Nexus 5X officially announced: everything you need to know

After a seemingly endless amount of leaks and rumors, Google has finally taken the wraps off the new Nexus 5X. This LG-made device is the lower-end of the two handsets announced today, though it still brings some impressive specs and features to the table – especially for the price point.

LG’s 2013 Nexus 5 was a favorite amongst many Android fans, as the device offered up some really great specifications for an affordable price. This year’s Nexus 5X is a continuation on the 2013 model, but with some big improvements we think many of you will enjoy. So without any further ado, let’s take a look at the newly-announced Nexus 5X.

LG Nexus 5X specs, features and design

The Nexus 5X features a 5.2-inch Full HD LCD display with Gorilla Glass 3. Google’s decision to forgo a Quad HD panel shouldn’t come as a surprise, as this move was likely made to keep the cost down. The 1080p panel will also be much less power hungry than other higher resolution displays, helping the 2700mAh battery last a bit longer. In hopes that all of the new battery-saving features in Android 6.0 Marshmallow will make up for it, Google didn’t include wireless charging in either of the two new Nexus devices. This was a handy feature present in the Nexus line ever since the Nexus 4, and will surely be missed by many fans of the charging method.

Under the hood, the 5X totes a 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor backed by 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM, which should be plenty powerful enough for gaming, surfing the web and performing other everyday tasks without a hitch. This device also comes with either 16 or 32GB of on-board storage. If you need more than that you’ll have to rely on the cloud, as the 5X doesn’t come with a microSD card slot for expandable storage. If you’re willing to skip the 5X and would like a Nexus with a bit more on-board storage, the newly-announced Nexus 6P comes in 32, 64 and 128GB flavors.

There’s also a 12.3MP rear-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture onboard, as well as a 5MP front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture. Both the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 featured optical image stabilization (OIS), but unfortunately the Nexus 5X does not. We aren’t entirely sure why Google chose to leave this helpful feature out of the camera. Nexus phones have always struggled in the camera department, and we’re really hoping the 5X won’t suffer the same fate. We’ll of course test the camera out in full when we get our hands on this device.

Below the rear camera sensor sits the touch-based fingerprint sensor, which will be able to wake and unlock your device with just a single tap. Google is calling the fingerprint sensing technology “Nexus Imprint”. The fingerprint reader isn’t the only new hardware addition to the device. The 5X also sports a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer.

The Nexus 5X runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This should come as no surprise, as Google officially announced this new version of Android a few months ago, and we’ve gone hands-on with the various developer previews that have been released thus far. Aesthetically speaking, Marshmallow doesn’t stray to far away from Lollipop, though it does offer up some pretty notable new features including Now on Tap, which we first saw at Google I/O 2015. Marshmallow also features a number of new APIs that offer support for fingerprint sensor integration, as well as a greatly improved permissions system that will give users more granular control over which applications can access what.

All in all, the software experience on the 5X (and 6P) consists of many things Nexus fans love, along with a bevy of stability improvements and bug fixes.

As for the overall design of the device, the 5X looks quite similar to the Nexus 5 proper. It’s made of a soft touch plastic that looks to be quite grippy, and the smaller 5.2-inch display size will probably make it pretty easy to hold in one hand. It comes in Charcoal Black, Quartz White and Ice Blue color options, as well. The 5X measures 147.0 x 72.6 x 7.9mm and weighs 136 grams, compared to the Nexus 5’s 137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6mm and 130 grams.

Nexus 5X pricing and availability

Unlike most Nexus devices in the past, you won’t be able to walk into your local carrier store and pick up LG’s newest Nexus device. The Nexus 5X (along with the Nexus 6P), will be available for pre-order starting today through the Google Store and a handful of other online retailers in the U.S., U.K., Japan and Ireland. The 16GB model will start at $379.99, and will begin shipping in October. 

Google also included that all Nexus pre-orders in the U.S. will come with a $50 Google Play credit. Google is also launching a protection plan called Nexus Protect, which offers users two full years of coverage if your phone happens to break down. You’ll be able to file a claim 24/7, and you can get your new device as early as the next business day. Nexus Protect will cost $69 for the 5X, and $89 for the 6P, and is launching in the U.S. today. Google will roll this plan out to more regions in the future.

More coverage

Be sure to check out more of our coverage from today’s Nexus event (we’ll update this list as we add more):

• Nexus 6P officially announced: everything you need to know

Now that all of the juicy details have been outed, tell us – will you be buying a Nexus 5X later today?