The Nexus 6P effectively levels the playing field with other great phones by offering really beautiful hardware and a camera that can finally compete. And it does that while undercutting all of them on cost. The Nexus 6P starts at $499, and for that price there is not a single phone on the market that’s better. Not one.
If you compare it to the other “premium” phones like the iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6, or Note 5, you’re going to end up finding yourself putting a different set of things on your decision scales than before. With the Note 5: is a slightly better camera and a stylus worth $240 more, or would you rather have a clean Android experience? And the iPhone 6S: is iOS’s superior app ecosystem and 3D Touch worth $150 more, or do you live in Google’s ecosystem and want Google Now on Tap?
I find it remarkable that the Nexus 6P has managed to cram so much excellent, high-end phone – a great camera, even! – in such a small price tag. Except if you’re European of course, where we’re being hit with serious price hikes that really destroy the 6P’s value proposition.
Just as remarkable: the Nexus 5X.
Still, if you’ve been holding onto a Nexus 5 for two years just waiting for Google to do right by you, those points might not matter. Barring few exceptions, such as the lack of wireless charging, there’s very little that a Nexus 5 lover will find to complain about with the 5X. It’s compact, cheap, and performs well, even if it’s not the best-looking or best-feeling phone you can get. If you’ve been eyeing Motorola’s new Moto X or the plethora of other phones in the sub-$500 price range, the 5X is a really compelling option. In fact, among phones under $450, I don’t think there’s a better option, and it’s easily the one I’d pick.
As one of those fervent Nexus 5 lovers – I may have bought an iPhone 6S, but my bright orange-red Nexus 5 will remain in my heart for a long time to come – the 5X really does appeal to me. I’m not a fan of the camera bulge, and it definitely needs an orange-red option, but other than that, it looks exactly like I imagined a 2015-2016 Nexus 5 would look.
These two phones are definitely the best Android phones you can buy right now bar none.
Note that the 5x is about 1cm taller, and a few mm wider than the 5; the height seems to be there to accommodate the front-facing speakers.
Feels very similar in the hand, though, and MUCH less huge than the 6 or 6p!
I compared the Motorola Moto X Pure with the 6P and am fairly certain that the Moto X is a better value. It definitely has the better camera and only slightly lower overall specs, plus the ability to take a MicroSD card.
Maybe someone can point out what makes the 6P worth the difference in price…?
Updates.
No, not updates. The Moto X Pure is authentic Android and receives updates at the same time as Nexus.
Yeah, you’ll receive updates for about a year, then you’re shit out of luck.
Source: 2013 Moto X owner who won’t be getting the Marshmallow update.
That’s not a huge concern to me… worst case scenario you can unlock it and flash Cyanogen. Though to be fair, the Nexus 5 (also 2013) did get the Marshmallow update.
Yeah, and probably have all the Google apps & services replaced with Microsoft shit by then. Plus you’re gonna lose some of the cool Moto features that way (though I guess most of them are in the stock rom at this point.)
Edited 2015-10-21 00:51 UTC
But, but, Android is ‘Free and Open’.
Seriously though, are you trying to say that there is no other option for Android users other then getting a Google device?
If you care about updates past year one? You’re taking a gamble buying anything but Nexus devices. If you don’t, then it doesn’t matter all that much. Unless there’s some gaping security hole that the OEM doesn’t patch …
I bought the Galaxy Nexus on that basis. 600 euro! But it only got 2 updates. And the screen, battery, speakers, camera, soc were shit. So from that time I never wanted a nexus. Then I read that Google would support nexus devices for 18 months.
The HTC One m7 that I bought 18 months later is still to this day a great phone and gets updates 30 months after buying. Pity HTC One m8/9 is now a phablet.
As far as I know, it came with 4.0 and updated up to 4.4. There’s a Marshmallow rom available for it unofficially.
4.3 and 4.1 2 3 where kind of the same.
I think you’re thinking of the commercial CyanogenOS, not the free CyanogenMod. Yes, it’s confusing. Anyway, there’s other firmwares as well.
To be fair,that’s qualacomm screwing over Motorola, by not updating drivers for the low power,secondary always listening chip. Not Moto’s fault per se, other than trusting the largest vendor neutral chip maker to provide updates.
I guess with a Nexus phone, you have a little more faith that the chip vendors aren’t going to screw over Google? Although, they did. Which is why JBQ isn’t at google anymore.
http://www.androidauthority.com/jbq-maintainer-of-all-things-holy-a…
But my Moto X 2014 has also been on a buggy 5.0 build for half a year, as Nexii quickly got 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.1 and 5.1.1. Can’t blame that on Qualcomm.
