Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

This might be why you can’t find a Nexus 6 in the Google Play Store right now

Published Oct 30th, 2014 9:40AM EDT
Nexus 6 Sold Out in Google Play Store
Image: Google Inc.

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Google opened Nexus 6 preorders on Wednesday in the U.S., but the company soon sold out the available 32GB versions of the first Nexus phablet, and the 64GB version was still listed as “coming soon.” This isn’t the first time Google’s new Nexus handsets sold out soon after being made available in the Google Play Store, but Google might have a special reason for only taking a limited number of preorders in its online store, at least according to MobileSyrup.

FROM EARLIER: You can preorder Google’s incredible Nexus 6 right now

The publication says the Nexus 6 is “huge” for Google’s future in the smartphone company, and the phone is intended to be sold mainly through carriers, rather than on Google Play.

“This is the most expensive Nexus device ever created, intended to be sold almost exclusively through the carrier channels, with only a small sliver of inventory available via Google Play,” the publication writes. “Robert Hamilton, product lead for the Nexus program, said that despite the conception by early adopters that the Nexus 4 and 5 were predominantly purchased from the Play Store, most were sold through the carrier channels.”

The Nexus 6 happens to be the first Nexus smartphone to launch with all four major U.S. mobile operators, an important milestone for the company, as Google previously failed to convince mobile operators to jump on board the Nexus ship.

Even though Google might be interested in selling the Nexus 6 mainly through carriers, the phone is yet to become available in AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular or Verizon stores, or in international markets. Interestingly, the Nexus 6 is supposedly delayed in the U.K., and possibly other major markets as well.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.