You can finally buy the Google Nexus 5

Google's long-rumoured, long-awaited Nexus 5 smartphone, co-created with LG, is now available to buy on the Google Play online store. Telco bundle deals and retail store stock are yet to be confirmed, though.

The Nexus 5 landed in Google Play's online store overnight, in 16GB and 32GB storage capacities and both black and white finishes. Stock of all four models is still available — the original Google-LG Nexus 4 collaboration, which debuted in October last year, sold out within hours and remained hard to find for months afterwards.

The Nexus 5 is the first phone to run Google's Android 4.4 KitKat, which brings a host of refinements to the seven-year-old operating system. The new version integrates text messages with Google's Hangouts online text and video chat and adds touchless voice search alongside updates to many of Google's core apps.

On the hardware side, LG has made the Google Nexus 5 competitive with current smartphone leaders, such as the LG G2, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Sony Xperia Z1. It uses a 4.95-inch 445ppi Full HD screen, Qualcomm's most powerful 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 system-on-chip processor and 2GB of RAM.

Also, addressing the chief criticism of the outgoing Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 has support for the super-fast 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network standard and should be compatible with all Australian telco's 4G networks. The new phone also supports the latest 802.11ac high-speed Wi-Fi. An 8-megapixel rear camera means the Nexus 5 has the same photo resolution as the Nexus 4, but added optical image stabilisation and a new sensor result in clearer, sharper photos and better exposure.

While the Nexus 5 can already be bought on Google Play, there's no news on whether it will be stocked in any retail stores, such as Harvey Norman or JB Hi-Fi (which stocked the Nexus 4), and which telcos will offer it for purchase outright or on a plan. LG said that information "will follow on completion of local network testing".