Users of all Galaxy Note 5, S6, S6 Edge and Edge+: Any Samsung device on 5.X.X TouchWiz behaves like a device with 1gb RAM (And I have compared some) thanks to memory leak + buggy RAM management. Devices with 2gb RAM and no TouchWiz perform better.
I own an S6. And honestly it only comes up when I play multiple games at once. 2gb is fine and will cause no problems for the vast majority of users.
Thanks for the hands on. I hope to see the 5X get some flak for 2GB and a 32GB max storage. I'm likely going to keep my Moto X Pure (is Anandtech publishing a review of that btw? Just curious), but the 5X looks interesting. It seems really shortsighted to ship a device with only 2GB of RAM when every other device I know of in that bracket ships with 3. 2GB is more the low $200s range. The rest of the 5X can't have necessarily been cheap (maybe with money put into the camera), but an extra gigabyte of RAM has to be negligible, and 3GB would have made it a far more attractive device imo.
Thanks for the quick takes - very well written/informative article given that this event just happened! In particular, I'm really happy to hear about color calibration and material texture impressions so quickly; many of us are considering pre-orderimg today and even the quick impressions from you are enough to feel confident. Hey shadow, as to the RAM- 2 vs 3 GB surely is a battery use plus cost tradeoff on the 5x; it's meant to be the cheap one!
That's what I'm thinking too. 2GB of RAM has never really been an issue with the Nexus 5 so I suspect it won't impact the 5x either, and hopefully that will equate to better battery run time in the end as well.
A higher brightness is desirable in most circumstances but do note that AMOLED display do not need the same absolute brightness as LCD display thanks to its infinite contrast.
I understand the desire for the MicroSD slot. I don't personally need it, but I get why it is useful.
Why do you need 4GB of RAM? What does this get you that 2 or 3GB does not. Can you notice a difference. What do you do with your phone that demands 4GB of RAM.
Nothing. But I replaced my old phone because 1GB wasn't enough. My current phone has 2GB too. And I expect that again, I will replace it when it will be too slow, and that will be because of lack of RAM.
For a Nexus device, I agree, 3GB is more than enough for most people. For a device like the Note 5 though, which has other software features running in the background, 4GB does make sense. It would be nice to have 4GB on the Nexus 6P just because other phones come with 4GB now, but I think most people shouldn't have any issues.
Yeah, I wondered if that was it based on the leaks but wasn't sure because it's not supposed to be a phone camera sensor. But in the presentation they specifically said that the sensor wasn't supposed to be a phone camera sensor, so it fits perfectly.
Question for Anandtech, as I am sure that this technical question won't be answered anywhere else, does the USB type C port on these two phones support video out?
I'm quite interested in this as well. And please no comments about "use chromecast" etc., I have a very specific use case in mind. Right now my guess is "no" since Google doesn't say the USB-C to DP or HDMI cables are supported, and the Nexus 6 didn't support it either.
Why would the Nexus 5X have ANY appeal? No stereo speakers, no microSD card slot and a lower resolution screen. They didn't even give it LPDDR4 RAM; it is still LPDDR3. It doesn't bring anything new and in fact removed key features like Wireless Charging and Optical Image Stabilization. Who thought it was a good idea to REMOVE key features that have been around since the Nexus 4 and 5? To me this is another overpriced Nexus.
The Nexus 6P has almost all of the same problems but at least it has stereo speakers, higher storage options, LPDDR4 RAM and a decent AMOLED display along with an aluminum unibody design. The lack of wireless charging is baffling (seriously, its a sticker you just smack on the battery, what the hell) and the lack of OIS is nonsensical.
I honestly prefer mono speaker. I prefer a single, good speaker than two bad ones. It also take less space and I couldn't care less about the stereo effect.
But Moto X Pure is cheaper and has Stereo Speakers that sound great and that phone is $399, so I don't think adding a second speaker will break the bank. Also just read about the 808 and that is rather lame that it doesn't support it.
My point is that it doesn't have microSD and still is offering a 16GB model. It should be 32/64/128GB like the 6P.
@quicksilvr The LG G4 had a ton of potential, but the software makes it almost unusable -- severe lag at times (and always noticably laggy to some extent , and issues with touch screen sensitivity and touch input lag. Hopefully they can fix it with an update, but I went through 3 new ones, all with the same problem. Wanted to really love it. Camera was phenomenal though, but ended up having to return it because using it a normal basis was extremely frustrating. My older, less capable OnePlus One ran Android much, much faster and more smoothly, for example. That's sad.
Galaxy S6 is a very good phone, except for the fact that the battery life is pretty horrible, which for many people makes it a no-go.
On paper you're right to say that there is competition around the $450 price point, but in practice, for a good user experience, besides the Moto X Pure edition, and arguably the OnePlus Two (if anyone can ever get their hands on one, and if NFC and quick charging aren't important), are really the only ones I would consider competition. For me horrible battery life and laggy normally use are just unacceptable. Just my opinion, of course.
The 10n software finally fixed all the lag and unresponsiveness for the g4. It finally feels and functions as a good device. But yeah, initially it was quite bad.
"Galaxy S6 is a very good phone, except for the fact that the battery life is pretty horrible, which for many people makes it a no-go."
Any idea why the battery life is bad? Mine seems to vary a lot, which is a pity because otherwise it is the best phone I have user used (and I have an iPhone 6 as well).
FlyBri is probably repeating what she or he has heard 3rd hand. I have recently acquired the S6 myself because I realized how well made a phone it is while comparing it with the new iPhone 6s. (iPhone 6s is a wonderful phone, btw) Battery life of the S6 is where I expect it to be along with other S800/S801 devices.
Totally agreed, couldn't have said it better myself. There are only 3 phones in the ~$400 range that I would consider, Nexus 5X, One Plus 2 and Moto X Pure. For personal preferences, Moto X Pure was out of the game from the gate(5.7" too big for me). So it's Nexus 5X vs One Plus 2, and I prefer 5X due to many reasons.
Everything else in the price range, like S6 or G4 or G Flex2 on sale are not even considered. No thanks to TouchWiz or LG UI or MIUI or etc... This is 2015, if you can't make a phone smoother than Moto G 2014(~$100) then you should go home and eat banana, lol.
I have a 2014 Moto X now. They ruined the Moto X (incl pure), just like they did the Nexus 5 by making it huge. It also starts at $399 for 16GB, making it more expensive than 5x.
the 6p is of similar weight to other phones of with large displays. 6p- 178g Note 5-171g nexus 6- 184g mxpe- 179g 6 plus-172g 6s plus-192g one+2- 175g Also like most unibody aluminium phones it has antenna breaks to overcome issues with wireless signal blockage
I don't care at all about MicroSD or Stereo speakers and I prefer 1080p to 1440p resolution any day of the week. If you have such good eyes you need 1440p on a 5inch screen then good for you... but I would prefer battery life and frame rates to imperceptibly better resolution.
Personally what I would prefer is a 30-50% larger battery (I don't care what it does to the weight/thickness) and water-proofing/resistance. Those two features are very hard for me to ignore on the hardware side.
On the software side I don't know how people can buy a phone that doesn't have double-tap to wake / sleep. Once you've used that on a phone you can't go back.
Nexus 5X is very appealing to me... Heck, I'd buy an original Nexus 5 for $349 if they were still available. It's not about bringing the new and shiny for me, my Nexus 5 was pretty much the perfect phone for me. The 5X has enough upgrades to feel modernized while checking most of the boxes I liked about the previous phone.
I look forward to the big battery, type c, and better camera.
"The chassis is noticably thinner, although the camera protrudes a fairly significant amount."
I don't understand why they do that. Just make the entire phone the same thickness as the camera bump, and use the extra space for battery. Now, case makers are forced to make lopsided cases to compensate, wasting all that space that could have been better used. :(
"can recognize a finger in under 600ms", 100ms is 1 second so they are saying they found the slowest fingerprint reader on the market they could put in a phone. Thanks Google/Alphabet.
in the presentation, they mentioned that the larger micron pixel both lowers exposure and lessens hand shake artifacts, thereby obviating a need for OIS.
