I've had the Nexus 6 for about 5 days now and it is my favorite Android device yet! I've had the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the S5, the Motorola Droid Razr HD, the HTC One M7 and now the M8 for work provided by my company... But I always went back to Apple because of the OS lag in Android devices... I bought the Nexus 6 because after the iPhone 6, I was bored with iOS... Greatest decision ever! I don't know what this guy is talking about with the "lag" but I've yet to see it... Also, at 100% battery life, my phone lasts me the entire day! I mean I do work all day so my usage isn't as heavy as other users but I'm pretty satisfied with the with the battery life... Yes, I do have to get used to the screen size because it's much bigger than the iPhones I've had before but watching Netflix and Hulu on this device is amazing!! And about the price, well I'm used to Apple's overpricing of devices so $700 isn't a high price tag for me... If you want high end, you have to pay for it in my book
Agree to disagree with some of the things that were mentioned in this review since my experience with my nexus 6 has been amazing so far. But I will say this, I think we can all agree that the production value on this review is top notch. Great job on the video guys! Keep em' coming
I have had no issues with my battery, personally. I have most recently been extremely surprised with it. I forgot to charge it one night and left the house the next morning for work with 38%. It lasted me all day till I got home that night with 10% and that was with texting, watching RU-vid videos, downloading background wallpapers, taking pictures and the having the battery saver mode activated after 15% as well. That's a giant plus in my book.
Amir Amran it can become difficult to sit down with the phone in your pocket, yes. There's no getting around that, I mean, it's a big phone. I was never worried it would bend or anything like that and it never did, so as long you're not being careless with it, you'll be fine.
Mike Fisher, We normally see eye to eye on reviews. But I would have to say that you missed it on this one. It is obvious that the size of the phone bothers you. Size of a device will chalk up to preference. I will agree that the device is not made for someone with small hands looking to do a lot of one handed operation. The HTC One M8 or iPhone 6 is ideal. I got the phone after your unboxing. Can't say that I'm experience lag. I'm running two Google profiles on my phone, one for personal and an encrypted one for work. I'm a social network junkie running: FB, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, IB and Lync for work. I text with the native messenger app for my personal and Hangouts for my work. Running Gmail for my corporate email and Google Inbox for my personal. I have 4 calendar accounts and use Google Wallet daily. Oh and I have 3 phone numbers mapped to my phone. No lag or stutter. Audio quality issues are a known AT&T thing. Not sure if your issues with audio on Spotify or Sparkle were while you were using it on their network. As far as Google providing more accessibility to things like notifications, really will depend on the user. I have big hands and can swipe down one handed. But again size will be a user preference. iPhone 6 Plus is the same height as the Nexus 6 and just a little bit thinner in width. So I don't understand the awkward on the ear comment. Thanks for showing us the wireless charging station, Aukey. I will definitely get one. So the review had some good stuff. But there is a real opportunity to show this Nexus device running Lollipop and all that is capable of doing. The review was side tracked a lot by your size preferences. To demonstrate the flagship phone of Google and its best OS yet on their device is what we need.
Hi Jay. Thanks for the feedback, and pardon the long reply. That's a fair amount of stuff you're running on the N6 there, but much of it has zero bearing on UI responsiveness (and it's roughly equivalent to our own usage model anyway). As for lag: we're seeing much more stutter and hesitation on both of our Nexus 6 units running Lollipop than we saw on the N5 running JB, and we're not alone in that observation. If yours is speedy, that's awesome! Audio quality issues had nothing to do with the network as we experienced them on WiFi and cellular. As speculated by others with the problem in the referenced Reddit post, this is likely an AVLS issue. Unsure why it's reported on some units and not others, but as we experienced it on both AT&T and unlocked devices (and confirmed it with a colleague's unit at another publication) we felt it necessary to report on it. Yes, size is subjective - which is why we balanced our criticisms with praise ("sometimes bigger is just better" ... "the Nexus 6 is a big phone - because it has to be"). Finally: gotta disagree with your assertion that "to demonstrate the flagship phone of Google and its best OS yet ... is what [viewers] need." While that sounds great for Android or Motorola fans, the purpose of a review is to inform consumers about whether a device is worth buying, framed in the context of other devices on the market. That's what we've tried to do here. Again, thanks for the feedback; it's really appreciated and we're glad you're happy with your N6! Stick around for After The Buzz in a few months and we'll compare notes on how well the phone has aged! ^M
M. Fisher, Thanks for the feedback. I'm curious about the lag you mentioned. When I provided you an example of all that I'm running, is was to show that even with all that I have going at once I do not experience lag. No lag in power cycles, launching Android OS apps, performance in using those OS apps even with 3rd party apps running. I guess I haven't heard any specifics. Would you mind sharing so that I can duplicate? Might be important to me and I still have time to return the device if it is critical. I would really appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to respond back! 😀
Jay Woolridge Criticality will of course depend on your own tolerance for stutter and hiccup. If you're not bothered by performance issues, then obviously don't return the device. Generally we find the worst lag when summoning the task switcher after a few hours' up-time, but it also appears in the camera app and when switching to Google Now. General sluggishness being what it is, though, it's erratic and not easy to pin down. ^M
Pocketnow Thanks for the info. I guess I'll hold on to it. Did discover some think weird about that Aukey Luna Wireless Charger when using it to charge the Nexus. It stops charging the Nexus when the battery gets to 93%. Doesn't seem to do that with any other charger, but the Aukey. Let us know if you happen to notice the same thing if you happen to get a chance to test the two devices together.
