Nexus 5 back in stock on Google Play Store to make up for Nexus 6, 9 low sales

Google and LG's Nexus 5, predecessor of the current Nexus 6[Photo credit: LG Electronics]

To the surprise of many consumers, Google brought back the Nexus 5 to the Play Store after everyone presumed that the company already ceased its production in order to give way to its successor, the Nexus 6.

It was speculated that the disappearance of the Nexus 5 from the Play Store was a move by Google in order to persuade buyers to purchase the Nexus 6. Apart from taking away one device option, the company also made the Nexus 6 available through various U.S. carriers and at flexible terms to make it more affordable and attractive to consumers. However, the re-emergence of the older device seems to indicate that Google's plan did not work out as expected.

According to Android Origin, the resurrection of the Nexus 5 is due to the low sales of the new Nexus 6 smartphone along with the Nexus 9 tablet. The improved specs and features of the new smartphone resulted in a steep price, something that many Nexus fans were not happy about.  The sudden price jump is presumably one of the primary reasons why many consumers refused to purchased the high-end device and continued to seek for the more affordable Nexus 5. 

Those who want a Nexus 5 need to hurry because Google announced that 2015 will be the final year of production for the Nexus 5. This means that once Google ends the production of the handset and all remaining stocks are exhausted, people will no longer be able to find stocks of the older device. 

Google Nexus 5 has a 4.95-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) screen display and is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC paired with 2 GB of RAM. Other features include an 8-megapixel rear camera and 2300 mAh battery. The handset is available in 16 GB and 32 GB of internal storage options, which cost $349 and $399, respectively. The smartphone was released with Android 4.4 KitKat OS, but is eligible for the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS update.