Nexus 5 Release Date Imminent: Major Leak Reveals Google Play Store Placeholder And Official Press Photo

The Nexus 5 smartphone is still not yet official but it appears the cat is out of the bag about its internal storage sizes and respective prices; revealed straight from Google.

Tech website Android Police was tipped to a Nexus 5 sighting late Thursday, directly on the Google Play Store. Under the Google Play devices splash page, the Nexus 5 was clearly displayed alongside the 2013 Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 tablets.

“Capture the everyday and the epic in fresh new ways,” read the Nexus 5 caption. According to the listing the Nexus 5 will be priced starting at $349. The corresponding link notbaly directed to a placeholder page for the 16GB Nexus 5 (https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_5_black_16gb), indicating that 16GB will be the minimum storage for the Nexus 5. Many expect that a 32GB option will also be available, likely priced at $399.

The placeholder page has since been deleted and the Google Play devices splash page has returned to displaying the Nexus 4, which has been discontinued for some time now. Many are wondering whether this incident was an accident on Google’s part or an intentional leak amid all the buzz surrounding the Nexus 5 and the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system as of late.

More damning evidence soon followed the Google Play Store sighting as an official press photo of the Nexus 5 surfaced, directly from a Google’s image server. That page has also since been deleted; however, the image has already been saved for posterity. The device shown appears to be the same as all that have surfaced since the first Nexus 5 sighting in September at the Android 4.4 KitKat unveiling. The Nexus 5 touts the same design, matte texture, vertical-wise branding, and prominent camera sensor, which have become familiar identifying marks for the upcoming device.

On the screen we see what is believed to be Nexus 5 specific wallpaper, which was previously leaked. In addition, the device’s dialer and camera app icon have been updated, as has app the drawer icon and also seemingly the Gmail icon within. We see the notifications icons in the status bar are now white instead of blue, while the navigation/status bar is now transparent instead of black, and above the lowermost apps shortcuts are dots indicating the various home screens as opposed to the usual line. We saw this same screen on the Nexus 5 branded to the Canadian carrier Telus, which leaked just hours prior to the Google Play Store sighting and the press image.

There still has not been any official word from Google on its release plans for the Nexus 5; however, most are now certain the device will be announced alongside the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system on Oct. 28. With images of the Nexus 5 now out for the public, it is unlikely Google will keep its new products under wraps for much longer.

What do you think of the Nexus 5 Google Play Store and official mage leak? Let us know in the comments below.

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