Google Nexus 5: what we want to see

The launch of a new Nexus phone has become as traditional an event as the coming of the usual Christmas debauchery.
Google started this trend with the HTC-made Nexus One back in January of 2010, followed by the Nexus S a little under a year later, then the Galaxy Nexus and this year's extremely tempting Nexus 4.
The latest Nexus always arrives accompanied by a new version of Google's Android OS, so as well as a new lump of hardware to play with we also see a refresh of the Android code arrive, too.
It is all very exciting indeed.
So, now that Google and its hardware partners are preparing for the fifth generation Nexus for launch at the end of 2013, we can't help but start to wonder what it'll be like.
Will LG still be making it, after this year's Nexus 4 stock debacle? Or will previous rumours of Sony getting a go at making it turn out to be true? And what of Android 5.0, or Key Lime Pie as Google insists we reluctantly call it?
The many components of the next Nexus are still up in the air, which is as good a time as any to come up with some ideas regarding what shape the phone should take when it falls into place at the end of 2013.
So here's our Nexus 5 fantasy wishlist.

The Nexus S. Nice, but largely overlooked, despite introducing a subtle curve to the display surface.

Nexus 5 Display

The Nexus 4 features a great 4.7" display, with LG's screen running on its own True HD IPS technology and outputting at 768 x 1280 resolution, minus a bit at the bottom for Android 4.2's now standard software buttons.
That's something we'd expect to change when it comes to next year's Nexus, though, as several Android hardware makers are now talking about 1080p resolution displays for future mobiles, with the rumoured Sony Yuga said to be arriving early in 2013, with a maximum HD resolution 1920 x 1080 screen.
We'd expect to see 1080p screens become the norm for high-end Android models during 2013, as the makers continue to try and out-do each other, so whoever ends up making the Nexus 5 surely has to make it operate at today's commonplace 1080p res.

Perhaps Google will also sell the things in a decent quantity next year?

Nexus 5 release date

This one's pretty easy to compute, as the Nexus range of phones operates outside the usual February Mobile World Congress reveal and spring launch cycle, instead appearing in the winter months to give Android fans something to look forward to during the dark days.
The Nexus S arrived in December, the Nexus One in January and the Galaxy Nexus and LG's Nexus 4 both launched in November, so expect the Nexus 5 to stick to that schedule and appear in time to feature on the Christmas present lists of the world's smartphone enthusiasts next year.

Nexus 5 specs

This one's harder to guesstimate, as power seems to vary depending on the whims of the maker.
Last year's Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus was only a moderately-powered model, while this year's Nexus 4, complete with its cutting-edge Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core processor and 8MP camera, is about as high-end as you can get right now.
What we've seen emerging from LG recently is the news of the LG Optimus G2, a phone supposedly built around a 2GHz version of Qualcomm's S4 Pro chipset.
With the Nexus 4 based around the chassis of the original Optimus G, we could see the G2 appear as the Nexus 5, should Google and LG team up again for the next Nexus phone.
We should also beg Google to change its mind when it comes to locking down the physical aspects of the hardware.
We've seen plenty of Android models arrive with sealed cases, fixed batteries and no SD card support, which is putting some users off the idea of plumping for a Nexus.
The lack of SD-card expansion is becoming accepted and seems like it'll become the norm in 2013, but surely a nerd-focused phone range like the Nexus series ought to feature an SD card slot? Especially with the move to HD media and photography, which makes the Nexus 4's limited 8GB model seem rather poor.
We'd also expect the Nexus 5 to feature LTE support, something missing (officially) from the Nexus 4. Even the UK will have a decent 4G network by 2013, so it must be in the next model.

The LG Optimus G, which LG stuffed into a different case, loaded up with Android 4.2 and renamed it the Nexus 4.

Nexus 5 design

This is the one area where the Nexus range has traditionally lagged a little, with Google seemingly issuing orders to its makers not to try anything too avant garde, or to stray too far from the curved, black rectangle aesthetic when making the Nexus models.
This year's LG Nexus 4 bares quite a few visual similarities to last year's Galaxy Nexus from Samsung, with only its sparkly back to add a little excitement to the Nexus range.
We'd love it if the Nexus models could start to set a standard for design as well as software, as the vast number of boring black Android phones isn't setting anyone's loins on fire.
We're not suggesting pink snap-on after-market back covers, but something a little more thrilling would help differentiate the Nexus line from the competition.
Also, LG has come into quite a bit of stick for copying Apple's idea of sticking a glass back on the phone, with plenty of early Nexus 4 buyers claiming it's a bit on the fragile side. Perhaps a return to robust Korean plastic might be in order for the Nexus 5?

Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie?

We always expect a new Nexus phone to arrive with an equally fresh version of Android, so we might reasonably demand to find Android 5.0 arriving on 2013's Nexus handheld.
Thing is, that's nearly an entire year away, and with Android 5.0 already showing up in online benchmaking tools, we may see that version of Google's code appear sooner rather than later.
So - and this might sound a bit bonkers - we could therefore see the Nexus 5 arrive with Android 6.0 or maybe something less drastic like, say, 5.1 or 5.5.
And Google's chucking out new versions of Android so fast we could easily hit double figures by this time next year.