UPDATED 21:33 EDT / SEPTEMBER 29 2015

NEWS

Google gets jiggy with it with 2 new Nexus phones, 2 new Chromecasts, and a 10.2″ Pixel C tablet

Google didn’t disappoint at its big Nexus reveal event Wednesday with the tech giant unveiling a raft of new products including new Nexus phones, a new Chromecast dongle, a new device called Chromecast Audio, and the surprise of the event, given rumors of its existence only broke yesterday: an Android powered Pixel C tablet.

First off the rank are two new Android Marshmallow powered Nexus phones, and this time around the latest in Google’s range are the 5.7 inch Nexus 6P and the 5.2 inch Nexus 5X.

Manufactured by China’s Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, the Nexus 6P is the flagship device in the new launch and comes complete with a 5.7-inch WQHD AMOLED screen powered by a 2 GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 v.2.1 supported by 3GB of RAM.

Surprisingly given the screen size is still the same as its predecessor the Nexus 6, the “aeronautical-grade aluminum” phone (basically its metal) comes in at a thin 6.27 inches x 3.0 inches, is 7.3mm thick, weighs 178 grams, and offers a 12.3 MP back camera delivering 1.55µm pixels, and an 8 MP front camera.

The phone is offered in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, and is priced at $499, $549 and $649 respectively.

Its new companion, the Nexus 5X is made by LG Electronics, Inc. and offers a 5.2-inch screen and the same 12.3 MP camera as the Nexus 6P.

Under the hood the Nexus 5X is running a Snapdragon 808 processor, with a 1080p display protected by Gorilla Glass 3.

Both phones come standard with a USB-C connector and the new “Nexus Imprint,” a fingerprint scanner on the rear of the phone, with the Nexus 5X coming in at the more affordable price point of $379 with 16GB of memory.

Chromecast

Not unsurprisingly given it is now two years old, Google’s screencasting dongle the Chromecast has received an update, but not just one but two: there’s now the Chromecast Audio dedicated to (as the name suggests) music streaming.

The new standard Chromecast gets an interesting new form factor that is sort of reminiscent of  circular headphones, of which Google justifies as being easier to plug into TVs with crowded ports.

Chromecast Audio is designed to plug into speakers and allows users to stream music, radio and podcasts over Wi-Fi, similar to Chromecast. Notably it supports various services including Spotify, Pandora, and Google Play Music, although of interest Google didn’t mention Apple Music support.

Both devices support the latest WiFi standards for quick, no hassle streaming with the price being more than competitive with both coming in at $35.

Pixel C

The biggest surprise of the event given details only leaked yesterday, and an announcement wasn’t expected until later in the year, was Google’s entry into the high-end tablet space with the Pixel C, its first tablet under the Pixel line.

As rumored, the device is Android-powered and comes complete with the optional extra of a full sized keyboard, a la Microsoft Surface.

Shipping like the Nexus 6P in brushed metal, the 10.2-inch tablet offers a 2560×1800 308 pixel-per-inch screen, powered by NVIDIA X1 quad-core processor with an integrated Maxwell GPU, and 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM.

Not surprisingly the device is, in keeping with Google’s current offerings, exclusively powered by a USB-C connector.

A premium tablet commands a premium price, but the Pixel C isn’t super expensive, coming in at $499 for 32GB and $599 for 64GB, however if you want the keyboard you’ll need to dish out another $149.

All the newly announced devices are available for pre-order from the Google Play store as of today.

Image credit: Google.

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