some other interesting updates.

There were a slew of internet leaks as to what to expect and most of them were right on the money. We were shown its newest flagship the Nexus 5X and its larger, more powerful, sibling the Nexus 6P – with both running the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. Here's everything you need to know about the phones and when you can get hold of them:

Nexus 6P features:

• Built in collaboration with Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei and features an all-metal uni-body design crafted from aeronautical-grade aluminium
• 5.7in, 1440p, AMOLED display with 518ppi
• 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 processor
• 3450mAh battery
• 12.3 megapixel Sony imaging camera with larger 1.55um pixels for better performance in low light and laser focus. Plus an 8 megapixel front-facing camera for the "world's best selfies"
• Type-C USB charger, which can provide a claimed seven hours of battery life on a 10-minute charge
• Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor on the rear to unlock phone and access apps
• Available in 32/64/128GB storage options
• Comes in Aluminium (silver), Graphite (black) and Frost (white)

Nexus 6P price and release date:

Prices start at £449 (32GB), £499 (64GB), £579 (128GB) with pre-orders available for the US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Japan through the Google Play Store from 29<sup>th September and arriving on 26<sup>th October. It will then roll-out to more than 30 countries.

Nexus 5X features:

• Built in collaboration with LG this is Google's latest flagship phone with "top-of-the-line performance at an affordable price"
• 5.2in, Full HD 1080p, IPS LCD with 423ppi
• Six-core, 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 2700mAh battery
• 12.3 megapixel Sony imaging camera as in the Nexus 6P with a 5 megapixel front-facing camera
• Type-C USB charger
• Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor on the rear to unlock phone and access apps
• Available in 16/32GB storage options
• Comes in Carbon Black, Quartz White and Ice Blue

Nexus 5X price and release date:

Price start at £339 (16GB) and £379 (32GB) with pre-orders available for the US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Japan through the Google Play Store from 29<sup>th September and arriving on 16<sup>th October. It will then roll-out to more than 30 countries.

Best new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P features

Both handsets will come with some great new hardware features, not to mention all the extra goodies from Android 6.0. The fairly low-key event, which was streamed live on YouTube (thank you, Google; Apple take note) demoed a few of the best features and tricks we'll be expecting when the handsets arrive. Here were some of the stand-out on show:

Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P: Camera

Both handsets will feature the same upgraded 12.3 megapixel camera on the rear, which uses Sony imaging technology and has larger megapixels to soak up more light - something Google has specifically optimised for indoor conditions. The benefit of more light being let into the lens means it will perform better in low-light conditions. You'll find 1.55 micron pixels here, as opposed to 1.22 in an iPhone 6s Plus.

A side-by-side comparison between a Nexus 6, iPhone 6s Plus and the new Nexus 6P showed impressive image quality when taking a picture after sunset. The Nexus 6P also will get a decently specced 8 megapixel camera on the front for what Google is claiming will give "the world's best selfies". There's also a laser autofocus system and a slow motion Smart Burst mode with the 5X being able to capture 120fps and the 6P 240fps so you can create gifs from your videos. Both also shoot 4k video.

Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P: Sensor Hub

This low-power processor monitors the movement in the handsets to help help reduce the phone's battery consumption. A neat feature of the Sensor Hub is it knows when the phone has been idle for a time so will conserve power - like if you have gone to bed and forgotten to charge overnight it means you won't pick up a dead mobile in the morning. It also senses when it's being picked up and will automatically display notifications in a low-power ambient display.

Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P: Nexus Imprint

The fingerprint sensor is located on the rear of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P as Google believes this is the most natural place to put it. It will let users wake the phone, unlock apps and purchase items on the Play Store. The updated technology will be able to identify a fingerprint in less than 600 milliseconds and it said to get work better everytime you use it.

Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P: Android 6.0 Marshmallow

The Nexus 5X and 6P will be the first phones to run Android 6.0 or Android M and there are some great-looking features to look forward to. It goes back to basics and strips out a lot of the bloatware and pre-installed apps that made Android messy. There are new window animations and ways it notifies you without all the annoyance of before. It's smart too - based on a learning system it gets better over time and will learn how you use your phone. For instance it will automatically re-arrange your apps at certain times of the day, putting the ones it knows you use at those specific times at the top. Then there's Now on Tap, which uses the power of Google search for anything you see on your mobile screen. As an example, if you were in a WhatsApp chat and your friend suggested meeting at a restaurant for dinner next week you can simply ask the phone and it will tell you everything about the venue, give you directions, reviews and put it in your calendar. Smart stuff.