New $649 Smartphone Has 5.9-Inch Screen; Google Also Unveils Tablet, Set-Top Box
Google Inc. unveiled three new Nexus-branded devices Wednesday, signaling plans to compete with Apple Inc. for high-end consumers.
Google’s new Nexus 6 smartphone, Nexus 9 tablet and Nexus Player set-top box are priced slightly below, or in line with, competing devices from Apple. That’s a departure for Google, which in the past has priced new models significantly less than Apple products.
Google also said it would introduce a new version of its Android operating system, dubbed Android L, for Lollipop, next month.
Unlike Apple, Google also licenses its operating system to other phone makers. With the new releases, Google is trying both to compete more with Apple at the premium end of the mobile-device market and help partners churn out cheap handsets for developing markets.
“We deeply respect what Apple is doing, but we take a very different approach,” said Sundar Pichai, who runs Google’s Android, Chrome and Apps businesses. “With Android L, we wanted to show the entire spectrum.”
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Google’s Nexus Player video streaming and gaming set-top box will cost $99.GOOGLE INC.
Android powered 85% of smartphones shipped globally in the second quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. But in developed markets, such as the U.S., Apple devices remain popular with wealthier customers. That gives Apple an advantage because its users spend more on applications, encouraging developers to work on its platform first.
Google said all three new devices can be pre-ordered online later this week. The phone will be sold in 27 countries and in stores in November.
At 5.9 inches diagonally, the Nexus 6 is larger than Apple’s new iPhone 6 Plus, which measures 5.5 inches. It will sell for $649, compared with $749 for the iPhone 6 Plus. Last year, Google introduced the Nexus 5 at $349.
Mr. Pichai said the goal of Nexus products is not to sell lots of devices, but to provide a “roadmap” to help other Android device makers, such as Samsung Electronics Co. , develop similar products.
The Nexus 6 will be available through the four major U.S. wireless carriers and sold in their stores, with two-year contracts and monthly installment plans that reduce the up-front cost of the device, Mr. Pichai said. Verizon Communications Inc. didn’t carry the two most recent Nexus phones.
The Nexus 6 smartphone is made by Motorola Mobility, the handset manufacturer that Google is selling to China’s Lenovo Group .
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The Nexus 9 tablet, made by HTCCorp. , features an 8.9-inch screen, and starts at $399. An optional keyboard cover costs $129. It will be available in 30 countries and in stores next month.
Google hopes the Nexus 9 can substitute for laptops in some work situations. Microsoft Corp. has tried that strategy with its Surface tablet, but it has failed to catch on with lots of consumers. Mr. Pichai said many people already use Android tablets, which should help get the Nexus 9 adopted in the office and on business trips.
The Nexus 9’s $399 starting price is also close to what Apple charges for its iPads. The 9.7-inch tablets from Apple start at $399 and the latest iPad Air tablet is starts $499. Apple is expected to unveil new iPads Thursday.
The Nexus Player is a small set-top box shaped like a hockey puck that connects to TVs and uses Wi-Fi to stream movies and TV shows. It doubles as a gaming console, letting users play Android games on a larger screen. Asustek Computer Inc. made the gadget.
The set-top box costs $99 and will be sold in the U.S. and Canada through Google’s Play store in early November. That matches Apple’s $99 set-top box, Apple TV. The Nexus Player has an optional game controller that costs $39.99.
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