Looking
back you might find it funny that screens that size were considered
large and remembering how people got excited about a single-core 1GHz
chip might also seem strange from today’s viewpoint.
Just that would tell you how quickly we've evolved from there. It is that evolution and the trends in it that we want to focus on here: to spot what Google has focused on keeping and changing in these years, in both devices, Android software and price.
A Nexus phone has not always been an affordable phone. Sure, it was a bit more affordable than flagships, but far from the level it is today - the Nexus S for instance launched priced at $529 unlocked. Fast forward a couple of years, and the single most-important feature that makes Nexus phones so enticing now is without a doubt their price. Sold for half the price of flagship smartphones, yet still packing top-shelf hardware, the Nexus lineup is an extremely seductive device for those who are on a budget. Behind this all is without a doubt a huge subsidy by Google on every handset - you can rest assured that neither manufacturers, nor Google made much profit out of the $299 Nexus 4 (even less so after its price dropped to $199).
The drastic price cut only first started with the Nexus 4, and now the Nexus 5 continues with that trend. Still, the low price is not universal. You can get the low-priced Nexus on Google Play store’s devices section, but that section is only available in less than ten countries (the United States and other first-world nations). In all other places, the Nexus smartphones are sold with a slight premium. They are still noticeably cheaper than flagships, but not half the price.
With the Nexus 5 coming at its affordable price, it’s clear that we now all expect Nexus smartphones to be cheap.
Just that would tell you how quickly we've evolved from there. It is that evolution and the trends in it that we want to focus on here: to spot what Google has focused on keeping and changing in these years, in both devices, Android software and price.
The Google subsidy - a high-end phone for half the price
A Nexus phone has not always been an affordable phone. Sure, it was a bit more affordable than flagships, but far from the level it is today - the Nexus S for instance launched priced at $529 unlocked. Fast forward a couple of years, and the single most-important feature that makes Nexus phones so enticing now is without a doubt their price. Sold for half the price of flagship smartphones, yet still packing top-shelf hardware, the Nexus lineup is an extremely seductive device for those who are on a budget. Behind this all is without a doubt a huge subsidy by Google on every handset - you can rest assured that neither manufacturers, nor Google made much profit out of the $299 Nexus 4 (even less so after its price dropped to $199).
The drastic price cut only first started with the Nexus 4, and now the Nexus 5 continues with that trend. Still, the low price is not universal. You can get the low-priced Nexus on Google Play store’s devices section, but that section is only available in less than ten countries (the United States and other first-world nations). In all other places, the Nexus smartphones are sold with a slight premium. They are still noticeably cheaper than flagships, but not half the price.
With the Nexus 5 coming at its affordable price, it’s clear that we now all expect Nexus smartphones to be cheap.
The evolution of Nexus: 5 years of change
1. The evolution of Nexus: from the HTC Nexus One to the Nexus 5
2. The evolution of Nexus: from the HTC Nexus One to the Nexus 5
3. The evolution of Android came along: from Eclair 2.1 on Nexus One to 4.4 KitKat
4. The evolution of Android came along: from Eclair 2.1 on Nexus One to 4.4 KitKat
5. The evolution of Android came along: from Eclair 2.1 on Nexus One to 4.4 KitKat
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