Nexus 6
Nexus 6 Screenshot from YouTube Video

The Google Nexus 6 release date will be in the second half of 2014, according to Google vice president Sundar Pichai.

Android Geeks reported that Mr Pichai told a few journalists prying on the launch date of the next generation of Nexus smartphone. The Google exec replied that the Nexus 6 "will not be released in the first half of the year."

Mr Pichai did not reveal further details on the upcoming smartphone. However, he gave a light of hope to waiting fans who thought that they will not be able to see the handset soon enough.

It was reported earlier that Google will unveil the Nexus 6 in May in order to keep up with its competitors. It was also thought that consumers will be able to see the next generation of Nexus smartphone at the I/O Conference in July although Google has not said anything yet.

However, Russian analyst Elder Murtazin said earlier this month that Google will drop the whole Nexus line in favour of Google Play Edition of Android devices. Thus, this suggests that Google may be dropping Nexus 10 2.

The Google Nexus 6 is rumoured to come with a 5.2-inch full-HD curved LCD display, Corning Gorilla Glass Protection. The handset will be powered by the upcoming 3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor paired with 3GB RAM. The next Nexus smartphone will most likely be available in 32GB/64GB/128GB storage variants.

At the back, the device will sport a 13 MP camera and a 5 MP front-facing camera. The handset will be equipped with Bluetooth, NFC, Micro-USB, Wi-Fi, 4G. Just like the previous Google devices, Nexus 6 will be announced alongside with the rumoured Android 4.5 Lollypop.

It is also estimated that the smartphone will cost around $600 due to the upgraded specs and features. It will be hard for Google to maintain the price point at around $350 if all rumoured specs proved to be true. However, considering all the upgraded specs and features included in the handset, an increase in price is reasonable.