Google unveiled two Nexus phones, 5X and 6P, available next week, at a Tuesday event.
The phones are available for pre-order in the Google Store in several countries starting Tuesday, the company said, with the 5X priced at USD 379, and the 6P priced at USD 499.
The higher end 6P, introduced by Dave Burke, Google’s VP Engineering, was a 5.7-inch phone, while the 5X is 5.2-inches.
Both phones had 64-bit processors, fingerprint readers and increased battery time, with the 6P charging fully in half the time of an iPhone 6 Plus, Burke said.
Burke used the phones to demonstrate the new notifications and security features available from the home screen of Android’s new Marshmallow operating system.
In addition to quicker access, the phone uses machine learning to adapt to a user’s specific patterns over time, Burke said. It also learns power patterns to save battery life—saving up to 30 percent more battery life, he said.
Google’s Tuesday event, streamed on YouTube, showcased a series of highly-anticipated new products like Nexus phones, next generation Chromecast streaming devices, and a fuller picture of the app development opportunities on the new Android operating system (OS).
More-affordable Android phones make up the majority of the U.S. market, and Google’s latest upgrades are expected to provide comparable features to devices by competitor Apple, like a faster processor, better battery and metallic-colored chassis.
Indeed, Burke compared the cameras of Nexus phones to the iPhone 6S, including slow-motion, increased megapixels, and 4K video. And voice-activated “Now on
Tap” operates similar to Apple’s Siri, as Burke demonstrated.
The event also provided viewers with a first-glance of Google CEO Sundar Pichai operating under the fresh Alphabet structure.
Pichai opened the event by commenting on the companies growth since last year’s event, saying, “The scale at which everything is operating is breathtaking.”
Android has 1.4 billion monthly active devices, Pichai said.