Google Nexus 5: specs, release date and UK price

Nicole Kobie November 1, 2013

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The Google Nexus 5 has been unveiled, featuring a 5in display with 445ppi and Android KitKat – for only £299 SIM-free.

The LG-made handset adds to Google’s existing hardware lineup, extending it from the Nexus 4 smartphone and the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets.

The Nexus 5 features a 1,920 x 1,080 display protected by Gorilla Glass 3, with its 445ppi topping the iPhone 5s’ 326ppi, but coming in a shade under the HTC One’s 469ppi.

It runs Android KitKat on a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and 450MHz Adreno 330 GPU and has 2GB RAM, and features an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel snapper on the front, as well as new photo tools.

“The advanced new lens on Nexus 5 captures more light for brighter night and sharper action shots,” said Sundar Pichai, vice president of Android. “And with optical image stabilisation, you no longer have to worry about shaky hands and blurry pictures. A new HDR+ mode automatically snaps a rapid burst of photos and combines them to give you the best possible single shot.”

Nexus 5

For connectivity, it features dual-band 802.11abgnac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4, NFC and 4G/LTE.

Google promises the 2,300mAh battery will offer 17 hours of talk time, and the Nexus 5 supports wireless charging.

It weighs in at 130g – the same as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One – and is 137.8 x 69 x 8.6mm.

The Nexus 5 comes in two colours – black and white – and two storage sizes, but there’s no expandable memory slot. The 16GB version is £299 and the 32GB version is £339 – both are SIM free without a contract, but are also available on contract from Three and O2.

The Nexus 5 is available to order in the UK immediately, but will currently take a week to ship from Google Play.