LG to make Google's next Nexus smartphone

Sources confirm that the next Google Nexus smartphone will be based on the LG Optimus G handset and will be launched before the end of October.

There have been lots of rumors about Google circulating around the internet in recent weeks and though one -- that the latest version of Android, Key Lime Pie, was days away from release -- was revealed to be nothing more than a hoax, another -- that LG is about to unveil the next Nexus handset -- looks to be confirmed.

According to reports from MoDaCo and CNET, the next Google Nexus smartphone will be based on the LG Optimus G handset and will be officially unveiled at the end of October.

The news has generated both excitement and disappointment in the tech community. The LG Optimus G is a very good looking handset on which to base a Nexus phone. Confirmed specifications reveal it will have an equally impressive 4.7-inch True-High definition IPS display, paired with a quad-core processor and 2GB RAM. It will also run Android 4.2, an incremental upgrade to Jellybean, the most recent version of the operating system and not a completely new version as was earlier erroneously reported.

Yet, as with other devices to carry the Nexus brand, it won't feature a micro SD slot, meaning that owners will not be able to expand its storage capacity beyond 8GB or 16GB. Also disappointing is the fact that it will ship with a non-removable battery -- given that when an Android phone crashes, often the quickest way to reboot the handset is to remove the battery.

These points led to a slew of disparaging comments on MoDaCo. Zarch1972 said, "Good Grief. We can only hope there ARE other Nexus vendors in the pipeline. 16gb and no MicroSD is a complete FAIL."

On Twitter Hadeel @Hadeeloid commented, "I'm not sure if it's true but the "non removable battery" feature on the next Nexus phone is NOT a good idea."

And Nick Whitworth ‏@zuixro also questioned the logic: "Eww... The new Nexus phone is going to be LG? That sucks. Non removable battery, 16GB max, and 720p screen? Doesnt sound like a step forward."

Now that this rumor has been confirmed, it has opened the floodgates to further speculation, including the claim that rather than this being the only Nexus handset, Google is planning to launch a range of other Nexus-branded smartphones with its other leading partners, including Samsung, and that a Nexus 10-inch tablet could be launched before the end of the year.