By the way, if Motorola cannot update the 2013 quickly because of Qualcomm – that is Motorola’s problem, it shouldn’t be the customer’s. I would have been nice if Motorola compensated their treatment of 2013 users by giving them M as well. (The phone is perfectly capable.)
Huh, where? I received the Stagefright update for my 2014 X a bit more than a week ago (two months after they ramped up the PR with “we’re rolling it out soon”). Marshmallow remains nowhere to be seen yet.
My Moto X 2014 received Lollipop in May or June, seven or eight months after the Nexii.
History as shown that there is only one line that gets reliable updates (well, since the N4) and that is Nexus.
The Moto X Pure has a better camera? I am not to sure about that…
http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Google-Nexus-6P-review-Serious-conte…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsrbXBHB7Ho
-Gorilla Glass 4 vs 3
-Better CPU
-Better GPU
-USB Type-C
-Fingerprint reader
-Bluetooth v4.2 vs 4.1
I will give you the SD card slot on the Moto…
Better CPU? Not quite. It has the infamous Snapdragon 810 so when it does some intensive stuff it will shut down 2 cores to avoid thermal problems so there will be not much difference with the 808 that the Style uses.
Fingerprint reader? Not care.
USB Type-C? This is a small fail but with adapters it´s not a problem. It will take a few years for it to be prevalent. I have to change my computer in a few months and except for Apple I don´t see computers with it.
Bluetooth v4.2? Can´t this be updated by software? With my Nexus 4 there was a change in the version of Bluetooth supported with a Android update (I think it was with kitkat).
I think the Style has a better screen and a better camera and is water resistant and a better price/features ratio. Worse battery though.
The reviews are saying the screen is great on the 6P. AMOLED vs LCD displays is a subjective thing. Water resistant? I don’t get that feature. People need to text while in the shower now or something?
I will also add the Android Sensor Hub, MIMO antenna (better range), and RGB LED notification light on the 6P.
Unless there’s a different version, the Moto X 2nd gen camera is really slow to take pictures. I bought the phone for my wife and the camera slowness bothered her enough that we sent it back. She was always missing motion shots. She’s much happier with the Galaxy S5 and doesn’t complain about my Nexus 6.
Seems to me that the 5X received a meager battery improvement over the N5. I loved my 5, but that battery was not good. I recently moved to a Moto X Play, and I can’t imagine how I managed to get by with the 5’s battery.
Probably they think the new Doze battery saver made for a lack of large increase in capacity.
For me the 2013 N5 was already at the maximum acceptable size. The new N5X is considerably larger. Looks like I’m longing for an updated N4 instead of N5, a 4.7-4.9″ display would be perfect for me. Unfortunately I find it highly unlikely that google will ever release an updated N4.
Btw, why is osnews so focused on the verge? There were many nexus reviews on other sites before the verge but were not cited. In general half of the articles on osnews are citations from the verge. I already read the verge so I’m finding it pointless to read the same text again here!
Couldn’t agree more. They specifically make a smaller phone “for nexus 5 fans” and then make it bigger yet. Anyone remember when the Nexus 4 came out and they said 4.7″ was the sweet spot and they didn’t go bigger for ergonomic reasons? Nothing has changed, 4.7″ is still the best size for one handed use.
I understand if you like a Phablet, but making a 5.2″ and a 5.7″ phone makes no sense to me.(FYI the OG note was 5.3″)
“These two phones are definitely the best Android phones you can buy right now bar none.”
Well no, not for me. Far to big and to expensive. No Dual-Sim either. They suck – for me.
But Google probably won’t sell them to most of the world anyway, so I see them more as a demonstration how Android phones should look like according to Google.
PS: I have to correct myself, looks like I’ll actually be able to buy a Nexus 5x for around $600.
Edited 2015-10-21 07:53 UTC
have a look at the Wileyfox Swift/Storm. Sounds like it matches your requirements and is £130/£200
I am actually thinking about them but I am not sure how they are going to survive. Although Snapdragon 615 and 200$ seems nice. Shame they don’t have a good support other than Britain.
Their warranty and replacement services cover the EU (any country). But their call centers are in France and UK. So bi-lingual support only.
I think I have decided I want the Storm, just waiting to order.
p.s. I would REALLY have like a Priv, but I cant justify the price
Curious, what part of this world are you where dual sim makes sense?
Do you think you’re part of the world was the audience for these reviews?
I think basically you can consider Verge to be very US focused, so most of what they say may only apply to the US market.
And Thom is obviously speaking from his Europeon experience as well. Obviously your mileage may vary, if from a different locale.
