 Hey YouTube, this is Dan Seifer from The Verge, and this is the history of Nexus. Five years ago, Google tried a daring experiment. It was going to sell smartphones direct to consumers, bypassing the carriers altogether. That experiment largely failed, but it did birth the line of Google-designed Nexus smartphones and tablets we know today. If you want Android the way Google designed it, you're going to want a Nexus smartphone. The first Nexus device was the Nexus One, designed by Google, built by HTC, and running Android 2.1 Eclair. It was a watershed moment for Android hardware, finally giving Android fans something that could compete with Apple's iPhone at the time. Less than a year later, Google followed up with the Nexus S, switching hardware partners from HTC to Samsung. It launched with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and featured a curved design. Then, in late 2011, the Galaxy Nexus came along, with an even more dramatically curved design and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in tow. The Galaxy Nexus was the first Nexus phone with LTE, though you had to buy the poorly supported Verizon version to get that. Google's next big attempt at changing the smartphone industry came with 2012's Nexus 4, which featured high-end specs and a remarkably low price tag. The LG-built Nexus 4 didn't have LTE, like so many other phones at the time did, but its $300 price tag meant many people were willing to forgive that. Perhaps the most loved Nexus phone was 2013's Nexus 5, which blended Nexus 4's low price with even better specs and performance, and threw in LTE. Two years later, the Nexus 5 still holds its own against many smartphones, and is often referred to as the pinnacle of Google's Nexus program. Then in 2014, Google took a different approach. It went big. Big in size, big in specs, and big in price, the 6-inch Nexus 6 was made by Motorola and still dwarfs many other smartphones. It also heralded Android 5.0 Lollipop, the first major design update to the system since 2011. The Nexus 6's $650 price put off many longtime Nexus fans, however, which were hoping the company would return to its low price, high performance strategy. That brings us to today, where Google has launched not one, but two Nexus smartphones at the same time. The Nexus 5X is the spiritual successor to the Nexus 5. It's built by LG, has a smaller display, and is priced under $400. The Huawei-made Nexus 6P is like the Nexus 6. Big, brawny, powerful, and priced higher. Both run Android 6.0 Marshmallow and will be considered the flagships of the Android world for the foreseeable future. Google didn't kill the carriers of the Nexus program. They're still alive and well. But it did create something for the fans, the diehards, the Android nerds that want the best with no compromises. If you want to live fully in Google's world, there's no better way to start than with a Nexus phone. Google Nexus 5X Google Nexus 5X Google Nexus 5X Google Nexus 5X Google Nexus 5X Google Nexus 5X Google Nexus 5X Google Nexus 5X