After a new smartphone is announced, especially one with the following of the Nexus series, we always wait and look forward to when it will be available where we live. When Google announced the new LG Nexus 5X and the Huawei Nexus 6P, they promised a Canadian arrival by the end of October – not only in the online Google Store, but also at Canadian carriers. Besides the Big Three – Rogers, Telus and Bell – they were to arrive on SaskTel Wind and Videotron. Thanks to a Bell representative on Facebook, Dan and MobileSyrup, we now know that the Nexus 6P will be available on Monday, October 26. There was no mention on pricing of the Nexus 6P, although it will most likely be $199.99 on a two-year contract or $699.99 outright. There was also no mention of its counterpart, the Nexus 5X, but Google has indicated it will be leaving the warehouse on October 19.
Google really did a smart thing this year by introducing two Nexus devices. The LG Nexus 5x is the more traditional Nexus device to showcase its Android 6.0 Marshmallow – competent, solid, mid-style specs and a reasonable price. The Huawei Nexus 6P is a higher spec’d device with a higher price, for those that want a premium device but also want a Marshmallow as well. By doing this, Google is able to captivate a wider audience for its pure Android experience.
The Nexus 6P is a beautifully designed smartphone with an all-metal backing that comes in three colors – Aluminum, Graphite or Frost. It uses a 5.7-inch Samsung-made AMOLED display with a QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 518 pixels-per-inch (PPI). Huawei likes to use their own HiSilicone Kirn processors, but decided – or were told by Google – to use the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.55GHz and four cores clocked at 1.9GHz. This is version 2.1 of the processor and with underclocking, we assume that the heating issues were eliminated. The Nexus 6P packs 3GB of RAM and either 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal memory with no means for expansion.
The 12.3MP sensor, laser autofocus and dual-tone LED flash scored a DxOMark score of 84, right under the 86 on the Samsung Galaxy S6, so you can be assured of taking great photos. It also has a fingerprint sensor, dual front-facing stereo speakers and a Type-C reversible microUSB port for charging its large 3,450 mAh battery or data transfer. Huawei also included a huge 8MP front-facing camera for selfies and video chatting – it is one of the most complete Nexus devices ever offered, and still at a reasonable price – well-played Google.