First came the HTC-built Nexus One in early 2010. Then it was Samsung's turn with the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus in the years that followed. And in recent days it's become pretty clear that Google’s 2012 Nexus partner is LG, with the upcoming fourth-generation Nexus phone being based on the Korean manufacturer’s Optimus G. Photos have leaked showing a curved design with a glass back, and reported specs include a beastly 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 CPU, a 4.7-inch IPS display and, as ever, a "pure Google" vanilla Android experience. And there's been plenty of discussion and speculation over on the Android Central forums. But there are a lot of rumors circulating as to the exact nature of LG and Google's upcoming high-end smartphone, and it's not always easy to separate out the facts. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines So just what do we know about the upcoming 2012 Nexus phone? We’ve collected all the most reliable leaked information into one handy report, which you can check out after the break. Update, Oct. 15: This article has been updated with the latest information on the LG Nexus that's come to light in recent days.

The design: a steamrolled, glass-plated Galaxy Nexus Sources tell Android Central that the many leakedimages of the LG-E960 that have emerged are indeed of an upcoming LG-built Nexus smartphone. The images show a device very similar in appearance to last year’s Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- an all-glass front, curved design and textured back. There are several differences worth commenting on, however. The front face appears to be less curved than the Galaxy Nexus -- if anything, it’s tapered downwards towards the plastic trim like the Galaxy S3. And around the back, the “hyperskin” textured battery door has been replaced by a fixed back, as the phone’s battery isn’t removable, and there’s no microSD card slot either. The back panel appears to be furnished with LG’s “crystal reflection process” texture, which is also used on the Optimus G. This results in a smooth, glass-like surface that has the appearance of texture behind it. Our own Phil Nickinson was mightily impressed with the back panel used on the Optimus G, saying it made the phone feel more substantial and less plasticky. The other side of that equation might be increased weight, as whatever LG’s making it out of (don’t call it glass) is likely to be somewhat heavier than a traditional plastic battery door. Also on the back panel are your Google and LG logos, but no giant Nexus logo like on the Nexus 7. As we’re dealing with prototype hardware in these leaked images, we have to wonder whether that might change before release. There are, of course, cut-outs for the camera's LED flash and microphone, along with an LED flash.

The trim appears to be a Galaxy Nexus-like metallic grey deal, which we’ll presume to be plastic. A headphone jack can be seen up top in one of the leaked photos, along with a power button on the right edge. Presumably the volume rocker will be located around on the left. Along the bottom there’s a microUSB port, next to the microphone hole. Newer leaked images reveal an iPhone-style SIM card slot, and we have it on good authority that the device takes microSIM cards, rather than the newer nanoSIM standard. There appear to be no pogo pin connectors on the new Nexus, unlike its predecessor the Galaxy Nexus. Overall, it looks like we’re dealing with a thin device with a lot more glass than previous Nexus models. The larger 4.7-inch screen and lack of any “hump” around the back should make the LG Nexus larger, but thinner than last year’s model. The specs: killer hardware, with a few caveats The most reliable list of purported specs comes from MoDaCo’s Paul O’Brien, who's been passed the following list from a "very reliable" source -- Quad Core Snapdragon S4 processor

2GB RAM

1280x768 True-HD IPS screen

On screen soft keys (of course)

8 Megapixel Camera

No microSD slot

8GB and 16GB versions only (at least initially)

Non-removable battery

Wireless charging built in This information matches the device we’ve seen in leaked photos, and information that’s shown up online in benchmark results. The inclusion of a quad-core Snapdragon S4 chip is a huge deal for this year’s Nexus, and should provide plenty of horsepower. Qualcomm’s quad-core “Krait” is considered to be the most powerful mobile chip out there, and we’ve been salivating over the chip since we first reported its existence early last year. Two full gigabytes of RAM also places the new Nexus at the high-end of the Android smartphone scale. With more memory-intensive apps like Google Chrome coming pre-loaded, having 2GB of RAM is a smart move. An 8MP camera isn’t surprising -- the Optimus G ships in 13MP and 8MP flavors, however we have to wonder about the quality of an 8MP LG shooter. We haven’t had the best experience with LG phone cameras over the past year. The Optimus 4X HD suffered from poor image quality and autofocus issues, so we hope the Nexus uses a different camera module. Nevertheless, it should be an improvement upon the fairly dismal 5MP shooter of the Galaxy Nexus. The lack of a microSD card shouldn’t be surprising. Google doesn't like insecure removable storage. The reports of relatively meager helping of internal storage could present some cause for concern, though, if accurate. This could be a sign that Google wants to remain competitive on price when it ships the LG Nexus through the Play Store. But even with cloud storage options available, an 8GB starting point is going to be hard to swallow, as anyone with a Nexus 7 will tell you.