Loved the conclusion to this review, covered some of the major sticking points, in a very balanced way. Keep up the good work Pocketnow and Michael Fisher!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, for not saying it is overpriced and look at price for simular phones. Almost all reviewers have called it overpriced, but the fact is what you say, that the previous have been underpriced. That's a like from me!
Best in video Ad I have ever heard! It was unobtrusive smooth and I will consider buying the product. Good job not annoying me. You are great at this profession.
just got this device and all i can say is wow! its fastest smartphone i have had yet. camera much better than i was expecting and for media.... wow as the screen and speakers are awesome! come from a Note 4 and the nexus 6 is faster and better in many ways, well chuffed.
love my nexus 6. Upgraded from a htc one m7 and the m7 just feels way to small. The curved back of the nexus 6 actually makes it feel smaller than it actually is. Fits in my pocket with a case on with room to spare and I dont wear huge baggy pants. I wouldn't buy it outright for the price though lol. I got mine on contract for $250 plus a $50 google play credit. The phone is blazing fast and the battery last a long time (im definitely a heavy user). If you have doubts about the device and are looking to upgrade you should just get it and if you dont like it you have 14 days to return it for a different device (if you are getting it as a upgrade from a carrier).
I'm currently using nexus 6 as my daily drive and I have to say I really love my nexus since I used to be a Samsung and HTC user. Pure stock android is amazing and I have experience no lag or even screen burn and the dual speaker rival my old htc m8 though I understand nth can beat the htc boomsound and the phone footprint is actually as big as my brother iPhone 6 plus even though my phone screen is bigger and also battery life to me I would say 3.8 out of 5 star since I am no road warrior and I mostly carry my charger with me and my screen on time I able to make it for 5 hours 45 mins (but it varies depend on how people use) I recommend this phone for people who love stock android
I think the Battery performance issues as well as the Audio, the occasional lag, and even the Camera Saturation tweaks, can be Fixed with a Future Software Update or Two. The guys and gals over in Mountain View, CA need to get on that asap!
For the ones worried about occasional (or more than occasional) stutter: that is not Nexus 6 fault,* it is Lollipop's*. I've experienced similar issues with my Nexus 7 2013, I guess that's to account to the new, large update. iOS 8 did the same. Even though it's a shame we have to experience such discomfort for a software update *in 2014*, we've come to expect it, as you may expect lots of fixes coming right up.
Honestly,people complaining about the size(the ones who have bigger phones than iPhones currently)are complaining for nothing. After awhile,the massiveness of it won't really affect you long term. But when you first get it and everyone is like "Why the hell is that phone so big!?"
Being a Verizon customer, I was VERY tempted to buy a Nexus 6. Especially since the 1 Nexus phone I've owned was the Galaxy Nexus, and I LOVED IT!!!!! However the more I see and hear about the 6, the more I'm glad I passed. I'm sure it's fine for some people, but stock Android doesn't do it for me when it comes to a massive phone like this. If it had split screen, multi window multitasking, and 1 handed control like Samsung and LG, I would buy it for sure. However Google just seemed to miss the writing on the walls. This was the PERFECT opportunity to showcase phablet-ready features built into stock Android. Instead we just got a great big phone with no idea of how to make use of the extra size........ Nexus devices are supposed to showcase what Googles idea of an Android phone is supposed to be. 1 look at this phone tells us Google has no idea what a Nexus phablet is supposed to be.
