Although Google released the Nexus 5 last November, it seems that LG is making some amendments to the hardware of the device. These changes might be on the back of gripes about design flaws, but we have to as why these flaws weren’t picked up at the drawing board stage.
One XDA Developers forum member complained that the SIM card tray stuck out a bit from the rest of the handset. Google replaced this device, and the owner noticed that there were several other slight changes apart from the SIM tray being flush.
There were larger grille holes in the speakers, which made sounds louder. The volume and power buttons were stiffer and stopped rattling when the device was shaken or jolted (classy, LG, classy).
Not all the changes were good ones, though – the display seemed more yellow and there were some stuck green pixels.
We’re waiting for a response from Google about these changes.
The Nexus 5 is definitely one of the best phones around right now, and it’s also amazing value for money. The camera has been the only real fly in the ointment, and Google is working on this.
There’s also a rumour that LG will be working on the Nexus 10 2, rather than Samsung. This might mean a cheaper 10” tablet with some hardware improvements.
An LG spokesman said recently: “We can confirm that the Nexus 5 has not undergone any hardware design changes since launch.” When asked how LG explains the differences in the photo, he said: “Naturally, we can’t really speculate on this specific handset. However, it could be that the user is or was in possession of a pre-commercial unit which may differ slightly from the final hardware.”
