Nexus 5X vs Nexus 5: What's the rumoured difference?

Google is holding an event tomorrow, 29 September, where it is rumoured to launch two new Nexus devices. The Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P have been the subject of rumours for several months now, with the 5X set to replace the Nexus 5 and the 6P to stand in for the Nexus 6.

We have crunched through the rumours and the speculation surrounding the Nexus 5X in order to see what the differences could be in comparison to the two-year old Nexus 5.

We will update this feature as the official specs are announced, but for now, here is how the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 5 compare.

Nexus 5X vs Nexus 5 design: Fingerprint sensor on 5X

The Nexus 5X is rumoured to measure 146.9 x 72.9mm with a thickness of 8mm at its slimmest and 9.8mm at its thickest. The Nexus 5 on the other hand measures 137.8 x 69.2 x 8.59mm so it looks like the newer device will be larger overall, but a little slimmer at its thinnest point.

The Nexus 5X is being made by LG, following in the footsteps of the Nexus 5. The leaked images of the new device do show a slightly more interesting design though, with a raised rear camera lens, as well as a rear fingerprint sensor. The camera lens seems to have moved from the top left hand corner where it was on the Nexus 5, to the top middle on the Nexus 5X.

The Nexus 5 comes in five colours in total, while the Nexus 5X is only rumoured to be coming in three. White, black and a shade of blue are included for both devices.

Nexus 5X vs Nexus 5 display: Bigger and higher resolution on 5X

Rumours suggest the Nexus 5X will arrive with a 5.2-inch display sporting a 2560 x 1440 resolution, which would deliver a pixel density of 565ppi. If this is the case, the display will not only be a little bigger than the 4.95-inch Nexus 5, but it should be crisper too thanks to the extra pixels per inch.

The Nexus 5 features a 1920 x 1080 resolution display, which offers a pixel density of 445ppi so you should see a difference between the two handsets with images sharper on the new handset.

Nexus 5X vs Nexus 5 camera: Better cameras on the 5X

The Nexus 5X is said to be coming with a 13-megapixel rear camera with a dual-LED flash. Nothing has been speculated for the front-facing snapper, but we suspect there will be a few more megapixels on board than the Nexus 5.

The Nexus 5 by comparison features an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. The Nexus cameras have never been as good as some of their competition so hopefully the jump up for the 5X will help.

Nexus 5X vs Nexus 5 hardware: Same storage but bigger battery on 5X

The Nexus 5X is rumoured to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset, Adreno 418 graphics and 3GB of RAM. It is also said to be coming with a 2700mAh battery capacity and 16GB and 32GB models should be available.

The Nexus 5 on the other hand features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, Adreno 330 graphics and 2GB of RAM, so there should certainly be an improvement in terms of performance. The storage is the same at 16GB and 32GB models, but the battery is bigger on the 5X with the 5 offering 2300mAh.

Neither the 5X or the 5 offer microSD support.

Nexus 5X vs Nexus 5 software: Marshmallow 6.0

The Nexus 5X will debut with the latest version of purebred Android software - 6.0 Marshmallow. The Nexus 5 currently offers Android Lollipop but it will be one of the first devices to get the upgrade to Marshmallow so you'll eventually get the same user experience on both devices once the upgrade hits.

Nexus 5X vs Nexus 5: Conclusion

As we mentioned, the Nexus 5 has been around for a couple years so it will come as no surprise that the rumoured specs for the Nexus 5X trump it in almost every way.

Except for being slightly larger in terms of footprint, the Nexus 5X should have a bigger, sharper display, a faster processor, more RAM, a bigger battery capacity, better cameras and it will come with the latest software from the box. It also has the addition of a fingerprint sensor.

The Nexus 5 was a great device when it first launched but based on the rumoured specs, the Nexus 5X will be the clear winner between these two in terms of the numbers.