New Nexus phones are overpriced in Ireland

Google has lifted the lid on a slate of new devices, including two brand new smartphones which will cost a lot more in Ireland

After many, many leaks Google has finally released the official specs for their new handsets - the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. And while there are few surprises to be found that doesn't mean these phones are a disappointment, unless you're planning on buying them from Ireland with massively inflated pricing.

The 6P is the more premium device, with a metal construction and a 5.7 inch screen that's a shade smaller than the previous Nexus 6. The screen is high res WQHD AMOLED, which basically means its going to look great, and it really takes over the front of the phone. There are front facing speakers and a fancy fingerprint scanner on the back - nestled in its own unique looking dimple.

Google is going big with the camera as well, offering up a 12.3 megapixel shooter with one of the largest sensors around. That should make it tops for low light performance, and you'll be seeing a lot of tests to find out if that's true very soon. There's 4K and slow motion video and an 8 MP camera on the front. The 6P also features USB Type-C for charging (though we don't know if that means fast data as well) and the battery is 3450mAh - which is a very welcome size. Storage options include 32, 64 and 128 gig.

Here's some video.

The Nexus 5X is a very different phone, with some interesting similarities as well. It's built by LG and sports a 5.2 inch screen in a fairly compact form factor. It's an all plastic model with rounded edges that definitely doesn't look as premium as the 6P. But it does share the same camera that has all that potential for great shots as well as the new fingerprint scanner and USB-C port.

Internal specs are decent - 2 gigs of memory and a Qualcomm 808 processor while the battery is at 2700mAh. The phone comes in 16 and 32 gig flavours, so storage might be an issue for freqent photo takers. That's all impressive enough in this kind of smartphone, and naturally both the 5X and 6P will benefit from the new Android Marshmallow update which is on the way.

So when can you get them? You can actually pre-order both phones in Ireland today, we're part of the initial rollout including the US, Canada, UK, Korea and Japan. Actual shipping will happen before the end of October.

As for pricing, the Nexus 5X starts at $379 and the 6P at $499. That's US pricing and the Irish price is quite different - starting at a staggering €479 for the cheapest 5X, which is a markup of well over €100. The 6P starts at €679, that's over €200 more than the US price. It still seems like a strong phone but with the high end 6P costing €799 it definitely doesn't come cheap.

Looking at the UK pricing, things are a little fairer - the 5X starts at £339 which is around €460 while the 6P is £449 / €610. We're still paying more but when you factor in shipping and exchange rates it would probably work out quite close. Google's sites have notoriously been resistant to credit cards from other companies as well.

Get more info on the Google Nexus 5X here.

Get more info on the 6P and pre order it here.