With the latest version of the iPhone barely out of the gate, Google is already seeking to increase the competition in the smartphone market, unveiling two new handsets and a Pixel C tablet.
The company unveiled its new handsets, with the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P joining the lineup. These showcase the latest version of Android software, dubbed Marshmallow.
Google opened preorders for the devices immediately, with Ireland among the first group of countries to get the new phones, along with the US, UK and Japan.
The Nexus 6P comes with an all-metal body, a QHD display that has 518 pixels per inch and the new USB Type C charger that has also made an appearance in the Macbook. It supports quick charging, with 10 minutes of charging giving you up to seven hours of battery life.
The phone is also going for the camera aficionados, with a 12.3 megapixel rear camera and the addition of slow-motion video, a smart burst option, and instant launch of the camera from the power button.
‘Unprecedented’ sensor
“The new Nexus camera is great outdoors, but it’s also optimised for indoor photography,” Google’s vice president of engineering
Dave Burke
said, pointing out three ways Google had done so: pixel size, fast laser detect autofocus, and improved HDR.
The sensor used in the camera was “unprecedented” in a mobile phone, having been originally designed for camcorders.
The sequel to the Nexus 5, Google’s most popular Nexus handset, the 5X comes with a 5.2 inch 1080 display, and is powered by a Snapdragon 808 processor. It comes in 16GB and 32GB varieties, and comes in at the more affordable end of the scale.
Both handsets include support for fingerprint security, with a sensor on the rear of the phone known as Nexus Imprint.
Emerging economies
Google said Android now has 1.4 billion 30-day active devices, with growth seen in emerging economies doubling in places like
Vietnam
. Its Google Play store has one billion monthly active users.
"We're well on our way to bringing the next billion users online," said Google chief executive Sundar Pichai.
Google also revealed the first Android tablet it has built, the Pixel C, that has an optional smart keyboard that attaches to the back of the device when not in use.
Mr Burke said Android Marshmallow had brought Google back to basics to polish and improve the operating system, bringing fast access to voice commands, a charging speed indicator to indicate if it’s in fast charge mode or not, and improvements to the user interface.
Voice interaction capabilities have been extended to third party apps.
Google’s Chromecast is also getting a few tweaks with a new look that brings an integrated HDMI cable, higher video resolution and lower buffering. Google said more than 209 million Chromecast devices had been sold since its introduction in July 2013.
Google also announced the Chromecast Audio, which will stream audio to your regular speakers simply by hooking up the 3.5mm cable to your existing speakers.
