6 ms·

Looks great but no way am I going to go back to Samsung now I have a Nexus 6P. In the past the Nexus phones have always been kinda "nice but not great" but the

Looks great but no way am I going to go back to Samsung now I have a Nexus 6P. In the past the Nexus phones have always been kinda "nice but not great" but the 6P is easily one of best phones you can buy. The camera is top-notch, the screen is stunning, performance is awesome and battery life is incredible. And stock Android is bliss. I can't really fault it :)

switch007 11y ago
Not to rain on your hyperbole parade ;), but how long is the "incredible" battery life? Asking for a friend with an ageing nexus 4, who swore not to spend that much on a phone again...
- pasbesoin 11y ago
  I've been considering a... is it the "5x", now? Mid-range price. The camera is supposed to be excellent. Somewhat more pocketable. And, being on Verizon, my understanding is that I can pop in the micro-SIM from my 2013 Moto X and it will "just work", despite Verizon not officially supporting the 5x. For that is a primary concern of mine. Due to circumstances, I'm kind of stuck with Verizon (in the U.S.). But I will never again purchase a phone whose updates are under their control. It seems to be either a Nexus that I can get to work on their network, or an iPhone.
  - ageitgey 11y ago
    I have a Nexus 6P and got my wife a Nexus 5X thinking it would be a smaller version of basically the same thing. The 6P has been nice, but the 5X has all sorts of issues with bad performance. For example, opening the camera will often freeze the phone for 10-20 seconds. Google still hasn't fixed this after 4 months [1]. It frustrated my wife enough that we sold it and got a used Galaxy S6 instead. It worked a lot better overall (despite running an older version of Android). It's really disappointing. On paper, the Nexus 5X looks like a great phone. But in practice, basic features like taking pictures don't work reliably. [1] https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/nexus/8D7t6xJVwyU/mCMw87-BAgAJ https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/nexus/8D7t6xJVw...
    - pasbesoin 11y ago
      Thank you! I will look into that further. And I will consider the price bump for the 6P -- and how I will carry it around.
      - marak830 11y ago
        I had the same worry when i purchased a note 3. It really becomes natural after a few weeks(at least for me). Just dont drop it on your face, reading in bed. A little more mass haha.
    - noobermin 11y ago
      >[...]but the 5X has all sorts of issues with bad performance. For example, opening the camera will often freeze the phone for 10-20 seconds. Odd, I have a nexus 5X and I do not have this issue. The camera is pretty responsive. I think I've experienced some momentary freezes (the number of which I can count on one hand after 3 months?). YMMV? Although using "ymmv" makes no sense because they are the same device... Also, the battery life is great and it is an good device over all.
    - sdenton4 11y ago
      I've got a 5x and it's been awesome. Haven't had any issues with the camera.
    - gjm11 11y ago
      > the 5x has all sorts of issues with bad performance I have a Nexus 5x and so far its performance has been absolutely fine for me. Opening the camera app has never produced a 10-20 second freeze. I have seen some things online suggesting that the Snapchat app may be responsible for some 5x performance problems. Did your wife's 5x have Snapchat installed, by any chance?
  - blinkingled 11y ago
    Yes any activated Verizon SIM should work with either of the Nexus phones. (I used one from my M8 and it worked fine in a 6P. Also you'll need a nano SIM - you can cut your micro sim using any one of the SIM cutters from Amazon.)
- kozukumi 11y ago
  well there are two areas to my incredible claim :) first is that the battery easily lasts me 2 days sometimes into a 3rd day if I use it a little less than normal. however I only ever charge it for 15-20 minutes and in that time the fast charge gets me back up to 80something %. It is amazing how fast it charges. I never worry about the battery life on this phone which is the first time I have ever said that since smartphone came along. for me the fast charging is actually the more important thing for me as being able to get 50+% battery charge in around 15 minutes is just awesome.
  - danjayh 11y ago
    Your battery life is great now, but what about 3 years from now? The current ~2 year phone refresh cycle should not last forever, and I think that both the S7 and the nexus have it wrong when it comes to batteries. Even at a gentle 50% Depth of Discharge, a typical li-ion is at only 70% capacity after ~1200 cycles. Bump that to near 100% DoD, and you're at 70% after only 300-500 cycles. Sealed-in batteries in a phone are, IMHO, even a bigger deal than the lack of expandable storage. Reference: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_li...
    - kozukumi 11y ago
