For the uninitiated, the Nexus line could often be described as "Google's iPhone," but the truth was more complicated than that. Unlike Apple, the folks in Mountain View didn't dictate every aspect of the device's design -- choosing instead to farm out the hardware part of the Nexus equation to a series of different manufacturers. Nexus devices have been designed and built by Asus, Huawei, HTC, Motorola, LG and Samsung. All of them were top of the line (or least great bang for the buck) at their launches. But, physically they share almost nothing in common. Google's choice to partner with different manufacturers for each model made every Nexus unique. Not every design was a hit with fans, but the appeal of a Nexus phone wasn't necessarily the hardware. It was software.