Of course they'd say that, but it certainly won't remove the need for OIS in order to have good low-light shots, bigger pixels just lowers the light level where OIS becomes necessary.
I doubt it. It's probably limited to USB 2 based on other devices that have recently launched with Type-C. I would be surprised if it supported USB 3.0, and I think 3.1 support is outside the realm of possibility.
For all we know the USB Type C port is 2.0 only, but it could be 3.1 Gen 1 or 3.1 Gen 2.
I highly doubt they have all 4 independent sets of USB 3.1 pins running. So most likely won't support any USB ALT modes, thus probably no display out or anything.
Uhg, another phone with a rear mounted finger print reader. This makes it useless. The vast majority of the time that I unlock my phone, its at work, sitting on my desk. Press my finger to the home button (iPhone 6 in my case) and unlock the phone to view something, I never pick it up.
A rear reader means you have to pick it up, and then contort your finger to try and get it onto the sensor, no way to use your thumb, which is typically the finger I use when using the phone one handed.
They look like nice devices otherwise. But the rear fingerprint reader puts me into a rage :)
I agree. I pick up my phone, one hand is wrapped around the sides to hold it, with a finger close to the power button. The other hand is positioned in front of the phone to interact with the screen. I never pick up the phone and put a finger right in the middle of the back, it's awkward and unnatural.
So either a finger print reader on the power button, if that were possible. Or put it on the front like Apple does.
Just about the only time a finger might casually stray to the middle of the back of the phone is when I'm holding it to my head to have a phone call, which is exactly the one time I don't need to unlock the screen.
I can't get past the top and bottom bezels. Size is everything to me and unfortunately while these are both okay in the width department and great in the depth, height is still important to me as I find it greatly affects how a phone balances in the hand when used with one hand only. Of course on screen buttons will help a lot here as the phone can be held closer to the center but I still find the height questionable, stereo speakers and larger battery considered.
I was really excited for the 5X, but some of the specs have dampened my enthusiasm for it, the available storage capacities in particular. Why Google didn't make available a 64GB version is beyond me, and the decision to include only 2GB of memory rather than 3 is disappointing. 16GB shouldn't even be an option anymore simply due to the progress made in manufacturing processes, and the subsequent reduction in the per GB cost of NAND, not to mention the ever increasing storage demands of modern apps and media by end users. It's more than reasonable to expect 32 and 64GB as standard capacities at this point. The lack of stereo speakers is also disappointing, but at least its one speaker is front facing. I really feel like Google went too far with some of these compromises and trade offs, and the end result is a phone that seems far less appealing and doesn't feel like as much of a successor to the Nexus 5 as it could've.
As always, I am wondering what noise cancellation the 6P will use. I'm assuming it's Qualcomm's mediocre Fluence noise cancellation, since that's built into the Snapdragon chipsets.
Say what you like about the Nexus 6, at least it has Motorola's four microphone noise cancellation, which is way better than Fluence and the best noise cancellation in a Nexus phone since the original Nexus One that had the Audience chip (still the best phone I ever had for call quality in noisey places).
So add downgrading to Fluence noise cancellation as another step backwards for the Nexus phones (in addition to the loss of OIS and wireless charging).
To me it seems like the Nexus line is no longer about having the latest and greatest hardware to show off Android. Instead it's just a good enough platform to showcase pure Android.
I researched this extensively, at the time, and confirmed with Motorola that it has the same four microphone noise cancellation (which makes sense since it basically is the same phone as the 2nd Gen Moto X). I also tested both phones and the seemed to perform similarly in noisy settings (quite good at fully blocking background sound).
Slashgear lists in their specs that the 6P has three microphones, two one the front and one on the rear. If that's accurate maybe there will be some sort of noise cancellation that's better than Fluence.
Since two of the microphones are on the front (again if it's true) that would suggest (I think) they are for noise cancellation and not for stereo audio recording in videos.
Yes, I noticed that also. I'm assuming the mic you talk into is in the bottom speaker cutout and perhaps the third mic is in the top speaker cutout? Or it could be on the side of the phone somewhere.
I hope when AnandTech reviews the 6P, they pay some attention to the noise cancellation, like they used to in the days of the iPhone 4 (when it had the Audience chip).
I think I've heard that Fluence has a three microphone noise cancellation solution, so if there really are three microphones it could still be Fluence. Maybe it finally will be less mediocre? It would be great if Qualcomm bothered to improve their poor noise cancellation, since it has become the de facto solution in just about every phone with a Snapdragon chipset.
I know that Audience also has a three microphone noise cancellation solution. I can find at least one instance in 2013 in which Huawei used Audience's Earsmart chip in a phone, so I suppose it's possible they're using Earsmart. But most companies that once used Audience (LG, Apple, even Samsung who was one of the last holdouts) seem to be dropping it these days, no doubt to avoid the extra cost, when Fluence is included with Snapdragon anyway.
One other thought. It really doesn't matter what size the pixels are. We've played the "ultrapixel" game before (hello HTC). What matters is the physical size of the sensor. If it's a 1/2.3 sensor as is becoming more common in flagship phones these days, then it will let in the same amount of light as any other sensor that size, regardless of the number of pixels crammed into that space. And it will have about the same degree of low light performance.
Large pixels might give you less noise, at the cost of lower resolution, depending on how the phone handles the image processing. Larger pixels will definitely not be better than OIS for low light--which has been demonstrated many times before in other phones. The king of the low light phones either have OIS or have huge sensors in physical size, like the Nokia 808 with it's 1/1.2 sensor.
I take DxOMark wiht a grain of salt, since they don't do really side by side photo comparisons. But some of the comments in their notes are telling.
1) They comment: "Visible irregularities in exposure, color, texture and noise due to HDR+ mode activation in low light conditions." In other words, Google trumpeted low light performance of the larger pixels is actually a gimmick achieved through HDR. Lame.
2) The comment: "Strong jello effect due to the stabilization provides unpleasant videos during motions scenes." And that is what happens when you get rid of OIS.
Every time someone claims to have improved camera performance with some special pixel trick or awesome digital image stabilization because of all the process power it turns out to be the hogwash that everyone should know it is.
There are some remarkably basic elements to photography that are determined by physics. No trick of technology is going to change the physics of light. As I say above, at the end of the day, for low light and color accuracy it's the physical size of the sensor that matters, not the pixels. And nothing beats OIS for image stability, since it is physically compensating for camera movement, not trying to post-process it away.
Have you read the reviews of the other phones with OIS? The Jello criticism comes up for all of them. Also the science behind what they're saying is sound. There are two ways to gather more light:
1. Leave the shutter open for a longer exposure, often achieved using OIS or a tripod, This is useless for moving objects though. 2. Include a larger sensor that captures more light over a shorter time frame, this is one of the biggest reasons why nearly all dslr's will always outperform a mobile phone.
Google decided that instead of using a smaller sensor with OIS they could get better photos with a much larger sensor that didn't have OIS.
Also post processing is essential to digital photography and even more so for mobile phones given how small the sensors are. Google may get the post processing wrong sometimes, but reading the reviews of other handsets and seeing the phone ranked 2nd, I get the impression they think the camera is quite good.
"-Impressive detail preservation in low light conditions, by far the best tested to date." This quote from the pros section alone suggests why their decision to include a larger sensor with relatively large pixels makes sense.
You clearly did not understand what I was saying about larger pixels. The Nexus 6P has larger pixels than most flagship phone camera, not a physically larger sensor. In fact the point about the benefits of a physically larger sensor, that you seem to think you're point it, was my point. It's pretty clearly right their in both of my posts, that you reply to. I write: "What matters is the physical size of the sensor."
So I don't know what to say, since your point, was my point.