      A fair point. However I buy my phone SIM free for cash. I do not expect to keep this more than a year because like you said a built in battery isn't great. I will sell this phone/trade it in and buy whatever the new phone I want is. Doing it this way means I still get a good price for selling my phone to offset the cost of the new phone. Sure I spend about £200-250 on a phone each year but I am not tied into a contract for 24 months and I am on a great SIM only plan with unlimited 4G data for £15/month. When I calculate it over 24 months I save money over getting the same phone on a contract.
      - danjayh 11y ago
        Being off contract, you save the most money by the fact that you aren't forced to continually upgrade your phone to get your subsidy. I'm on a ~$25 USD/month plan with unlimited talk/text + 2.5GB LTE, and I typically keep my phones ~3 years. Having said that, as you stated, even if I needed to have new phones every year, it'd still be cheaper than a contract :).
- tbrock 11y ago
  Good luck. The nexus 4 was one of the cheapest flagship smartphones of all time.
vram22 11y ago
You find no cons in it (as in pros and cons) at all? Unusual - for me, anyway. Never had that experience with a phone.
- yareally 11y ago
  I have one. I find the width too large and I'm 6'4". Dislike having to carry it while running as well due to the size. I end up taking my cheaper, smaller windows phone while running instead. Also, the slippery metal back can easily make it fall out of gym shorts and sweats if you don't want a case. Other than those 2 aspects, I'm pretty happy with it.
  - Spivak 11y ago
    Here are a few cons as someone else who has one. * The shape of the actual phone. It's completely ridiculous that the phone doesn't sit naturally on a flat table. However, Google's case completely fixes this problem. * Good luck finding a case that offers non-trivial protection. * (This could be a pro) You likely cant walk into your carrier's store and buy one which means you have to buy it directly from Google and without an upgrade 'subsidy'. * It's pretty expensive. Nexus phones have been historically cheap but this isn't really the case anymore. If you want cheap and near-stock you have to look at Motorola... * You're being gouged for internal storage. If you want more than a paltry 16GiB of internal storage you'll be paying out the nose for it, and with no microSD card slot you cant buy a large and cheap storage for your photos and music. * The battery isn't removable or user replaceable. This should be combined with my first point because the two are most likely linked. If the phone had a uniform thickness there's no doubt they could have fit a removable battery. Form over function seems to be the motto of every hardware designer. I haven't read the iFixit guide yet so it might be replaceable by you or me but it's certainly out of the range of your typical consumer. * Since you bought the phone from Google you get to deal with Google's legendary customer support. * This might be a weird complaint but the LED light on Samsung phones is much nicer than what you get on the 6P. * Rooting the phone is trivial but requires a complete wipe of the device and disables the use of Android Pay. Maybe not a huge deal especially considering other phones in the ecosystem but it was nice when older Androids could be rooted in place. But despite all of this it's still the best phone experience I've ever had and as long as the person isn't a die hard phone gamer or in the Apple ecosystem I would recommend them the 6P over just about everything else that's currently available.
dwightgunning 11y ago
I bought a 6P late last week after the screen on my 5 died (it was a replacement I DIY'd after cracking the glass on the original). Probably the worst timing possible given the MWC is on. First impressions have been great. The build quality, speed and screen have all been a nice incremental improvement. The Nexus 5 had been rock solid and I probably wouldn't advise anybody rush into the upgrade. Stock Android is fantastic.
- insulanian 11y ago
  > Stock Android is fantastic. Yes, and I don't think I could go to some manufacturer-customized bloated version ever again. The only thing I'd like to be better on my Nexus 5 is camera. Otherwise it's an awesome device.
Keyframe 11y ago
One con about Nexus phone is... well, try and buy one anywhere outside of US or some large country. You can't. I can't understand how that's possible with a company of that size.
- scrollaway 11y ago
  ebay. I'm in Greece and got a reasonably priced 6P through there.
  - Keyframe 11y ago
    That's brave! What about warranty?
    - scrollaway 11y ago
      shrugs
- adventured 11y ago
  Despite Huawei making it, you can't buy it throughout Asia (or at least China)?
- craigds 11y ago
  I'm in NZ and bought my 6P from the Google store and it arrived safely 3 days later. I think it got shipped from Singapore (?) I was a little worried Customs would stop it and try to charge me some kind of duty but nope :) Nexus 6P is amazing, SO much better than my Galaxy S3
pjmlp 11y ago
Until they do swappable batteries and SD card support, I cannot care less. Also with their episode with TI, I do not trust Google to be any different from Android OEM in terms of guaranteeing updates.
listic 11y ago
If only they made them in non-huge size.