Pretty sure Nexus phones are also development tools...I'm sure there are plans for a bunch of cool "phablet features", and if Google doesn't have plans, you better believe all the dev teams are hard at work...
People forget this all too often... The nexus line was designed as an attraction for devs. They haven't touched stock android because they want consistency with all stock android devices. Yes it'd have been cool to see some n6 specific features, but its simply not the google way. Will they hopefully update their apps to support dual column view? I hope so. I love this phone.
crowyard Kind of the other way around, TBH. Pocketnow hired me when no one else would, and ***** taught me most of what I know when it comes to video editing. But I appreciate the support! (you too Arslan Ali Qureshi) ^M
The pink tint you mentioned in the videos about the Nexus 6 are on purpose. They make the screen easier on the eyes when dimmed at night by filtering out blue light. Its like f.lux, but for Android.
nexus 5 is 4.9 inch nexus 6 is 5.9inch nexus ..than we have nexus 7 9 10 ... so next year phone will be.. nexus 8... an 8 inch phablet... good work Goolgoole
In my case, the original Moto X strikes the right balance between screen real-estate and one-handed usability. It combines a 4.7in screen, relatively small bezels and rounded edges for the perfect form factor.
The software can be tweaked pretty easily. With root you can adjust the dpi and make the phone think it's a tablet, along with flashing an omni-rom or something that can use multi-windows. But yeah, it should all come stock.
I seem to be the only one with zero lag on the recent apps. The one issue I'm having with my n6 isn't the devices fault because it has a hard time getting a T-Mobile signal at my house but at school it has no trouble so the battery suffers a lot. I assume this will be fixed by the time WiFi calling arrives and as I have never dropped below 30% yet it isn't the biggest of deals atm but hey still better than dealing with Verizon
***** I have a T-Mobile Nexus 6 and I don't notice any lag in the recent app menu either. What I do notice is a consistent lag with the 2nd pull down notification.... More so in portrays mode than when in landscape.
Sadly this device is massively disappointing for me. Stupidly expensive in my eyes. Yeah it's still cheaper than other OEM's but compared to the last two Nexus phones it's way out in left field. Then there's the ridiculous size. These huge devices are vastly overrated in my eyes. Usability has gone to shit these past couple years with high end smartphones. Why Sony is the ONLY company that is putting high end hardware in a practical package is beyond me.
You cant call it expensive just because its more expensive than the two previous nexus devices. Thats not what expensive means, thats making a ridiculous comparison to previous underpriced phones.
Tom CTID i totally agree with you. the specs on this is beyond than the previous devices and of course it will cost them money to get these high end specs. it doesnt make sense to sell it as the previous models. common sense folks this is not a low end specs. u get high end specs you pay the same price as what other company marks it for. no bloody common sense
The 4 and 5 were the only 'value' priced Nexus devices. The devices prior to them had premium costs associated with them. People get value and then feel a company is not supposed to make money while bringing top of the line specs!
You are a dumb fuck, most Nexus users always said that they will gladly pay 650 dollars for a premium Nexus device, and Google provided that. We are happy with Nexus 6, you should go buy your self a iPhone 4 maybe its cheap and small.
When you use Display Tester, hold your finger on screen to switch to immersive mode!! The place to look for burning issue is the system bar! What do you think???
I'll just say it....stock android is overrated...especially since there appears to be stutter in it now. I'll take software features over stock any day of the week.
When I pick a phone, I want it to be a phone that I'd recommend, a phone that I'm proud to own, a phone that says something about myself. Perhaps I should just try the Nexus 6, though I'm very reluctant to pick a phone of this size (and cost).
Nice review captain! I think the nexus 6 has amazing specs but the size makes it unergonomic in daily use. Think the nexus 5 had the right form factor.
I got this phone recently and it came with 5.1 Lollipop. I noticed the perfomance was pretty shite (considering the phone's great specs). However, I updated to Android M and it works amazingly, no lag at all and silk smooth anlmations.
