Each Nexus is meant to be a showcase for the latest version of Android, and the Nexus 5 is no different. Google made a big deal over the (re)branding of Android 4.4 as "KitKat," but unless you've been paying very close attention to the development of the platform you can be forgiven for not knowing what's new here.

The camera could still be a concern

The biggest change is probably the launcher, which now integrates Google Now with a quick swipe to the left (You can still get to Google Now the old way — swiping up — as well). It can also can be activated just by talking — similar to the Moto X, but in this case the command is simply "OK Google."

Visually, KitKat is a little cleaned up. Google has excised the Widgets tab from the app drawer, simplifying that experience immensely (you can still long-tap to add widgets). The icons are bigger and nicer, but more importantly the status bar and button bar on the bottom are now translucent, showing content underneath them in certain cases. The wallpaper bleeds under them — as does Google Now — and developers can also set apps to go full-screen, hiding both entirely. A new, condensed version of Android's custom Roboto font helps readability, but truthfully the visual changes here are tweaks, not overhauls.

Hangouts now can send and receive SMS messages, and though SMS is completely integrated, Google Voice still isn't. If you've been waiting for that massive step forward, you need to keep waiting.

Though it certainly doesn't apply to the Nexus 5, the other big change is that KitKat is now able to operate on low-end devices. It's possible, however, that even high-end devices will benefit from the cleaning and tightening Google had to do the OS. Chromium, the web engine behind Chrome, is finally the web engine that powers third party apps in KitKat, which will hopefully make more apps faster and better-looking.

In terms of performance, it's honestly difficult to give a final verdict. Everything seemed crazy fast when it came to launching and switching between apps. That's often the case with a fresh Android phone, however, so we'll need to spend more time with the device before we can render a decision.