[Nexus 5 General] ChazzMatt:
I'm not going to argue about this, because I've done too much showing all my proof over the last few months. I'm tired of arguing with people who haven't really followed this story and are coming in late. I've been tracking the Nexus 5 since very early this year. I knew since May that LG was doing it again, when people were still saying it would be Motorola. I've known the specs since July when South Korean media outlet Daum leaked the LG G2/Nexus 5 specs (again confirming the G2/Nexus 5 tie-in). (However, the 4.95" surprised me, I thought they would go the full 5.2").

I've also known it would be a November release, not in May, not in July, not in August, not in September, not in October (although October was theoretically possible).

So, I'll simply state the facts...

The Moto X was supposed to come out in the Spring, to be announced in April, released in May, about the same time as the Google I|O conference. (Which led to rumors the Nexus 5 was the Moto X and would be released in May, which was RIDICULOUS. The Nexus is on an annual release cycle and Google only got the super-popular Nexus 4 production supply under control in January 2013. No way were they going to bring out a whole new model in May 2013).

But hold the presses. The Moto X was NOT release in the spring becuase it sucked eggs in the closet. Google was disappointed with what Motorola had come up with and DELAYED release, telling them to DO BETTER.

At about the same time (early May), Google CEO Larry Page flew to South Korea to visit LG (as well as Samsung). You can google that and find references to those meetings. South Korea's "Korean Times" outlet reported at the time that the LG CEO personally showed Larry Page the protoype for the G2/Nexus 5 at the LG meetings. He drooled over it and made the decision then the Nexus 5 would be based on the G2.

Think about it. If the Nexus 5 is coming out in 4th quarter, those decisions are made 6 months prior. All the click bait articles over the summer and fall, "who is going to be chosen for the Nexus 5?" is bull. Those business decisions have already been made.

So, Moto X DELAYED due to being crappy, G2 chosen as the Nexus 5 base. -- back in the Spring.

Early summer, LG executives announced the G2 would ship in Q3, which of course confirmed the Nexus 5 would ship in Q4. LG has to get their sales in first, and have time to ramp up for Nexus 5 production. (Nexus phones have never been released before November, anyway. Never. November/November/ December/January. Especially the last two years, Google has shown they prefer October ANNOUNCEMENT, followed by November release.)

Then in July South Korean media outlet Daum, quoting LG sources revealed the specs for the G2 and again confirmed the G2/Nexus 5 joint development project. They said even as late as July that final decision had not been made for RAM, either 2GB or 3GB. A month later, LG announced the G2 specs and it was 2GB. This basically confirmed the Nexus 5 would also have 2GB RAM. Google: LG G2 Nexus 5 Daum

So, then end of July/early August -- within 1 week of each other, the delayed Moto X was announced almost at the same time as the awesome LG G2.

LG G2: 5.2", 1080p, Snapdragon 800, 13MP OIS. (The first phone to have Snapdragon 800, by the way.)

Moto X: 4.7" 720p, need I even go on? Mediocre, last year specs.

They were both then RELEASED about the same time.

Yet, BOTH phones priced the same -- $200 on contract, $600 off contract. If I gave you $600 which of the two would you buy? Every time?

In 2013, all top tier Androids have 1080p: Xperia Z, ZL, S4, HTC One, G2, etc. They just do. All but one (HTC One) have at least 5" 1080p. The HTC One would have sold better with a 5" display. 4.7" 720p is what the 2012 Nexus 4 had. Last year's specs at 2013 top tier prices?

If the Moto X had been $350 off contract, maybe. It was a mid-tier Android. But guess what? We can get a 5" 1080p Snapdragon 800 with 8MP OIS for $350 off-contract, called the Nexus 5. It's basically a mini-G2 and beats the Moto X into the ground, just like the G2 does.

Point of all this is, the Moto X and G2 came out at the same time. If Motorola were a world-class manufacturer, they too could have had a Snapdragon 800, 1080p display, but chose not to. Oh, but they have pretty colored cases to distract you! Sorry, but I'm not a teenage girl.

In the 2nd half of 2013, to be a top tier Android you need 5", 1080p, Snapdragon 800. Moto X came with NONE of that. If the Moto X could have been released early in 2013, it could have skated by. But during the delay, Motorola should have at least updated the display specs, and maybe the CPU, but did not.

But tech commentator Taylor Wimberly was so enamored of the Moto X he predicted Motorola would release a Nexus phone for Google by end of 2013 -- proving he was an idiot who had not followed any of the developments throughout the year. He paid over $600 for an off-contract Moto X when he could have paid the same money for an LG G2. (Or waited until now and gotten a Nexus 5 for only $350 -- and have $250 left over!) Then, he doubled down by predicting a Motorola Nexus phone by end of the year. :rolleyes:

Until Motorola can execute a flagship phone like the LG G2 (which led the Snapdragon 800 stream of releases), Google will not trust them with a Nexus phone.