Amidst the disappointment of some Google fans with the new Nexus 6 price, Google thinks that a lot of people will still buy its latest smartphone with the aid of its availability outside the Googel Play Store. A company executive hinted that the new Nexus 6 price under contract will be $199 and will be available in five carriers soon.
"We are selling the Nexus 6 in a way most people are used to buying it. Nexus fans understand the pricing model of an unlocked device. But outside of that, paying $350 upfront was a foreign concept," Google's vice president of engineering for Android Hiroshi Lockheimer told CNET.
This is the first time that Google is extending the availability of the Nexus smartphone from Google Play Store. Apparently, Google wants to reach more consumers by making the Nexus 6 available in various places, including the major networks.
The report added that consumers are more willing to pay $199 for the device than $349 for the Nexus 5. The $199 upfront price, however, will come with a two-year commitment with a carrier, and the release to these networks has no exact date yet.
Currently, the Nexus 6 reportedly sold out in the Play Store within minutes after the pre-order started last Oct. 29. In Google Play Store, the unlocked version of the device is available for $649.99 for the 32 GB, while the 64GB variant costs $699.99. The price is a big jump from Nexus 5's affordable off-contract price of $349. However, this is due to the "premium" specs and features that Google jampacked in the device.
These features stemmed from the requests of consumers — wishes that the company apparently wants to satisfy. Some of the key features of Google Nexus 6 are:
- 5.96-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD (1440 x 2560) resolution and 493 ppi
- Quad core 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 SoC
- Adreno 420 GPU
- 3 GB of RAM
- 32 GB / 64 GB internal storage variants
- Android 5.0 Lollipop OS
- 13 MP rear camera
- 3220 mAh battery
