The golden age of Nexus smartphones is over

Google’s Nexus line has lost its way. After a few beautiful generations of affordable smartphones that offered stock Android on the best hardware, the Nexus series has become a premium proposition, indistinguishable from other models on the market.

The golden age of Nexus smartphones began with the release of the Nexus 4 in late 2012. The phone was a marvel of its time, boasting a beautiful 4.7-inch screen, a fast processor, a slick glass-backed design and even fanciful extras like wireless charging. This was all great, but the killer feature was the price. At $299, the phone was half the price of similarly equipped rivals and sold accordingly. Half a year later, the price dropped further to $199, prompting another wave of interest in the phone.

The Nexus 5 was a strong follow-up when it launched a year later. The new phone included a larger 5-inch screen, more robust design, better camera, LTE support and updated internals for $349. Again, the phone sold well despite its limited supply, providing an excellent introduction to Android for thousands of customers.

Now it’s 2014, and we have the obvious follow-up: the Nexus 6. The phone comes with many familiar upgrades: a larger 6-inch display, faster internals, a better camera and of course a new version of Android. Yet the price is completely inconsistent with past versions. At $649, the phone is one of the most expensive Android smartphones on the market.

The higher price tag coincides with the erosion of the Nexus line’s unique feature: stock Android, the operating system as it comes from Google with minimal changes to its look or feature set. Many phone makers are now turning to a near-stock version of Android for their phones, and the remainder are dialling back their customisations and producing lighter skins.

So if you want a Nexus-style phone – with good hardware, clean software and a killer price – then where should you turn? One good option is the OnePlus One, which was released in June for a very Nexus-like price: $299 for a 16GB model, or $349 for a 64GB version. The phone is quite solid, with a fast processor, a great 5.5-inch display, 3GB of RAM, a good camera and excellent battery life.

If you don’t fancy the OnePlus One, then there are other good Android phones on the market for a reasonable price. The Xperia Z3 Compact has near-stock Android, a smaller 4.6-inch display, a good camera and awesome battery life. The Moto X, the phone upon which the Nexus 6 is based, also comes with stock Android, a slick design and reasonable hardware. The Moto G is a more low-end proposition, but still offers clean Android and reasonable hardware at an absurdly low price.

While alternatives exist, it’s still disappointing that Google have taken the Nexus line in this direction. The phone is no longer an easy recommendation for Android newcomers; instead it returns to being in the domain of Android enthusiasts only.

It’s hard to say what the change will mean for the future of the Nexus line. It’s possible that Google will hear the feedback of its fans and lower sales numbers, and return the line to its roots with a lower price point next time. But then again, it’s also possible that Google decide to break off the line entirely. We’ve heard rumours for some time that Google want to kill off the brand; perhaps this is their way of doing so with a bang.

Ultimately,  it’s a sad decline and potentially an ignoble end to a brand that got me – and so many others – interested in Android. Goodbye, Nexus – it was good knowing you.