What your'e not getting is that Google is not claiming to have an especially larger sensor. They claim to have larger pixes. Well, you could have a physically tiny 1/4 sensor and still have 1.55µm pixels like the 6P does, you just would have less pixels. For a given sensor size you can either have more pixels, higher resolution, but smaller pixels, or less pixels, lower resolution, and larger pixels. But it's just a gimmick. It's not pixel size that matters, it's overall sensor size that matters.
Heck, we don't even know the size of the 6P sensor yet. It's probably safe to assume it's 1/2.3 or 1/2.5 since that's what's going into flagships these days. And it is very strange that Google makes a big deal about the irrelevant pixel size, but fails to disclose the sensor size, the thing that actually matters.
In any case, if it is a 1/2.3 sensor then it will have roughly the same low light performance as other 1/2.3 sensors, even if they are 20 MP sensors and have smaller pixels.
So anyway, you've just missed the point.
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As for OIS, not every OIS system is a good as every other one, but they are all better than digital image stablization. And jelloing in video is primarly an effect of digital image stablization. So I just don't agree with you on this one.
You got it backwards. It is the pixel size that matters for noise and low-light performance, not just the sensor size. A same-size sensor with less but larger pixels will give better image quality, all things being equal.
No, that's wrong. Pixel size matters for noise. But sensor size matters for low light performance. A same size sensor with less but larger pixels will have the same low light performance. It's the surface area of the sensor that determines how much light it can capture. It doesn't matter if you break that up into two pixels or many millions of pixels.
What other flagships have a 1/2.3" sensor? The S6 Edge and One Plus 2 have 1/2.6" sensors and the Moto X Pure has a 1/2.4" sensor. So the Nexus sensor is bigger than those flagships.
I was just guessing that the 6P might have a 1/2.3 sensor, so you can't conclude it's better than the OnePlus 2 or Moto X based on my guess as if it were a fact. Maybe it will be 1/2.5. If Google is serious about low light performance, then it better at least be somewhere in the 1/2.something range. If it's just a 1/3 sensor with larger pixels, then it's even more of a gimmick (along the lines of HTC's "ultrapixels" in the One) than I already think. (Indeed, the iPhone 6 Plus does exactly this sort of gimmick with 1.5µm pixels--like the 6P--in a 1/3 sensor.)
But, those phones were late to the larger sensor party. Sony has had 1/2.3 sensors in the Xperia phones, since the Z1. The Galaxy S5 has a 1/2.5 sensor. The Galaxy S6 inexplicably has a smaller 1/2.6 sensor. And of course, nobody beats Nokia, who put a 1/2.5 sensor in the N95 eight (!) years ago.
Anyway, until we know the size of the actual sensor in the 6P, as opposed to "pixel size" nonsense, we won't really have meaningful information. And the omission of OIS can only hurt low light performance, no matter the sensor size (why take one step forward and one step back at the same time?).
Also, let me emphasize again, that DxoMark points out in their notes that the 6P was automatically going into HDR+ mode, in low light conditions. That extremely suggests that Google is using gimmicks, rather than a high quality sensor, to create the superficial appearance of good low light performance, for unsophisticated users who don't know how to recognize the other deleterious effects that HDR+ will have (like the noise that DxoMark points out).
It is a 1/2.3" sensor which is larger than the rest with OIS and is stated in the dxo description. My point is that Google made a trade off. Now you may think that's a gimmick, but pixel size matters in terms of light capture especially in small devices. OIS may be more be more beneficial in some circumstances , but it is a trade off. e.g. when shooting moving objects OIS is less likely to "freeze" the object in the photo due to the longer capture time. The Iphone and HTC one achieved their stated goals of getting more light in low light per pixel, just they made tradeoffs in other areas to achieve that, namely resolution.
OIS may have made the images better, we'll never know, but my guess is google weren't getting better images from their OIS prototypes so decided against it. If the HDR mode bothers you, don't shoot in auto on the camera, use a different camera app or just don't buy the phone.
Also most users are unsophisticated users, who won't recognise it or even if they do won't pixel peep enough to care. Your opinion is fine to have, but it's clearly not a fact as dxo have ranked the camera 2nd currently above many cameras with great OIS and says the 6P is a serious contender for mobile photography.
Everyone can have their opinion but my guess is most pictures are coming out pretty decent compared to other phones which is what matters in the end.
Yes, DxoMark does say it's a 1/2.3 sensor. I missed that. So that is good, if it's accurate.
But pixel size really isn't that important. You're still wrong on that. As I said from my first post, that you replied to, it's the physical sensor size that matters. So the imporant thing here is the 1/2.3 sensor, not the pixels.
I don't know why Google made a big point about the pixel size and failed to mention the sensor size. I suppose for the sake of PR they felt the need to explain the relatively low (for a current flagship) 12.3 MP sensor, when everyone else is going with 16 or 20 MP. Of course, there's no benefit for most people for super high resolutions like 16 and 20 MP and there are some downsides (more noise). Even 12.3 MP is unncessary for most people.
As for OIS, again, I just think you're wrong. And you keep shifting your argument. Is OIS perfect for everything? No. It's true that if you can't control the shutter speed (like on a phone) then for photos of action shots you may not "freeze" your subject. Although that is not an inherent problem with OIS, that is a problem with the fact that you can't control the shutter speed. Very high end DSLRs with OIS don't have this problem, because of course you can control the shutter speed. But if that really is an issue for someone, there are about a bazillion camera apps for Android that let you control shutter speed, so it would be beyond silly to forgo OIS for this reason.
But the topic was the value of OIS for video, as compared to digital image stablization, which is indisputable--I suppose why you changed the subject to try to find some other issue with OIS. And of course OIS is also benefitial for low light photography. As I said it need not be a choice between OIS or a larger sensor (as you keep trying to make it), you can have both (if Google was really serious about stepping up the game for photos in Nexus phones they indeed would have kept OIS, instead of improving one thing, while making something else worse).
And given the huge camera hump on the 6P, I don't why Google didn't bother with OIS (space concerns are often cited as a reason not to have OIS). LG and Samsung certainly have chose to use OIS in combination with larger sensors. And of course, Nokia put OIS in several phones with larger 1/2.5 sensors like the 930 and 1520 and of course in the 1020 with it's enormous 1/1.5 sensor has OIS. So the idea that somehow once you get to a certain sensor size OIS is unnecessary for low light performance (and really even 1/2.3 is not that big and is ancient technology in the digital photogaphy world) is quite a bogus argument. Also, companies often noted for camera quality are moving in the direction of putting OIS in phones more, not less, futher making Google decision bizarre.
I will finally also say that DxoMark's ranking of phone cameras is relatively meaningless. They do technical analyses of phone cameras, they don't do real world photo tests, taking many photos in different situations, examing the images, and comparing them side by side with other phones. DxoMark ranks many phones quite highly, which everyone who does real photo analyses agrees aren't very good. As only one absurd example, they rank the Nexus 6 (which everyone agreed was yet another below average phone camera from Google) above the Nokia 808 with it's massive 1/1.2 sensor (and other advanced optics) that most be agree is the greatest phone camera ever made and still years and years beyond anything else that exists. So if you're basing your arguments and expectations from the 6P on the DxoMark rankings, then you are really missing the point.
You are wrong on pixel size not being important. Just think about it, if you made a single pixel light sensor the size of a whole image sensor, you would expect, I hope, that it would be much more accurate than any of the tiny pixel sensors on the multi megapixel chip. Because of the larger area, the pixel will be able to gather many more photons (i.e. signal) for given light intensity, greatly improving signal to noise ratio (thermal noise is independent of pixel size).
Unfortunately, that is completely wrong. I don't know why this is so hard to get. Even your own incorrect comments contain within them the logic that should allow you to get it.
If you have a sensor that is say 1 inch square (which would be a very large senor) and it is exactly 1 pixel (which of course would reproduce nothing with that resolution, but anyway) it will capture the same amout of light as a 1 inch square sensor that has two, or ten, or one hundred, or 12.3 megapixels. You have the same amount of light over the same 1 inch square sensor, you have just broken it up into more or less pixels, for the sake of achieving a certain level of resolution.
