The new Google smartphone, the Nexus 5, went on sale Thursday, USA Today reported.

Its integration with Google Search and Google Now will be some of its most anticipated features. Google Now acts as a "personal assistant" by anticipating user's needs based on previous search and purchase behavior, according to USA Today.

From a five-inch display, Nexus 5 users can snap more consistent photos by way of a mechanism that corrects for movement and reduces blur, according to USA Today. The enhanced camera also aids in snapping shots of fast moving scenes where lighting is poor.

The Nexus 5 will be the most direct competition to the recently released iPhone 5s, according to USA Today. At $350-$400 without a cell phone plan, it's cheaper than the 5s, which can cost up to $849 without a plan. (The Nexus 5 goes for $150 on a plan; the 5s costs $200, according to android central).

"This is a cutting-edge device at an incredible price," said Sundar Pichai, director of Google's Android business.

Price, according to USA Today, is especially important in "faster-growing developing markets, where there are fewer wireless contracts to subsidize expensive phones and where people have less money to spend on a costly unlocked devices."

The fastest of those markets include four countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia and Mexico - so important to Google that employees refer to them as BRIM. Android is growing at three times the rate in BRIM than in more stabilized markets, USA Today reported.

After activating its one billionth Android device earlier this year, Pichai said Google's next goal is to service one billion more, according to USA Today.

In order to do that, his company must make sure all Android devices operate on the same version. Citizens of BRIM and other developing countries tend to use older versions like Gingerbread. The latest update, called KitKat, is designed to use less memory to encourage all users to download it, USA Today reported.

"On the journey to reach the next billion people we need to make sure they are all on the same operating system," Pichai said.