I was excited about the nexus 6 and it got better for me when i found Out that it was going to be a six inch display, now that i have seen a bunch of reviews i do not feel that exciment anymore, i own a note 3 and i wanted to try something new but nahhhh note 4 for me, a friend of mine Just bought and man it is beautiful, its way different and better
I was about to go for the nexus 6. But then i heard about HTC Hima and decided to wait for it and trade my m8 for hima instead of the nexus 6. Cant wait !
Lollipop felt more like a downgrade than a upgrade. Had to flash my tablet to get Kit Kat back. I hated the bright backgrounds, the animations kinda slowed things down and were pretty much pointless, and they got rid of music control on the lock screen. And I didn't really liked how they merge settings and notifications into one.
Still waiting to see a practicality after the buzz edition , per battery life, pocketability, drops, and such. Still wished that they had stayed around 5.2 size.
At about 2 minutes you said the Nexus is big because it has to be. Please explain. How are specs related to phone size (other than screen and battery size)?
LOL lags on stock android? Can't wait to see the massive lags on samsung's touchwhiz when lollipop comes to note 4 or s5. This is going to be hilarious.
I completely disagree with this review about the camera and the battery. I have had the N6 for two weeks now and I leave my house at 6am and not get back home til about 2am the next morning. During that time period I'm connected to my g watch r the entire time, gps battery saver is on fist half of the day, I toggle the wifi on/off while I attend classes in the morning, display is at 50% until dusk which is at 5pm in Boston, ma. And in between all that I'm texting all day, a lot of RU-vid , heavy use of play music, talking on the phone moderately with a Bluetooth headset. I still get home with one charge and my phone would be at 4% with battery saver kicking in when it hits 15% and it would say I have 2hrs left. That's 24hrs by my count so with all that being said u think its a batch issue cause my N6 works beyond amazing!!! @pocketnow @google #nexus6
We're getting same results across unlocked and AT&T units, both on AT&T in Greater Boston. But yeah we're seeing inconsistent times reported all across the web. What kind of screen-on time are you getting? ^M
Brad Harris Yeah 5 hours screen on time isn't too great by today's standards sadly, when I updated my N4 to Lollipop I actually managed to get 5 hours of screen on time the first day (almost exclusively messaging, texting and web browsing) and while I now get about 3 hours SOT at best, that just shows that 5 hours isn't good for a modern phablet in particular
Pocketnow SOT is usually between 15%-26%, GPS 12%, Bluetooth 93%, everything else is pretty much under 12% fora regular day for me. I really think battery is based on its users cause I really put this phone through its paces and it has yet failed me I really love this phone. It has its faults here and there but the battery/LTE is to me flawless for now. And thanks for the reply love watching you guys.
Nigel D in 2012, the note 2 was considered to have amazing battery life, and it only ever managed to get 2 hours of on-screen time in real world usage throughout an entire day(i actually own it), so 5 hours of on-screen time for people who are upgrading from a phone in that era would be amazing :P
I love my nexus 6 and haven't ever had the phone stutter. The phone usually gives me 2 days of use on one charge. Yeah, it's big. I was very self aware of how big it was the first time I used it in public but I got used to it in a couple days.
My Nexus 4 isn't stuttering with Lollipop at all like the N5 does in this review - it's at least as smooth as it was with Kitkat - so must be something relating to the specific build for the N5, or the encryption as mentioned.
Michael best review of this device i seen by far but why do you still didn't want to do the same with the oneplus one ? It would be a perfect year for pocketnow because i feel like something is missing here ;)
I love my Z ultra! 3 things I dislike with the Nexus 6: 1. No notification LED.(You have to mod it, to get it to use) 2. Its design. Ugh. I wish more OEMS produced Rectangular phones. 3 .Amoled. Burn ins, oversaturated colors. IPS please. Ill look into Z4 ultra. edit: add the missing microsd slot. Ugh...
Not all of us want a huge phone,my bro has a galaxy s5 and that's just ok for me,bigger than that and is just not good for me,the nexus 5 looked sexy and has a good size,too bad the jump to the nexus 6 felt like 2 generations of distance and not just one,i think 5.2" or 5.5" would have been more acceptable but oh well,there are other options,since the performance of smsrtphones nowadays is pretty damn good,we have better and more different options than a 6 inch phablet.