It's the physical size (i.e. surface area) of the sensor that determines how much light falls on it, not how many pixels you happen to have broken it up into.
Pixels do affect things like noise and resolution. And for complicated reasons having to do with the optics of a sensor (the lenses), not with the sensor size, there is a sweet spot for pixel size for a given sensor. You can have both too many pixels and not enough. Without enough, you cannot resolve enough detail (in the case of the one pixel sensor you would have no detail, just a single pixel that's some color, which would create an image that's just one even color and nothing else). But with too many pixels, you increase the noise in the image and reduce color accuracy.
Most sensors these days in phones have too many pixels (16 MP, 20 MP) for their sensor size. So they will have more noise and less color accuracy. But you can go too far the other way also. Like HTC's "ultrapixel" fiasco. Then you just give up resolution and don't gain anything.
So there is a good reason for the 6P to have "only" 12.3 MP. But the reason is not low light performance. That is entirely influenced by the physical size of the sensor, not the size of the pixels.
But obviously this is too complicated for consumers (and some commenters here) to understand, so it's simpler to just say we made the pixels big for better low light performance, even though it's not true and is the larger 1/2.3 sensor, not the larger pixels, that will cause better low light performance. Clearly Google felt like they needed to explain why there's only 12.3 MP when other phones have 16 MP and 20 MP. And no one would understand the real reason. So they just made some nonsense up.
You're partially right and partially wrong. Take a look at a mirror. Ignore your ugly self. Now imagine that mirror breaking up into a grid of individual pieces. Same amount of light, right? Now imagine that those individual pieces shrink but the overall size of the mirror remains the same. So now there's a gap between individual pixels. That light is not captured. Only the light where the individual pieces are.
It's a nice idea. It's also a completely made up idea and does not reflect how sensors actually work. The spaces between the pixels effect noise, but not low light performance. And the noise doesn't have to do with light that's not captured, it has to do with effects of the electronics in the sensor itself.
Not made up, it's physics. Per a given area, there is a finite amount of energy in the form of photons. Anyway, I was responding to your statement that what matters is the overall surface area of the chip vs individual pixels. Both do - whether it is a greater number of pixels to increase the overall surface area of exposure to photons or larger pixels. Exposure in terms of aperture size and shutter speed determines how much many photons (in terms of power) hits the pixels. Individual pixels that are larger have more surface area to collect photons. Physics.
Noise that you see in pictures come from the signal from each individual pixel - from degradation of performance mostly due to heat from amplification of the signal. Smaller pixels collect less light and the signal to noise ratio is lower. Less signal means greater amplification and amplified noisy signal is bad.
I do agree that this is only part of the equation, there are so many other factors - from the AR coating of the filters, the signal path from each pixel, the amplifier/processing design, even software determining which pixel is exhibiting noise vs a true signal. In the end, it doesn't matter much other than the result.
Bottom line though is that you are wrong about your assertion that the individual size of the pixel doesn't matter about the light collection.
Isn't the Nexus 6P's Snapdragon 810 the troubled chip killing Qualcomm? I was getting excited for that nice big battery but I believe 810 is on 20nm, while Apple/Samsung are on 14nm aka 30% more efficient chip, and not one rife with throttling issues. Hope that's old news tho.. but gonna have to wait to see some benches for sure
Man, the Nexus 5X is shaping up to be a dissappointment.
I can live with the 2GB of RAM and the 32GB of storage(albeit a little low), but the lack of OIS, wireless charging and only a single front facing speaker(even though it has two speaker grills) are dealbreakers for me. I'd reckon Google wants people to upgrade to the larger and more premium 6P.
Of course, the 6P also lacks OIS and wireless charging. And it has that fugly camera hump (I've looked at a lot of hands on articles and I have yet to find a single person who thinks it looks good). And of course there's the Snapdragon 810 with all it's overheating issues. (Some are claiming this is v2.1, so the problem has been solved, but not really. ArsTechnica looked into it a bit. It's just throttled so it doesn't overheat. Meaning it's performance is not that great.)
My conclusion is that Google wants to put in enough good features to attract people and pretend that they have made "flagship" phones, but really the phones are just a showcase for pure Android and a device for developers to work with. Google always seems to fall short somehow (except the original Nexus One, that really was as standout phone at the time).
And by the way, the Nexus One had a unibody aluminum design. All these articles keep reporting that the 6P is the first Nexus phone with a unibody aluminum design. It's just not true. It's astonishing how Google says something or puts it in the PR press packet and all the reporters just mindlessly repeat it.
As far as I know, the Nexus One may have been the first phone ever with a unibody aluminum design. It shows how far Google has slid from it's auspicious first Nexus phone. And it's sad how little credit HTC gets for pioneering this design (most people probably now think Apple did it first, even though the iPhone 6 is an obvious copy in many ways of the original HTC One--and perhaps HTC called it "One" to recall the first Nexus device?).
So it's taken Google six subsequent generations of phones to make a phone that has as premium a feel as the first Nexus phone. Is that really progress?
HTC makes really good hardware, but their priorities seem to be lacking these days. Instead of concentrating on a simple and elegang lineup(like Motoroal) whey seem to saturate the market with a million different variations of the same model(see the recently launched M9+ Supreme Camera)
That is mostly true but the nexus one had a removable plastic back covers to access the battery and internal. so technically the 6p could touted as the first all aluminium unibody nexus
The 6P actually hast cut outs exactl like the Nexus One, on the back, but smaller and not removable. There's a cut out obviously for the camera hump, which is glass apparently. And there's a similar sized cut out at the bottom covered with plastic the same color as the body. Other than the camera, both are mainly there for the antennas in the phone, which can't transmit well through aluminum.
The Nexus One was designed the same way, with two cut outs, top and bottom, which allowed for antenna transmission. In addition the top cut out was larger to get the battery out (as you said) and to access the sim card and sd card.
But other than that size difference on the top cut out, it is in fact exactly the same type of design.
What a huge disappointment, I was hoping that the 5X would be my next phone, but with the announcement I know I will need to look elsewhere.
Being Nexus devices they were never going to have SD card slots, but I was hoping for a decent amount of flash. 32GB max. on the 5X is unbelievable in this day and age. Mobile data coverage simply isn't good enough to be able to rely on always having access to the cloud. Not only that but the cost of upgrading the storage is offensive. £40 for 16GB on the 5X, and £50/£130 for 32/96GB on the 6P is crazy when 128GB of high performance flash costs at most £60 at retail.
I'm seriously considering trying to order an Android One device from Turkey or the Philippines so that I can get a Nexus experience (stock and regularly updated) and enough storage at a reasonable price.
Check out the Ireland store to see what we're being charged. A 32gb 5x with a folio case and USB a to USB c cable is nearly 600 euro, and we don't get the play store voucher. So we're paying so much more than the USA for a midrange phone? I think I'll stay on my nexus 5 thank you
The M7 is a beautiful phone. It's going to be hard to replace. It's the phone Apple copied for the original iPhone 6. I wish HTC had kept that design for the M8 and M9, which I don't like nearly as much. The differences are relatively small, but it's funny how they make the M8 and M9 just not as striking.
If I didn't want wifi calling on T-Mobile, I'd be tempted by the Moto X Style/Pure Edition. I like Motorola's designs. And they have good noise cancellation, which is important to me--probably the best out there now, since I can't tell if anyone is using the Audience chip anymore. You also get the close to pure Android, so no skin to mess with. These days Motorola is definitely my second choice after Nexus phones.