Just as reading a review site from an Asian country may recommend things that make no sense for me.
Dual SIM makes a lot of sense for anyone who is a frequent traveller (to other countries). Keep your ‘native’ SIM in one slot to be able to receive calls/SMS/Whatsapp messages*. Throw in the guest countries’ SIM for cheap data.
We travel a lot within Europe (work and private) and we a small collection of SIM cards now. Our own provider charges 5 Euro for 100MB EU roaming (7 days). A prepaid card often gives you 1GB for that amount or less.
* Whatsapp complains when the SIM with the associated number is removed, but will happily work with data from a different SIM card.
Edited 2015-10-21 19:05 UTC
Too bad they’re butt ugly
phone designs have hit the “beige box” stage. Other than a small few like blackberry (passport) the design is big rectangle screen with your choice of back dictates if its premium (aluminium or plastic).
Oh no! This wonderful state of the art reasonably priced communication device my ancestors could have only dreamed of, doesn’t match my aesthetic preferences! Time to call in the national guard.
Even the <$100 current models have big screens, quad-core processors, plenty of memory, adequate storage and decent cameras. Do most people really need to spend an extra $500 to get a marginal improvement?
I’m happy to buy a new phone every year for $100 without worrying about upgrades or owning a flagship.
Other than my bleeding liberal heart wincing about the e-waste you are spot on. Then again I am sure I waste the equivalent by other means elsewhere.
I erase my phones and pass them on. There is no extra e-waste involved.
I’m trying to understand the 5X with 16GB of storage and no SD card. That gives you more like 12GB of usable space. Take some photos and some videos, plus a big app or two, and you’re out of space. Yes, you can jump up to the 32GB for an extra $40. (Never mind that a 16GB microSD card is under ten bucks, and even 64GB is around twenty.) But why does the 16GB even exist? I’m seriously asking; is 16GB really a viable option at this point?
It entirely depends on what you do with it. 16GB is still plenty for a bunch of photos and videos, especially for someone who takes such only occasionally. I, for example, could very easily get by with that — looking at my phone I seem to have used about 4GB, and I haven’t even tried to use the space sparingly.
If you constantly keep taking lots of pictures and videos or fill the space with 200GB+ FLAC-compressed music, then of course you’ll run out of space. In the real life, however, not everyone does that.
hear what your saying, but as the OP mentioned – cost of flash memory is pretty damn low these days
phone maker could easily get away with segmenting their phone at 64, 128, 256 rather than the 16, 32, 64 they seem to at the moment in reality
and given the price hikes usually offered – the jumps I suggested would be fair and would fit.
I think they very artificially segment on a lower tighter scale because they (partly) have to to squeeze people (enough)
–
it’s a bit like when car manufacturers *could* just lower the physically/engineering specs of their cars as they go progressively toward the budget end of a range (but they often will make their cars/SUVs/whatever a little -or a lot- less aesthetically pleasing to boot) – just to give us lovely customers a little more shove if they can..
I’m not a total communist but oh for some nicer minded companies..where profit wasn’t all!
Edited 2015-10-23 18:01 UTC
I think fundamentally you don’t understand how product manufacturing works. It’s not just you, many people on the internet complain that product X doesn’t have feature Y, even though it only costs $Z more. The thing you need to understand is that if a feature doesn’t increase the number of units sold (and the lack of a feature doesn’t decrease sales), the manufacturer is really just throwing away money if they include it.
But it’s only a small amount, right? Per unit, yes, but not when you consider all units sold over the entire lifetime of the product. Say a feature costs $1, but it doesn’t increase sales significantly (and doesn’t decrease sales significantly if the feature is lacking). If the product sales are 1,000,000 units, it’s $1,000,000 wasted.
That’s a significant amount. That can be the difference between successful and unsuccessful product. It moves the break even point (the point where the profit form each unit sold equals the fixed costs of developing the product) and increases the risk of developing that product.
But you’d gladly pay the extra cost of that feature, right? But increasing the sale price of the product means decreasing sales. Generally the sale price of a product is determined first, then the product is designed to meet the specifications for as cheap as possible. So why don’t they create just sell two products, where the upgraded product only costs an additional cost of the feature? It’s called upselling. Yes, it’s a rip off. The profit margin on upgraded product is greater. It’s how pretty much every product line of anything works. For the manufacturer’s point of view it’s not about the value of a particular product, it’s about the profitability of the entire product line.
It’s funny how people complain about a particular product having an extra feature that’s poor value. Upselling it’s something that’s done to almost every single product you’ve ever bought.
Does anyone know if there will be a hardware refresh for the nexus 9 or if it will get Android 6 when it ships?