Nexus 6 Release Date 2014 Update: Is This the Nexus 6? [Photo]

This has been a big week for the Nexus 6, the alleged next Nexus device from Google. Images have surfaced online over the past seven days or so purportedly showing a final or near final version of the new smartphone. Another photo surfaced today and was posted by Android Police, this time showing an alleged Nexus 6 'in the wild,' as someone used it to browse the web during a commute. This photo all but confirms the latest rumors about the new handset, like it's monster size and similar build to Motorola's Moto X (2014).

Hello, Moto

It's been rumored for months that Motorola, the company Google bought and sold, would be making Google's next Nexus phone. And judging from the stunning similarities in appearance this new device has with the just released new Moto X, we'd say that rumor is pretty much substantiated. If you notice the same dual front speaker design is present on this device, just like the Moto X, and a metal frame, almost identical to the design of the Moto X, also appears to surround this new device.

Giant Formfactor

This device is huge, and we know it's not just some photo wizardry applied to a Moto X because of the button placement. Google is reportedly building a phablet Nexus this time around, and in order to make using such a large device easier, they've reportedly opted to move the power button and volume rocker midway down the right side of the device. And if you look closely at this photo, that's exactly what you'll see: a giant Moto X-looking device with buttons midway down its right side.

Android L

It's obvious by looking at the 'back' soft button visible at the bottom left of the phone's screen, that this phone is running some version of Android L, Google's latest (though yet unreleased) mobile OS. Additional evidence of L's presence can be found in the notification bar. Google announced that in Android L, the notification bar will change color depending on which app you are using. The notification bar in this photo is a deep shade of green, though it looks like the user is browsing the web. One explanation could be they are using Dolphin Browser since its branding is primarily green.

Release Date

The Nexus 6's release date and announcement are considered to be imminent. Some reports even claimed that the device might be out before the end of September. While we now know that not to be true, a mid-to-late October launch would coincide with Nexus release dates of previous years.