Anyway, I'm still holding onto my Nexus 4, because each subsequent Nexus device has been lacking in one way or another. I would have gotten the Nexus 6 if it had not been so absurdly huge (if they had only made a 5.2 inch version, like the 2nd Gen Moto X). But if the three microphone noise cancellation on the 6P is better than the usual Fluence mediocrity, I may get it. I could use a CPU upgrade (even if it's the 810), even without OIS the camera has got to be better than the Nexus 4, the stereo speakers will be nice (I use my phone a lot to listen to the radio and podcasts), and the design seems nice, except of course for the fugly camera hump (I don't mind humps, but that black band just spoils an otherwise nice looking phone, it makes what's apparently not a very big bump appear enormous--I kind of want the aluminum, but the black band seems to blend in more on the black version).
Anyway, I'm still going to wait for the phone to be reviewed. Maybe by that point my initial interest will have faded and I'll be ready to hold out for a phone with Snapdragon 820. That seems like probably the smarter move, since it's just around the corner.
The M7 is beautiful indeed. I wish they wold go back to that style and at the same time remove that stupid logo from the front. I can live with the black bar, but that logo has to go.
To all of you complaining of only having 2GB in the Nexus 5X; we are planning to sell you a new upgraded model in 2016. It will have 2.5GB and you will notice how much smoother your apps run.Then we will give you a full 3GB in 2017. Have a great year, The Nexus Development Team
The 5X almost had me.....except the display. I don't like the low contrast ratio and minimum brightness of the N5 at low light, I wish for an AMOLED display. I like the 808 SoC but quite ageing compared to current 14/16nm parts.
I'm sure the 5x's display will be better than that if the 5. We won't really know until reviews come out and tests are done. The 808 and 810 both use 20nm parts while the 820 will use custom cores on a 14nm . I doubt you will see the 820 on something the price of the 5x until at least the end of next year maybe later.
I was reading through the comments about 5X, I was like lol. WTF are those people thinking. I guess they're waiting for the perfect phone. (Introducing Nexus 5Xtreme with auto-adjust flexible screen of 4.5" to 5.5" depending on your hand size ;) that will also swap between IPS LCD to SAMOLED screens depending on the situation. It has 64GB of RAM with 1TB SSD, 10,000mah, liquid metal case and shatterproof font panel glass. Who wants one? it's going for $1 USD million dollar) I'm sure some of you will find complains about it, like the speaker is too loud, or too quiet. The phone is too thin or too thick. The bezel is too thick or too thin. Complain that the phone is a "real" phone that can't match whatever imaginary phone that I have made up in my mind. Complainers will be complainers, they always find something wrong with everything.
As far as I know, we're living in an imperfect physical world, this means we have to "solve" our problems with "limited" amount of resources. Given the budget and the current phone market, I've said Google done a great job with Nexus 5X, I'm pretty sure I'll be getting one as soon as I can find a reputable review confirming it has good battery life. My current Nexus 5 32GB is one of the greatest phone I've ever use. Like someone else' said earlier in the comments, that I would gladly pay Google for the updated version of the great phone with any improvements(preferably better battery life and camera).
Guys, rather than complains, embrace. lol. Of course I do appreciate you guys bitching your concerns to Google and other OEMs, someone have to "force" those companies to move technology forward and push harder. Me on the other hand, will sit back and enjoy what was handed/dealt.
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Shadow7037932 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I don't get why Google didn't put 3GB RAM on the Nexus 5X.bigstrudel - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Users of all Galaxy Note 5, S6, S6 Edge and Edge+: Any Samsung device on 5.X.X TouchWiz behaves like a device with 1gb RAM (And I have compared some) thanks to memory leak + buggy RAM management. Devices with 2gb RAM and no TouchWiz perform better.I own an S6. And honestly it only comes up when I play multiple games at once. 2gb is fine and will cause no problems for the vast majority of users.
mkozakewich - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Because it was already $30 over budget.Drumsticks - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Thanks for the hands on. I hope to see the 5X get some flak for 2GB and a 32GB max storage. I'm likely going to keep my Moto X Pure (is Anandtech publishing a review of that btw? Just curious), but the 5X looks interesting. It seems really shortsighted to ship a device with only 2GB of RAM when every other device I know of in that bracket ships with 3. 2GB is more the low $200s range. The rest of the 5X can't have necessarily been cheap (maybe with money put into the camera), but an extra gigabyte of RAM has to be negligible, and 3GB would have made it a far more attractive device imo.Akash Gupta - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Nexus 5 has s800 right?Drumsticks - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Yup, you're right: http://www.google.com/nexus/5/Hereisphilly - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
The Nexus 5 2013 had a Snapdragon 800 SOC rather than an 801, just noting the error in the table and articleJoshHo - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
It has been corrected. Thank you for the pointer.nappingrat - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Thanks for the quick takes - very well written/informative article given that this event just happened! In particular, I'm really happy to hear about color calibration and material texture impressions so quickly; many of us are considering pre-orderimg today and even the quick impressions from you are enough to feel confident. Hey shadow, as to the RAM- 2 vs 3 GB surely is a battery use plus cost tradeoff on the 5x; it's meant to be the cheap one!blzd - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
That's what I'm thinking too. 2GB of RAM has never really been an issue with the Nexus 5 so I suspect it won't impact the 5x either, and hopefully that will equate to better battery run time in the end as well.i4mt3hwin - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Happy to hear the screen can be calibrated properly. How as the brightness on it though? The Nexus 6 was like 250 nits.. I hope this one is brighter?Brandon Chester - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I can't comment, it was really hard to tell because of the lighting at the event.PC Perv - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
A higher brightness is desirable in most circumstances but do note that AMOLED display do not need the same absolute brightness as LCD display thanks to its infinite contrast.prime2515103 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
If the 6P had 4GB of RAM and a microSD card slot, I'd run right out and buy one.Spoony - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I understand the desire for the MicroSD slot. I don't personally need it, but I get why it is useful.Why do you need 4GB of RAM? What does this get you that 2 or 3GB does not. Can you notice a difference. What do you do with your phone that demands 4GB of RAM.
danbob999 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Nothing. But I replaced my old phone because 1GB wasn't enough. My current phone has 2GB too. And I expect that again, I will replace it when it will be too slow, and that will be because of lack of RAM.Spoony - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
How are you correlating device speed with RAM? Is it possible that the speed issue is due to slow CPU/flash?lordmocha - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
On M Dev 3 go to Settings > Memory.Mine is average 1.1GB of 3GB. So there is absolutely no reason why you need 4GB.
nikaldro - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
There definetly IS a difference with 3GB of RAM vs 2GB.FlyBri - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
For a Nexus device, I agree, 3GB is more than enough for most people. For a device like the Note 5 though, which has other software features running in the background, 4GB does make sense. It would be nice to have 4GB on the Nexus 6P just because other phones come with 4GB now, but I think most people shouldn't have any issues.KirthGerson - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Camera sensor on both 5X and 6P might be Sony's IMX377.http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/IS/sensor2/prod...
It's a 1/2.3 size so should be a nice camera.
alyunes - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
A previewhttp://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Google-Nexus-6P-rev...
MattCoz - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Yeah, I wondered if that was it based on the leaks but wasn't sure because it's not supposed to be a phone camera sensor. But in the presentation they specifically said that the sensor wasn't supposed to be a phone camera sensor, so it fits perfectly.danbob999 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Question for Anandtech, as I am sure that this technical question won't be answered anywhere else, does the USB type C port on these two phones support video out?csrussell - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I'm quite interested in this as well. And please no comments about "use chromecast" etc., I have a very specific use case in mind. Right now my guess is "no" since Google doesn't say the USB-C to DP or HDMI cables are supported, and the Nexus 6 didn't support it either.lilmoe - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Someone needs to give us a screenshot of USB Configuration in Developer Settings to find out.quiksilvr - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Why would the Nexus 5X have ANY appeal? No stereo speakers, no microSD card slot and a lower resolution screen. They didn't even give it LPDDR4 RAM; it is still LPDDR3. It doesn't bring anything new and in fact removed key features like Wireless Charging and Optical Image Stabilization. Who thought it was a good idea to REMOVE key features that have been around since the Nexus 4 and 5? To me this is another overpriced Nexus.The Nexus 6P has almost all of the same problems but at least it has stereo speakers, higher storage options, LPDDR4 RAM and a decent AMOLED display along with an aluminum unibody design. The lack of wireless charging is baffling (seriously, its a sticker you just smack on the battery, what the hell) and the lack of OIS is nonsensical.
danbob999 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I honestly prefer mono speaker. I prefer a single, good speaker than two bad ones. It also take less space and I couldn't care less about the stereo effect.The Snapdragon 808 doesn't support DDR4. https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/proce...
