Google Nexus 6P by Huawei

Sarbottam Bhagat

Google unveiled two new Nexus flagship smartphones as part of an event in San Francisco, the 5X from LG and the 6P from Huawei. Nexus 6P is the first nexus device from Google that is made of metal, the first made by Chinese vendor Huawei, the first to include both a fingerprint reader and an Android 6.0 operating system (Marshmallow) with Google Now on Tap, which adds contextual menus to the smartphone experience.

In the US, the Nexus 6P works on all major carriers — meaning you can switch between carriers without swapping hardware. It’ll also support “Google Fi”, the company’s SIM card that uses Wi-Fi hotspots for a network connection.

According to Dave Burke, vice president of engineering for Android, “The 12.3-megapixel camera on Huawei’s Nexus 6P in particular carries the best camera that Google has ever included in a Nexus device. The device’s 8-megapixel front-facing camera can make pictures in HDR+ mode, so you can get the world’s best selfies on your phone. Huawei’s Nexus 6P can produce stunning images, even in the toughest of lighting conditions.”

The indentation on the back of the Nexus 6P is a fingerprint scanner that provides immediate authentication and Android Pay. Google said the fingerprint sensor can recognize a fingerprint in under 600ms and the software behind it, Nexus Imprint, learns as you use it. The fingerprint reader can also be used to unlock the phone.

A new Android Sensor Hub on the phone that can, among other things, detect when the phone is picked up to activate the ambient display for notifications, the time and other options, all in a low-power mode, similar to what Motorola has released in the past. 

The Nexus 6P, built by Huawei, features a 5.7-inch WQHD AMOLED display which has the specs that enable this smartphone handle slow motion video at up to 240 frames per second. The camera can be launched by double tapping the power button. It supports 4K resolution and sport USB Type-C chargers and comes in aluminum, graphite, and frost.

Google will also begin selling a two-year warranty called Nexus Protect that covers breaks and water damage. The warranty that costs $89 in the U.S. will replace the broken device as soon as the next business day.

Nexus 6P rocks a Snapdragon 810 chipset coupled with 3GB of RAM and a bigger 3450 mAh battery and comes in three different variants: a 32GB model for $499, a 64GB model for $549 and a 128GB model for $649. The unlocked Nexus 6P has already started shipping and in order to make the deal more attractive to the buyers, Google has added up a 90-day subscription to Google Play Music and a $50 credit for its Play Store for U.S buyers.