switch007 11y ago

Not to rain on your hyperbole parade ;), but how long is the "incredible" battery life? Asking for a friend with an ageing nexus 4, who swore not to spend that much on a phone again...

pasbesoin 11y ago
I've been considering a... is it the "5x", now? Mid-range price. The camera is supposed to be excellent. Somewhat more pocketable. And, being on Verizon, my understanding is that I can pop in the micro-SIM from my 2013 Moto X and it will "just work", despite Verizon not officially supporting the 5x. For that is a primary concern of mine. Due to circumstances, I'm kind of stuck with Verizon (in the U.S.). But I will never again purchase a phone whose updates are under their control. It seems to be either a Nexus that I can get to work on their network, or an iPhone.
- ageitgey 11y ago
  I have a Nexus 6P and got my wife a Nexus 5X thinking it would be a smaller version of basically the same thing. The 6P has been nice, but the 5X has all sorts of issues with bad performance. For example, opening the camera will often freeze the phone for 10-20 seconds. Google still hasn't fixed this after 4 months [1]. It frustrated my wife enough that we sold it and got a used Galaxy S6 instead. It worked a lot better overall (despite running an older version of Android). It's really disappointing. On paper, the Nexus 5X looks like a great phone. But in practice, basic features like taking pictures don't work reliably. [1] https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/nexus/8D7t6xJVwyU/mCMw87-BAgAJ https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/nexus/8D7t6xJVw...
  - pasbesoin 11y ago
    Thank you! I will look into that further. And I will consider the price bump for the 6P -- and how I will carry it around.
    - marak830 11y ago
      I had the same worry when i purchased a note 3. It really becomes natural after a few weeks(at least for me). Just dont drop it on your face, reading in bed. A little more mass haha.
  - noobermin 11y ago
    >[...]but the 5X has all sorts of issues with bad performance. For example, opening the camera will often freeze the phone for 10-20 seconds. Odd, I have a nexus 5X and I do not have this issue. The camera is pretty responsive. I think I've experienced some momentary freezes (the number of which I can count on one hand after 3 months?). YMMV? Although using "ymmv" makes no sense because they are the same device... Also, the battery life is great and it is an good device over all.
  - sdenton4 11y ago
    I've got a 5x and it's been awesome. Haven't had any issues with the camera.
  - gjm11 11y ago
    > the 5x has all sorts of issues with bad performance I have a Nexus 5x and so far its performance has been absolutely fine for me. Opening the camera app has never produced a 10-20 second freeze. I have seen some things online suggesting that the Snapchat app may be responsible for some 5x performance problems. Did your wife's 5x have Snapchat installed, by any chance?
- blinkingled 11y ago
  Yes any activated Verizon SIM should work with either of the Nexus phones. (I used one from my M8 and it worked fine in a 6P. Also you'll need a nano SIM - you can cut your micro sim using any one of the SIM cutters from Amazon.)
kozukumi 11y ago
well there are two areas to my incredible claim :) first is that the battery easily lasts me 2 days sometimes into a 3rd day if I use it a little less than normal. however I only ever charge it for 15-20 minutes and in that time the fast charge gets me back up to 80something %. It is amazing how fast it charges. I never worry about the battery life on this phone which is the first time I have ever said that since smartphone came along. for me the fast charging is actually the more important thing for me as being able to get 50+% battery charge in around 15 minutes is just awesome.
- danjayh 11y ago
  Your battery life is great now, but what about 3 years from now? The current ~2 year phone refresh cycle should not last forever, and I think that both the S7 and the nexus have it wrong when it comes to batteries. Even at a gentle 50% Depth of Discharge, a typical li-ion is at only 70% capacity after ~1200 cycles. Bump that to near 100% DoD, and you're at 70% after only 300-500 cycles. Sealed-in batteries in a phone are, IMHO, even a bigger deal than the lack of expandable storage. Reference: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_li...
  - kozukumi 11y ago
    A fair point. However I buy my phone SIM free for cash. I do not expect to keep this more than a year because like you said a built in battery isn't great. I will sell this phone/trade it in and buy whatever the new phone I want is. Doing it this way means I still get a good price for selling my phone to offset the cost of the new phone. Sure I spend about £200-250 on a phone each year but I am not tied into a contract for 24 months and I am on a great SIM only plan with unlimited 4G data for £15/month. When I calculate it over 24 months I save money over getting the same phone on a contract.
    - danjayh 11y ago
      Being off contract, you save the most money by the fact that you aren't forced to continually upgrade your phone to get your subsidy. I'm on a ~$25 USD/month plan with unlimited talk/text + 2.5GB LTE, and I typically keep my phones ~3 years. Having said that, as you stated, even if I needed to have new phones every year, it'd still be cheaper than a contract :).
tbrock 11y ago
Good luck. The nexus 4 was one of the cheapest flagship smartphones of all time.