All 5 previous Nexus phones didn't have micro SD, get over it. It wasn't a surprise for anybody.
Nexus 5X has appeal: price. There isn't much competition in this price point, except from crappy companies such as One Plus.
Aluminium is a very bad choice for the 6P. Heavier and blocks wireless signal.
quiksilvr - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
But Moto X Pure is cheaper and has Stereo Speakers that sound great and that phone is $399, so I don't think adding a second speaker will break the bank. Also just read about the 808 and that is rather lame that it doesn't support it.My point is that it doesn't have microSD and still is offering a 16GB model. It should be 32/64/128GB like the 6P.
There is plenty of competition at this price. I can get an LG G4 or the Galaxy S6 (both new) for under $450. And those phones are vastly superior to the 5X.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/371356719862
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231682765161
FlyBri - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
@quicksilvr The LG G4 had a ton of potential, but the software makes it almost unusable -- severe lag at times (and always noticably laggy to some extent , and issues with touch screen sensitivity and touch input lag. Hopefully they can fix it with an update, but I went through 3 new ones, all with the same problem. Wanted to really love it. Camera was phenomenal though, but ended up having to return it because using it a normal basis was extremely frustrating. My older, less capable OnePlus One ran Android much, much faster and more smoothly, for example. That's sad.Galaxy S6 is a very good phone, except for the fact that the battery life is pretty horrible, which for many people makes it a no-go.
On paper you're right to say that there is competition around the $450 price point, but in practice, for a good user experience, besides the Moto X Pure edition, and arguably the OnePlus Two (if anyone can ever get their hands on one, and if NFC and quick charging aren't important), are really the only ones I would consider competition. For me horrible battery life and laggy normally use are just unacceptable. Just my opinion, of course.
anactoraaron - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
The 10n software finally fixed all the lag and unresponsiveness for the g4. It finally feels and functions as a good device. But yeah, initially it was quite bad.Speedfriend - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
"Galaxy S6 is a very good phone, except for the fact that the battery life is pretty horrible, which for many people makes it a no-go."Any idea why the battery life is bad? Mine seems to vary a lot, which is a pity because otherwise it is the best phone I have user used (and I have an iPhone 6 as well).
lopri - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
FlyBri is probably repeating what she or he has heard 3rd hand. I have recently acquired the S6 myself because I realized how well made a phone it is while comparing it with the new iPhone 6s. (iPhone 6s is a wonderful phone, btw) Battery life of the S6 is where I expect it to be along with other S800/S801 devices.amdwilliam1985 - Tuesday, October 6, 2015 - link
Totally agreed, couldn't have said it better myself.There are only 3 phones in the ~$400 range that I would consider, Nexus 5X, One Plus 2 and Moto X Pure.
For personal preferences, Moto X Pure was out of the game from the gate(5.7" too big for me).
So it's Nexus 5X vs One Plus 2, and I prefer 5X due to many reasons.
Everything else in the price range, like S6 or G4 or G Flex2 on sale are not even considered. No thanks to TouchWiz or LG UI or MIUI or etc... This is 2015, if you can't make a phone smoother than Moto G 2014(~$100) then you should go home and eat banana, lol.
danbob999 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
You can't compare eBay prices with store prices. Try to return a defective phone on eBay.sor - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
I have a 2014 Moto X now. They ruined the Moto X (incl pure), just like they did the Nexus 5 by making it huge. It also starts at $399 for 16GB, making it more expensive than 5x.hfm - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
"Aluminium is a very bad choice for the 6P. Heavier and blocks wireless signal."That's what the black area at the top is for, so I hear..
MattCoz - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Takes less space but they decided to add the space for a second speaker anyway.Ziich - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
the 6p is of similar weight to other phones of with large displays.6p- 178g
Note 5-171g
nexus 6- 184g
mxpe- 179g
6 plus-172g
6s plus-192g
one+2- 175g
Also like most unibody aluminium phones it has antenna breaks to overcome issues with wireless signal blockage
shadarlo - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
I don't care at all about MicroSD or Stereo speakers and I prefer 1080p to 1440p resolution any day of the week. If you have such good eyes you need 1440p on a 5inch screen then good for you... but I would prefer battery life and frame rates to imperceptibly better resolution.Personally what I would prefer is a 30-50% larger battery (I don't care what it does to the weight/thickness) and water-proofing/resistance. Those two features are very hard for me to ignore on the hardware side.
On the software side I don't know how people can buy a phone that doesn't have double-tap to wake / sleep. Once you've used that on a phone you can't go back.
sor - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
Nexus 5X is very appealing to me... Heck, I'd buy an original Nexus 5 for $349 if they were still available. It's not about bringing the new and shiny for me, my Nexus 5 was pretty much the perfect phone for me. The 5X has enough upgrades to feel modernized while checking most of the boxes I liked about the previous phone.I look forward to the big battery, type c, and better camera.
phoenix_rizzen - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
"The chassis is noticably thinner, although the camera protrudes a fairly significant amount."I don't understand why they do that. Just make the entire phone the same thickness as the camera bump, and use the extra space for battery. Now, case makers are forced to make lopsided cases to compensate, wasting all that space that could have been better used. :(
MattCoz - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
People want thin phones.shadarlo - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
COMPLETELY agree. I would much prefer a 1mm or 2mm thicker phone if it meant a larger battery.blzd - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
And you just assume that 1mm or 2mm would be enough space to include a larger battery? Doesn't seem like a reasonable assumption to me.WallyDontWorkHere - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
"can recognize a finger in under 600ms", 100ms is 1 second so they are saying they found the slowest fingerprint reader on the market they could put in a phone. Thanks Google/Alphabet.Koramchad - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Check your math, that's 0.6 secwicketr - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
1 second = 1000 millisecondsdcxgod - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
1000ms = 1 second. 600ms = 0.6 seconds. If you just Googled/Alphabetted that, you wouldn't sound so noob.phoenix_rizzen - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
ms = millisecondmilli = 1000
Meaning, there are 1000 ms in 1 s.
Your math is off by a factor of 10. :)
Demon-Xanth - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I'm honestly split between the 5X and the 6 since both are at a similar price point right now.shadarlo - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Seems to me the 5X is far better than the 6...RaistlinZ - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
No OIS = Not Interestedcresny - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
in the presentation, they mentioned that the larger micron pixel both lowers exposure and lessens hand shake artifacts, thereby obviating a need for OIS.frostyfiredude - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Of course they'd say that, but it certainly won't remove the need for OIS in order to have good low-light shots, bigger pixels just lowers the light level where OIS becomes necessary.Laxaa - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
OIS would also help a lot in video as well.mkozakewich - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
OIS can give you about four times the light, so they'd need much bigger pixels to truly obviate it.Ziich - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
sony and apple have done pretty well without ois. let's see what these phones can do firstskavi - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Is the USB type C fully enabled?dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I doubt it. It's probably limited to USB 2 based on other devices that have recently launched with Type-C. I would be surprised if it supported USB 3.0, and I think 3.1 support is outside the realm of possibility.MattCoz - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Apparently, according to the Google reps there, but it would be nice to see some official documentation of this.lordmocha - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
What do you mean?For all we know the USB Type C port is 2.0 only, but it could be 3.1 Gen 1 or 3.1 Gen 2.
I highly doubt they have all 4 independent sets of USB 3.1 pins running. So most likely won't support any USB ALT modes, thus probably no display out or anything.
But we'll see when people start testing stuff.
