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James Martin/CNET
Smartphone buyers still interested in the Nexus 5 will no longer be able to buy it from Google.
A check for the 2013 Nexus phone at the Google Store flashes a message that “the Nexus 5 is no longer available for purchase” with a “Not Available button” displaying in the upper right corner. The move follows a report from December that Google had ceased production of the Nexus 5, with one company spokesman suggesting that potential buyers get them while they can because “once they are gone, they’re gone.”
Another spokesperson for Google said at the time that the Nexus 5 would be available for sale through Google Play and through select retailers in the first quarter of 2015.
Giving up on the Nexus 5 is part of Google’s strategy to focus on the Nexus 6 phablet, which launched in November. “While some inventory of Nexus 5 still exists (with our retail and carrier partners), our focus is on the Nexus 6 at this time,” a Google spokesperson told CNET in an emailed statement.
Retailing for $649, the Nexus 6 is Google’s most expensive Nexus. The Nexus 6 offers a variety of improvements over the Nexus 5, including a larger display, higher resolution, beefier processor and more storage capacity.
The Nexus 6 is also bigger and heavier than the Nexus 5. The Nexus 6 tops the scales with a 5.96-inch screen and a weight of 6.49 ounces. That compares with the Nexus 5, which has a 4.95-inch screen and weighs 4.59 ounces.
Consumers can still find the Nexus 5 at certain retailers, such as Amazon and Best Buy. Except for Sprint, none of the major US carriers still sells the device.
The Nexus 6 is available through Google and Motorola, as well as via AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and — as of Thursday — Verizon. For buyers who don’t want to pay the full price for a contract-free version, AT&T and Verizon both offer the Nexus 6 for $250 via the standard two-year agreement, while Sprint is selling it for $200.
(Via The Verge)