vram22 11y ago

You find no cons in it (as in pros and cons) at all? Unusual - for me, anyway. Never had that experience with a phone.

yareally 11y ago
I have one. I find the width too large and I'm 6'4". Dislike having to carry it while running as well due to the size. I end up taking my cheaper, smaller windows phone while running instead. Also, the slippery metal back can easily make it fall out of gym shorts and sweats if you don't want a case. Other than those 2 aspects, I'm pretty happy with it.
- Spivak 11y ago
  Here are a few cons as someone else who has one. * The shape of the actual phone. It's completely ridiculous that the phone doesn't sit naturally on a flat table. However, Google's case completely fixes this problem. * Good luck finding a case that offers non-trivial protection. * (This could be a pro) You likely cant walk into your carrier's store and buy one which means you have to buy it directly from Google and without an upgrade 'subsidy'. * It's pretty expensive. Nexus phones have been historically cheap but this isn't really the case anymore. If you want cheap and near-stock you have to look at Motorola... * You're being gouged for internal storage. If you want more than a paltry 16GiB of internal storage you'll be paying out the nose for it, and with no microSD card slot you cant buy a large and cheap storage for your photos and music. * The battery isn't removable or user replaceable. This should be combined with my first point because the two are most likely linked. If the phone had a uniform thickness there's no doubt they could have fit a removable battery. Form over function seems to be the motto of every hardware designer. I haven't read the iFixit guide yet so it might be replaceable by you or me but it's certainly out of the range of your typical consumer. * Since you bought the phone from Google you get to deal with Google's legendary customer support. * This might be a weird complaint but the LED light on Samsung phones is much nicer than what you get on the 6P. * Rooting the phone is trivial but requires a complete wipe of the device and disables the use of Android Pay. Maybe not a huge deal especially considering other phones in the ecosystem but it was nice when older Androids could be rooted in place. But despite all of this it's still the best phone experience I've ever had and as long as the person isn't a die hard phone gamer or in the Apple ecosystem I would recommend them the 6P over just about everything else that's currently available.

dwightgunning 11y ago

I bought a 6P late last week after the screen on my 5 died (it was a replacement I DIY'd after cracking the glass on the original). Probably the worst timing possible given the MWC is on. First impressions have been great. The build quality, speed and screen have all been a nice incremental improvement. The Nexus 5 had been rock solid and I probably wouldn't advise anybody rush into the upgrade. Stock Android is fantastic.

insulanian 11y ago
> Stock Android is fantastic. Yes, and I don't think I could go to some manufacturer-customized bloated version ever again. The only thing I'd like to be better on my Nexus 5 is camera. Otherwise it's an awesome device.

Keyframe 11y ago

One con about Nexus phone is... well, try and buy one anywhere outside of US or some large country. You can't. I can't understand how that's possible with a company of that size.

scrollaway 11y ago
ebay. I'm in Greece and got a reasonably priced 6P through there.
- Keyframe 11y ago
  That's brave! What about warranty?
  - scrollaway 11y ago
    shrugs
adventured 11y ago
Despite Huawei making it, you can't buy it throughout Asia (or at least China)?
craigds 11y ago
I'm in NZ and bought my 6P from the Google store and it arrived safely 3 days later. I think it got shipped from Singapore (?) I was a little worried Customs would stop it and try to charge me some kind of duty but nope :) Nexus 6P is amazing, SO much better than my Galaxy S3

pjmlp 11y ago

Until they do swappable batteries and SD card support, I cannot care less. Also with their episode with TI, I do not trust Google to be any different from Android OEM in terms of guaranteeing updates.

listic 11y ago

If only they made them in non-huge size.