Nexus 6 release date, specs: Handset may be Google's budget $100 smartphone

(Photo: Wikipedia)A Nexus 5 smartphone

At this stage, rumors about Google engineering a budget, entry-level Nexus smartphone remain rumors. But this figment hasn't gone away and is leaving some pundits believing it's not all smoke and mirrors.

Tech weblog BGR (aka Boy Genius Report) hints that Google could be planning to market a $100 Nexus smartphone. No word on the budget version's name, however, but some say this could be the eagerly-awaited Nexus 6, but crafted for emerging markets such as China.

Speculation says the phone could run on powerful but low cost MediaTek Processors, allowing Google to price the phone as low as $100. A Chinese website recently reported about this possibility but the rumor has yet to be confirmed. MediaTek is a prime suspect because its cheap quad-core processors dominate the low- to mid-range Android smartphones.

Still other pundits believe the rumored device will be a Nexus 6 "Lite" or "Mini" similar to the Mini models of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

Tech website Android Geeks has waded into the fray and reported that Google's next flagship smartphone (Nexus 6?) will likely be released in October. Android Geeks expects Nexus 6 to feature a 5.5-inch screen. It could also come with a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB of RAM and up to 32 GB of memory.

It also said HTC might end up making the smartphone. HTC may also be the manufacturer of the affordable Nexus 8 tablet rumored to be due out in the third quarter.

Nexus 6 is reportedly due out in October, which is making the third quarter of the year a pretty busy one for Google. The launch of the new smartphone could coincide with the release of Android 4.5, Google's next Android operating system. Odds are that Android 4.5 will be dubbed "Lollipop," continuing a tradition that has seen Google give candy nicknames to its OS.

Copyright © 2014 Ecumenical News