Stuka87 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Uhg, another phone with a rear mounted finger print reader. This makes it useless. The vast majority of the time that I unlock my phone, its at work, sitting on my desk. Press my finger to the home button (iPhone 6 in my case) and unlock the phone to view something, I never pick it up.A rear reader means you have to pick it up, and then contort your finger to try and get it onto the sensor, no way to use your thumb, which is typically the finger I use when using the phone one handed.
They look like nice devices otherwise. But the rear fingerprint reader puts me into a rage :)
hfm - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Contort? Really?Just pick it up, your finger naturally sits about that spot...
Stuka87 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
It could be because I have long fingers, but my fingers are never in the middle of the phone like that.MattCoz - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Could always cut those fingers down, they're not all that important. ;)lordmocha - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Mine sit perfectly on the motorola logo dimple on the Nexus 6.DigitalFreak - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
You're holding it wrong.dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
... is what I would've said if this were an Apple product.gg555 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I agree. I pick up my phone, one hand is wrapped around the sides to hold it, with a finger close to the power button. The other hand is positioned in front of the phone to interact with the screen. I never pick up the phone and put a finger right in the middle of the back, it's awkward and unnatural.So either a finger print reader on the power button, if that were possible. Or put it on the front like Apple does.
Just about the only time a finger might casually stray to the middle of the back of the phone is when I'm holding it to my head to have a phone call, which is exactly the one time I don't need to unlock the screen.
It just makes no sense to me.
Ziich - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Honestly I think Sony got it right with the sensor integrated in the side with the power button.RdVi - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I can't get past the top and bottom bezels. Size is everything to me and unfortunately while these are both okay in the width department and great in the depth, height is still important to me as I find it greatly affects how a phone balances in the hand when used with one hand only. Of course on screen buttons will help a lot here as the phone can be held closer to the center but I still find the height questionable, stereo speakers and larger battery considered.gfieldew - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Google has the Nexus 6P front facer listed with an f/2.4 aperture.dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I was really excited for the 5X, but some of the specs have dampened my enthusiasm for it, the available storage capacities in particular. Why Google didn't make available a 64GB version is beyond me, and the decision to include only 2GB of memory rather than 3 is disappointing. 16GB shouldn't even be an option anymore simply due to the progress made in manufacturing processes, and the subsequent reduction in the per GB cost of NAND, not to mention the ever increasing storage demands of modern apps and media by end users. It's more than reasonable to expect 32 and 64GB as standard capacities at this point. The lack of stereo speakers is also disappointing, but at least its one speaker is front facing. I really feel like Google went too far with some of these compromises and trade offs, and the end result is a phone that seems far less appealing and doesn't feel like as much of a successor to the Nexus 5 as it could've.gg555 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
As always, I am wondering what noise cancellation the 6P will use. I'm assuming it's Qualcomm's mediocre Fluence noise cancellation, since that's built into the Snapdragon chipsets.Say what you like about the Nexus 6, at least it has Motorola's four microphone noise cancellation, which is way better than Fluence and the best noise cancellation in a Nexus phone since the original Nexus One that had the Audience chip (still the best phone I ever had for call quality in noisey places).
So add downgrading to Fluence noise cancellation as another step backwards for the Nexus phones (in addition to the loss of OIS and wireless charging).
To me it seems like the Nexus line is no longer about having the latest and greatest hardware to show off Android. Instead it's just a good enough platform to showcase pure Android.
kspirit - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
The N6 has the same mic array as the 2014 Moto X? Hm. This is a surprise. I thought it had dual mic only, since no one commented on it before.gg555 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
I researched this extensively, at the time, and confirmed with Motorola that it has the same four microphone noise cancellation (which makes sense since it basically is the same phone as the 2nd Gen Moto X). I also tested both phones and the seemed to perform similarly in noisy settings (quite good at fully blocking background sound).gg555 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
This is interesting: http://www.slashgear.com/nexus-6p-hands-on-googles...Slashgear lists in their specs that the 6P has three microphones, two one the front and one on the rear. If that's accurate maybe there will be some sort of noise cancellation that's better than Fluence.
Since two of the microphones are on the front (again if it's true) that would suggest (I think) they are for noise cancellation and not for stereo audio recording in videos.
Zoomer - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Looks like the back mic is right below the black bar.gg555 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Yes, I noticed that also. I'm assuming the mic you talk into is in the bottom speaker cutout and perhaps the third mic is in the top speaker cutout? Or it could be on the side of the phone somewhere.I hope when AnandTech reviews the 6P, they pay some attention to the noise cancellation, like they used to in the days of the iPhone 4 (when it had the Audience chip).
I think I've heard that Fluence has a three microphone noise cancellation solution, so if there really are three microphones it could still be Fluence. Maybe it finally will be less mediocre? It would be great if Qualcomm bothered to improve their poor noise cancellation, since it has become the de facto solution in just about every phone with a Snapdragon chipset.
I know that Audience also has a three microphone noise cancellation solution. I can find at least one instance in 2013 in which Huawei used Audience's Earsmart chip in a phone, so I suppose it's possible they're using Earsmart. But most companies that once used Audience (LG, Apple, even Samsung who was one of the last holdouts) seem to be dropping it these days, no doubt to avoid the extra cost, when Fluence is included with Snapdragon anyway.
gg555 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
One other thought. It really doesn't matter what size the pixels are. We've played the "ultrapixel" game before (hello HTC). What matters is the physical size of the sensor. If it's a 1/2.3 sensor as is becoming more common in flagship phones these days, then it will let in the same amount of light as any other sensor that size, regardless of the number of pixels crammed into that space. And it will have about the same degree of low light performance.Large pixels might give you less noise, at the cost of lower resolution, depending on how the phone handles the image processing. Larger pixels will definitely not be better than OIS for low light--which has been demonstrated many times before in other phones. The king of the low light phones either have OIS or have huge sensors in physical size, like the Nokia 808 with it's 1/1.2 sensor.
gg555 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
I think that someone else linked to this, but here is DxOMark's analysis of the Nexus 6P camera:http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Google-Nexus-6P-rev...
I take DxOMark wiht a grain of salt, since they don't do really side by side photo comparisons. But some of the comments in their notes are telling.
1) They comment: "Visible irregularities in exposure, color, texture and noise due to HDR+ mode activation in low light conditions." In other words, Google trumpeted low light performance of the larger pixels is actually a gimmick achieved through HDR. Lame.
2) The comment: "Strong jello effect due to the stabilization provides unpleasant videos during motions scenes." And that is what happens when you get rid of OIS.
Every time someone claims to have improved camera performance with some special pixel trick or awesome digital image stabilization because of all the process power it turns out to be the hogwash that everyone should know it is.
There are some remarkably basic elements to photography that are determined by physics. No trick of technology is going to change the physics of light. As I say above, at the end of the day, for low light and color accuracy it's the physical size of the sensor that matters, not the pixels. And nothing beats OIS for image stability, since it is physically compensating for camera movement, not trying to post-process it away.
neoraiden - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
Have you read the reviews of the other phones with OIS? The Jello criticism comes up for all of them. Also the science behind what they're saying is sound. There are two ways to gather more light:1. Leave the shutter open for a longer exposure, often achieved using OIS or a tripod, This is useless for moving objects though.
2. Include a larger sensor that captures more light over a shorter time frame, this is one of the biggest reasons why nearly all dslr's will always outperform a mobile phone.
Google decided that instead of using a smaller sensor with OIS they could get better photos with a much larger sensor that didn't have OIS.
Also post processing is essential to digital photography and even more so for mobile phones given how small the sensors are. Google may get the post processing wrong sometimes, but reading the reviews of other handsets and seeing the phone ranked 2nd, I get the impression they think the camera is quite good.
