LG to make Google's next Nexus smartphone

Sources confirm that the next Google Nexus smartphone will be based on the LG Optimus G handset and will be launched before the end of October.

There have been lots of rumors about Google circulating around the internet in recent weeks and though one -- that the latest version of Android, Key Lime Pie, was days away from release -- was revealed to be nothing more than a hoax, another -- that LG is about to unveil the next Nexus handset -- looks to be confirmed.

According to reports from MoDaCo and CNET, the next Google Nexus smartphone will be based on the LG Optimus G handset and will be officially unveiled at the end of October.

The news has generated both excitement and disappointment in the tech community. The LG Optimus G is a very good looking handset on which to base a Nexus phone. Confirmed specifications reveal it will have an equally impressive 4.7-inch True-High definition IPS display, paired with a quad-core processor and 2GB RAM. It will also run Android 4.2, an incremental upgrade to Jellybean, the most recent version of the operating system and not a completely new version as was earlier erroneously reported.

Yet, as with other devices to carry the Nexus brand, it won't feature a micro SD slot, meaning that owners will not be able to expand its storage capacity beyond 8GB or 16GB. Also disappointing is the fact that it will ship with a non-removable battery -- given that when an Android phone crashes, often the quickest way to reboot the handset is to remove the battery.