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Check out the Google Nexus 6 (pictures)

Google's Nexus 6 is a super-sized Android smartphone; let's take a look.

Nate Ralph
Associate Editor Nate Ralph is an aspiring wordsmith, covering mobile software and hardware for CNET Reviews. His hobbies include dismantling gadgets, waxing poetic about obscure ASCII games, and wandering through airports.
Nate Ralph
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1 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

The Nexus 6

The Nexus 6 is Google's latest flagship phone.

We saw this device today as a demo of the upcoming Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system, and it's shaping up to be a massive showcase of all that the latest version of Android has to offer.

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2 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

A whale of a phone

The Nexus 6 is a big phone. In fact, at 6.27 inches tall and 0.4-inch thick, it'll be the biggest Nexus phone thus far.

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3 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

Android on the big screen

The 5.96-inch display has a 2,560-by-1,440-pixel resolution AMOLED display -- that's a pixel density of 493 pixels per inch, if you're keeping score.

A quad-core 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 CPU powers that display, and the phone is available in 32GB and 64GB storage capacities.

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4 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

New and improved camera

The camera on the Nexus 5 was a bit of a sore point, and Google has promised improved hardware here. The Nexus 6 packs a 13-megapixel shooter with optical image stabilization, and a wide f/2.0 lens, which promises better low-light photography.

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A larger, clever battery

A big phone means a big battery. In this case, that means a 3,220mAh battery with a reported 24 hours of talk time.

The phone retains the Nexus 5's wireless charging capabilities, but also adds a specialized turbo-charging functionality, care of Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0 technology. You can gain six hours of power in just 15 minutes.

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6 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

Android 5.0 Lollipop

Let's not forget Android 5.0 Lollipop. The latest version of Android takes on a refreshed interface with a minimalist aesthetic -- Google calls it Material. It brings a new look and feel to the entire operating system, as well as the apps.

Notifications can now show up on your lock screen, and you can set up multiple user profiles on your smartphone -- a feature previously limited to Android tablets.

There's a revamped battery saving mode that can reportedly add up to 90 minutes of staying power, and the quick settings swipe-down menu gets a few new tricks -- including a flashlight shortcut.

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OK, Google

 The "OK Google" voice command has also been improved -- on the Nexus 6 (and Nexus 9 tablet), you can issue  instructions even when the device's screen is off.

And there's plenty more besides; be sure to read our deep dive of Android 5.0 Lollipop for more.

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A familiar design

The Nexus 6 has apparently taken more than a few design cues from the 2014 model of the Moto X, from the dimpled Motorola badge to the curved backing.

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Living on the edge

The volume rocker and lock switch now sit on the right edge of the device -- they lived on opposite sides of the Nexus 5. Given the phone's massive size, grouping the buttons on one side arguably makes sense.

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Metal!

There's also an aluminum trim running around the Nexus 6 body, which should lend the device a far more premium feel that its (admittedly nice) wholly plastic predecessor.

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A beefier price tag, too

A 32 GB Nexus 5 costs $399. The 32GB Nexus 6 costs $649 (unlocked). That's about right for a phone with these specs, but still $250 pricier than its predecessor.

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Will you be getting one?

The Nexus 6 will be available for preorder on October 29, and available in November. In the US you can get it on Sprint, AT&T, US Cellular, and T-Mobile, or but it unlocked.

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