Rumor: Google?s New Nexus Phone Includes Button-Free Screen, Faster Chip

The Nexus 4G purportedly features a dual-core 1.2 GHZ or 1.5GHz processor. The Nexus S, pictured, has a 1 GHz Hummingbird processor. Photo: BGR

The details on Google’s next Nexus smartphone may have been revealed, and tipsters are saying the phone is an “absolute beast.”

Well-sourced mobile blog�Boy Genius Report claims�that the Nexus 4G, as it is currently being referred to, will house a faster dual-core CPU and run the next-generation Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Tipsters also told BGR that the handset would include a 1.2-GHz or 1.5-GHz Snapdragon processor and sport a�”monster-sized” 720p high-definition touchscreen display with no buttons. A button-free display would be a major change, because most current Android handsets, including the Nexus S, have four menu buttons (menu, home, back and search) located below the screen.

If BGR’s sources are correct, the Nexus 4G would be a significant step up from Google’s current flagship phone, the Samsung-built 3G Nexus S, which sports a 1-Ghz Hummingbird processor and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. A 4G Sprint version of the Nexus S with very similar hardware specs (1-GHz Hummingbird processor, 16 GB of internal storage and NFC capabilities) began shipping in April.

The Nexus 4G sounds right on trend: At CES this year, we saw a smorgasbord of dual-core smartphones hit the stage, and many of the devices, like Samsung’s Galaxy S II have started dropping with 1.2-GHz processor speeds. Like most Android-powered phones, the Nexus 4G appears to make a big push on the newest, muscular hardware features to compete with Apple’s iPhone, which gets upgraded only once a year.

Other purportedly leaked specs on the Nexus 4G include a 1-megapixel front camera and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera capable of 1080p HD video capture. The rear camera will utilize an advanced sensor for “class-leading image quality” and good performance in low-light scenarios, according to BGR.

The Nexus 4G looks like it could be the first smartphone to run Google’s newest OS, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich meshes a number of features from Android 2.3 Gingerbread with ones that were previously exclusive to the tablet-only Honeycomb, such as a holographic user interface, multitasking, and the ability to connect with USB devices like an Xbox controller. It’ll debut in the fourth quarter of 2011, so that’s probably the earliest we would see the Nexus 4G potentially being released.

Perhaps, as with Android 2.3 Gingerbread’s debut, both the OS and the smartphone will be officially unveiled at the same event. Reports peg the release around Thanksgiving.

No carrier information was leaked, leading to speculation that the Nexus 4G could be one of the first AT&T 4G LTE smartphones. Or maybe Google just hasn’t hammered out an exact carrier deal yet.

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