Yeah. For my M8, the screen size is my personal sweet spot, but the speakers and HTC branding make the phone quite a bit taller than I would like. This Nexus 6 is just too big for me.
Harley Lusk exactly,i think that companies ike sny are doing great things making a smaller flagship smartphone without compromises in specifications :)
***** Agreed with both of you. Phones like the M8 and the Galaxy S5 are as big as I would buy. They're really big for all the things you want a big screen for (internet, video, gaming etc), but they're not so big that it's annoying and awkward. Anything that's in the 5.5" range or above is pretty ridiculous in my opinion and completely unnecessary. I think these companies need to realise that phones and phablets are different devices for different people, and the majority of average customers will not buy a phone with a 6" display because it's simply too awkward for everyday use.
This is such a letdown. For the price, I expect more. Not just pure android on a phone. Many OEMs make pure android phones. This phone doesn't have anything extra to offer.
I don't think this is a letdown because for the price with great up to date specs is perfect for the price and cheaper compared to other OEMS android phones. One letdown about the Nexus 6 is the battery and lack of advantage screen on Android lollipop.
XDKX101 I expected to see something that would make me want to say "I need this" but there isn't. I can get the nexus 5 if I wanted timely updates. previous devices have had the selling point to be the price. The note has a large screen but it has uses. This device has nothing unique that makes it stand out.
sibtain ali Yeah thats nothing but your opinion. The Nexus 5 came with a screen nearly as bad as the Xperia Z, bad speaker, bad camera. Thats why it was cheap. The Nexus 6 comes with the Samoled panel found on the galaxy S5, stereo speakers and a decent camera. Even a premium build. And its still priced lower than what the GS5, or other flagships had on launch day. Its because, unlike the Nexus 4, 5 or 7, this has no compromises. Thats what Nexus used to be before the 4. The large screen is bad for you, not for everyone else. Personally, Im getting it right away, although it costs almost $900 here. The big screen is great for watching videos, gaming, editing docs, reading, etc. And its AMOLED. Perfect. And why would you expect those features on a Nexus? A Nexus is a nexus, you want to do s pen stuff, get a note. And all under the fact that the bezel ratio is so small the device is really still easy to handle. You people complain about everything, whether its good or bad. Doesnt stand out to you, because you're against it at the start.
If Google added multi window then this phone would be perfect it's the only feature I actually like from the note lineup the screen size is awesome people are complaining but this is just the way phones are going now the majority of people want bigger screens it would've been dumb of Google not to capitalise on this its just needs that multi window support
i hate that people are so pissed about the size. they made an option for people who like Phablets and they will release a phone around 5 inches as well. you will still have choices. it's all personal preference. I love my Nexus 6 and the huge screen and i came from the Nexus 4. and i know it isn't for everyone, but it wasn't meant to answer to everyone's desires.
mike white i would like multi window features, but it's not a deal breaker to me.. it's not something that i would really use often. the phone feels great in hand!! it makes me wonder why i ever had a smaller phone and why i used to think that phablets were unnecessary. the display is just gorgeous, the sound amazing, and everything in my experience has been so smooth. i get great battery life. i'm a very heavy user with a lot of non-battery friendly habits and settings, such as phone goes to sleep after 30 mins of inactivity, i have like 300 apps with background data running, every 30 mins-1 hour refresh settings in most apps, and no priority notification limitations. i'm a total fan!! i get that it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. but i think if some of the people who are against it used it for a week, lots of minds would change
I have a question that sounds stupid but is really important to me, and I've yet to find an answer. Is the touch sensor in the screen sensitive enough to recognize a pencil? My Tegra Note 7 can, and using a pencil as a stylus is one of those things that sounds stupid until you try it.
/have you got any info whether Google is gonna bring split screen to stock android? I own a nexus 6 and a nexus 9 and this feature will be extremely useful for both devices
A positive is the fact that most of these problems are software fixable. So at least Google can see this and fix it without having you to send the phone back
I just re-watched this, and when you said "lucky to get to 5 hours screen on time" I had a heart attack. I can't get above 3 and a half on mine. Even on the most conservative days
Actually, while I am experiencing my moto G running Android 4.4 with ART, I have been struggling very hard with whether I should switch to android, confusing...
Hey, Im from Australia and found a HTC one M8 used since june, gunmetal black, unlocked, great condition for $300 on gumtree..... is that a good deal??
