Earlier this month, I wrote about my extreme frustration with the Android upgrade process. Essentially, I do not understand why it should take more than six months (and counting!) to get the latest Android software out to a flagship phone that’s been released within the past two years. When my two-year carrier contract expires in September, I will be buying a new phone off-contract and the iPhone 6s is going to look very tempting. However, there is something Google can do to pull me back from the brink: Release a 2015 version of the Nexus 5.
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The reason I want a 2015 Nexus 5 is easy to understand. In the first place, the original Nexus 5 was an awesome device that still holds up well today. The Nexus 6 that Google released last year was just too big for my tastes — I have nothing against phablets but I’d really prefer to have a phone that can fit comfortably in my pocket.
The beauty of Nexus phones is that they don’t have the OEM and carrier bloatware that come with other flagship devices. This means that when new versions of Android come out, Nexus devices are usually the very first to get them. The Nexus project is also particularly important because now Google has shelved the Google Play Edition program that used to give you the opportunity to buy flagship handsets from Samsung and HTC that ran stock Android and thus were also quick to upgrade once new software came out.
So what would my dream 2015 Nexus 5 be like? I’d like to see it manufactured by LG, which made the original Nexus 5 and which has shown itself to be very capable of producing first-rate Android handsets. In particular, I’d love to see the 2015 Nexus 5 incorporate the amazing camera technology that we’ve seen on this year’s LG G4 and also the remarkably slim side bezels that have become LG’s trademark in the Android world.
Ideally, the device would have the same kind of metal-and-glass build of the Galaxy S6, but I’m just not going to be that picky about it. I’ll happily get a well-made plastic phone as long as it delivers a strong display and a great camera along with no bloatware and fast software updates.
While I’m really hoping to see a 2015 Nexus 5 this year, I’d also consider a 2015 Moto X if it represents a strong upgrade over last year’s model as well. However, if neither of those two devices emerge this summer, it’s going to be very hard for me to resist the allure of the iPhone 6s when it launches in September.
