Nexus 5 news rumors specification: Everything you should know..

With the Nexus 4 now being the oldest device in the Nexus stable, it's time to turn our attention to the Nexus 5. When will the Nexus 5 launch? What will be different? How will it compare to the Nexus 4?

There's a swirl of rumour and speculation circulating on the internet as we head into autumn, the traditional launch time for a Nexus smartphone refresh. Here we're pulling together all the details and trying to separate the wheat from the chaff and build a picture of Google's next Nexus smartphone.

We'll update the feature as and when new details become known.

Nexus 5 release date

The Nexus 4 was launched on 29 October 2012, replacing the Galaxy Nexus, launched before that on 19 October 2011. The pattern suggests a late-October launch date for the Nexus 5, with stock landing in the Google Play store soon after, most likely within two weeks.

Recent documents from the Federal Communications Commission suggest that the Nexus 5 has been through the certification process, which typically happens in the run-up to device announcements.

Numerous sources are suggesting that Nexus 5 release date is 14 October, although there's been no word from Google confirming this. However, there have also been some mentions of theOctober launch from Nestlé, following the KitKit Android version tie-up.

We've also recently seen stock depletion of the Nexus 4 in some markets, perhaps another indicator that a replacement device is on its way. In previous years, Google Play has struggled to fulfill demand: perhaps it will manufacture more Nexus 5 stock this time around?

Nexus 5 manufacturer

With the Nexus devices skipping from one manufacturer to another - with HTC, Samsung, LG and Asus having all been involved so far - there's always speculation over who will actually build the handset.

So far we've seen reports suggesting thatLG, Motorola and Asus might be in the frame, but the current thinking is that it will be LG, with the D820 passing through the FCC being the device in question.

LG was the manufacturer for the Nexus 4; the Nexus 5 will likely take much of the hardware from the LG G2 and again some of the FCC details tally with specs found on the LG G2, suggesting similarities.

There have been continued details coming from the FCC, including much better images of the device that's commonly thought to be the Nexus 5 made by LG.

A recent manual leak also confirms this, with plenty of details revealed about the forthcoming LG Nexus device.

Nexus 5 display

Rumours have put the Nexus 5 display at 5.2-inches, with that rumour coming from Vietnamese site Tinhte. That would fit with the LG G2, which is thought to be the device that will evolve into the Nexus 5, so that's a plausable size.

However, the latest FCC document points at closer to 5-inches. That figure sounds about right as it matches with the size of most of the flagship devices currently on the market: the SGS4, HTC One and LG G2 all come in around that size.

We'd expect to see a 1080p display in place, with a recent "leak" purporting to show the Nexus 5 in a bar revealing little of the actual specifications, but showing the device being unlocked.

A recent manual leak, however, settles on 4.95-inches. The size would most likely be referred to as 5-inches. It's said to be an IPS display, so giving great viewing angles, as well as having that 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Nexus 5 software

The introduction of a new Nexus device usually debuts a new version of Android. Again, Google's recent announcement ofAndroid 4.4 KitKat suggests that the timings are set for an announcement soon.

Android 4.4 KitKat, obviously, is wrapped up in a promotional campaign with Nestlé, but the erection of a KitKat Android figure outside the Mountain View HQ suggests that there's going to be a fair number of changes in this new version.

Those changes are yet to be revealed, but Google has already set up the Android page for KitKat, telling us it will be sweet - pun absolutely intended.

For a long time the next iteration of Android was thought to be Key Lime Pie. Revealing the story behind the Google and Nestle tie-up on Android 4.4 KitKat, theBBC revealed that Key Lime Pie was being used as a codename, right up until the KitKat reveal.

The FCC details point to a software version running on Key Lime Pie: the name may have taken a recent change, but there's evidence to suggest that the device in question does have a new Android software version on board.

There have been a few Android 4.4 KitKat screens revealed. So far we've seen the boot and pattern unlock screen as seen in the video above, but more recently we've had a glance at the messages and dialler apps. There's little real detail to get to grips with here, as there's no mention of new Android KitKat features.

More recently we've seen a number of Android 4.4 mentions in log files - corroborating some of the Nexus 5 hardware information - as well as earlyAndroid KitKat leaks showing off some new features expected to come to Android. It looks like the camera will be getting some more attention, native printing from Android, as well as options to better control your call plan straight from the OS.

Nexus 5 design

The first glimpse that pointed to the Nexus 5 design came from a frame of a videothat showed a device in the hands of a Google employee at the unveiling of the giant Android KitKat.

It certainly looks like a device large enough to accomodate a 5-inch display and there's prominent Nexus lettering across the back and possibly the LG logo towards the bottom.

More recently, however, there have a been a number of leaks, of the normal blurrycam style, showing what's thought to be the Nexus 5. The most distinctive feature at the moment appears to be the camera lens surround, which matches the video frame above to the device pictured at the FCC as well as being shown off in a bar.

This was also supported by "weespeed", a member of the MacRumors forum who claims to physically have had his hands on the Nexus-branded handset. The photo that accompanies the forum post shows a handset we've seen before: a black back, vertical Nexus logo and large camera surround.

Weespeed claims to have held the Nexus 5, and notes that it feels smaller than the LG G2 and closer to the Nexus 7.

A recent manual leak adds flesh to these bones, showing off line drawings of the device, as well as showing more detailed shots, although we note that the source was asked to remove the images, so we're guessing they're bang on the money.

Nexus 5 hardware specs

There are several rumours pointing to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 as the chipset that will sit at the core of the Nexus 5. It's Qualcomm's latest, found in the newest devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the LG G2 and the Sony Xperia Z1. It fits with the Nexus past too, offering power for developers, but without all the other specs that consumers might call for.

The FCC doc again makes this suggestion. We'd imagine a pairing with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, although this is just speculation on our part, there's no evidence to support this detail yet. Google typically avoids microSD card expansion on Nexus devices and we'd expect this to continue.

More recently, there has been a leak of a benchmark test, with the results of the GFXBench T-Res HD Off-screen test showing the Nexus 5 scoring above every other smartphone, except the iPhone 5S which it was on a par with.

The FCC filing covers wireless connections, with a wide listing of network bands from various flavours of LTE downwards. This is line with that we'd expect: one of the notable exclusions from the Nexus 4 was LTE support, we'd expect that to be high on the agenda for the Nexus 5.

NFC and wireless charging are a given, so you can expect to see both in place when the Nexus 5 is launched.

A recent manual leak has again stated the specs of the Nexus 5, confirming the 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16/32GB storage options, as well the display we mentioned earlier. The battery is said to be 2300mAh, which doesn't sound huge.

Nexus 5 camera

There's little information on the Nexus 5 camera yet. The camera is often a relative weakness of the Nexus devices, with Google using it to showcase Android features, rather than pushing claims of high quality, like the mainstream devices do.

We wouldn't be surprised if there was an 8-megapixel sensor in place, but it's likely to be the area where Google looks to save some cash.

As we'd suspected, the leaked manual confirms an 8-megapixel sensor for the Nexus 5. That sounds far - it's pretty much an industry average - but the exciting detial is the optical image stabilisation. We've seen a number of verisons of OIS in smartphones so far and it's interesting to see that the camera unit being used by Google will include this. We're guessing it uses the same stabilisation system that LG used in the G2. 

We'd also expect to a range of improvements to the native camera app, with recent leaks suggesting there will be more options in the camera to add consumer excitement.

Nexus 5 price

We'd expect the Nexus 5 to be aggressively priced as it has been in the past. We'd expect good processor and display specs, but with a number of limitations to keep the price down: limiting the internal storage and the camera are most likely to be where Google economises.