"-Impressive detail preservation in low light conditions, by far the best tested to date." This quote from the pros section alone suggests why their decision to include a larger sensor with relatively large pixels makes sense.
gg555 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
You clearly did not understand what I was saying about larger pixels. The Nexus 6P has larger pixels than most flagship phone camera, not a physically larger sensor. In fact the point about the benefits of a physically larger sensor, that you seem to think you're point it, was my point. It's pretty clearly right their in both of my posts, that you reply to. I write: "What matters is the physical size of the sensor."So I don't know what to say, since your point, was my point.
What your'e not getting is that Google is not claiming to have an especially larger sensor. They claim to have larger pixes. Well, you could have a physically tiny 1/4 sensor and still have 1.55µm pixels like the 6P does, you just would have less pixels. For a given sensor size you can either have more pixels, higher resolution, but smaller pixels, or less pixels, lower resolution, and larger pixels. But it's just a gimmick. It's not pixel size that matters, it's overall sensor size that matters.
Heck, we don't even know the size of the 6P sensor yet. It's probably safe to assume it's 1/2.3 or 1/2.5 since that's what's going into flagships these days. And it is very strange that Google makes a big deal about the irrelevant pixel size, but fails to disclose the sensor size, the thing that actually matters.
In any case, if it is a 1/2.3 sensor then it will have roughly the same low light performance as other 1/2.3 sensors, even if they are 20 MP sensors and have smaller pixels.
So anyway, you've just missed the point.
*
As for OIS, not every OIS system is a good as every other one, but they are all better than digital image stablization. And jelloing in video is primarly an effect of digital image stablization. So I just don't agree with you on this one.
misiu_mp - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
You got it backwards. It is the pixel size that matters for noise and low-light performance, not just the sensor size.A same-size sensor with less but larger pixels will give better image quality, all things being equal.
gg555 - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
No, that's wrong. Pixel size matters for noise. But sensor size matters for low light performance. A same size sensor with less but larger pixels will have the same low light performance. It's the surface area of the sensor that determines how much light it can capture. It doesn't matter if you break that up into two pixels or many millions of pixels.MattCoz - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
What other flagships have a 1/2.3" sensor? The S6 Edge and One Plus 2 have 1/2.6" sensors and the Moto X Pure has a 1/2.4" sensor. So the Nexus sensor is bigger than those flagships.gg555 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
I was just guessing that the 6P might have a 1/2.3 sensor, so you can't conclude it's better than the OnePlus 2 or Moto X based on my guess as if it were a fact. Maybe it will be 1/2.5. If Google is serious about low light performance, then it better at least be somewhere in the 1/2.something range. If it's just a 1/3 sensor with larger pixels, then it's even more of a gimmick (along the lines of HTC's "ultrapixels" in the One) than I already think. (Indeed, the iPhone 6 Plus does exactly this sort of gimmick with 1.5µm pixels--like the 6P--in a 1/3 sensor.)But, those phones were late to the larger sensor party. Sony has had 1/2.3 sensors in the Xperia phones, since the Z1. The Galaxy S5 has a 1/2.5 sensor. The Galaxy S6 inexplicably has a smaller 1/2.6 sensor. And of course, nobody beats Nokia, who put a 1/2.5 sensor in the N95 eight (!) years ago.
Anyway, until we know the size of the actual sensor in the 6P, as opposed to "pixel size" nonsense, we won't really have meaningful information. And the omission of OIS can only hurt low light performance, no matter the sensor size (why take one step forward and one step back at the same time?).
Also, let me emphasize again, that DxoMark points out in their notes that the 6P was automatically going into HDR+ mode, in low light conditions. That extremely suggests that Google is using gimmicks, rather than a high quality sensor, to create the superficial appearance of good low light performance, for unsophisticated users who don't know how to recognize the other deleterious effects that HDR+ will have (like the noise that DxoMark points out).
neoraiden - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
It is a 1/2.3" sensor which is larger than the rest with OIS and is stated in the dxo description. My point is that Google made a trade off. Now you may think that's a gimmick, but pixel size matters in terms of light capture especially in small devices. OIS may be more be more beneficial in some circumstances , but it is a trade off. e.g. when shooting moving objects OIS is less likely to "freeze" the object in the photo due to the longer capture time. The Iphone and HTC one achieved their stated goals of getting more light in low light per pixel, just they made tradeoffs in other areas to achieve that, namely resolution.OIS may have made the images better, we'll never know, but my guess is google weren't getting better images from their OIS prototypes so decided against it. If the HDR mode bothers you, don't shoot in auto on the camera, use a different camera app or just don't buy the phone.
Also most users are unsophisticated users, who won't recognise it or even if they do won't pixel peep enough to care. Your opinion is fine to have, but it's clearly not a fact as dxo have ranked the camera 2nd currently above many cameras with great OIS and says the 6P is a serious contender for mobile photography.
Everyone can have their opinion but my guess is most pictures are coming out pretty decent compared to other phones which is what matters in the end.
gg555 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Yes, DxoMark does say it's a 1/2.3 sensor. I missed that. So that is good, if it's accurate.But pixel size really isn't that important. You're still wrong on that. As I said from my first post, that you replied to, it's the physical sensor size that matters. So the imporant thing here is the 1/2.3 sensor, not the pixels.
I don't know why Google made a big point about the pixel size and failed to mention the sensor size. I suppose for the sake of PR they felt the need to explain the relatively low (for a current flagship) 12.3 MP sensor, when everyone else is going with 16 or 20 MP. Of course, there's no benefit for most people for super high resolutions like 16 and 20 MP and there are some downsides (more noise). Even 12.3 MP is unncessary for most people.
As for OIS, again, I just think you're wrong. And you keep shifting your argument. Is OIS perfect for everything? No. It's true that if you can't control the shutter speed (like on a phone) then for photos of action shots you may not "freeze" your subject. Although that is not an inherent problem with OIS, that is a problem with the fact that you can't control the shutter speed. Very high end DSLRs with OIS don't have this problem, because of course you can control the shutter speed. But if that really is an issue for someone, there are about a bazillion camera apps for Android that let you control shutter speed, so it would be beyond silly to forgo OIS for this reason.
But the topic was the value of OIS for video, as compared to digital image stablization, which is indisputable--I suppose why you changed the subject to try to find some other issue with OIS. And of course OIS is also benefitial for low light photography. As I said it need not be a choice between OIS or a larger sensor (as you keep trying to make it), you can have both (if Google was really serious about stepping up the game for photos in Nexus phones they indeed would have kept OIS, instead of improving one thing, while making something else worse).
And given the huge camera hump on the 6P, I don't why Google didn't bother with OIS (space concerns are often cited as a reason not to have OIS). LG and Samsung certainly have chose to use OIS in combination with larger sensors. And of course, Nokia put OIS in several phones with larger 1/2.5 sensors like the 930 and 1520 and of course in the 1020 with it's enormous 1/1.5 sensor has OIS. So the idea that somehow once you get to a certain sensor size OIS is unnecessary for low light performance (and really even 1/2.3 is not that big and is ancient technology in the digital photogaphy world) is quite a bogus argument. Also, companies often noted for camera quality are moving in the direction of putting OIS in phones more, not less, futher making Google decision bizarre.
I will finally also say that DxoMark's ranking of phone cameras is relatively meaningless. They do technical analyses of phone cameras, they don't do real world photo tests, taking many photos in different situations, examing the images, and comparing them side by side with other phones. DxoMark ranks many phones quite highly, which everyone who does real photo analyses agrees aren't very good. As only one absurd example, they rank the Nexus 6 (which everyone agreed was yet another below average phone camera from Google) above the Nokia 808 with it's massive 1/1.2 sensor (and other advanced optics) that most be agree is the greatest phone camera ever made and still years and years beyond anything else that exists. So if you're basing your arguments and expectations from the 6P on the DxoMark rankings, then you are really missing the point.
misiu_mp - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
You are wrong on pixel size not being important.Just think about it, if you made a single pixel light sensor the size of a whole image sensor, you would expect, I hope, that it would be much more accurate than any of the tiny pixel sensors on the multi megapixel chip.
Because of the larger area, the pixel will be able to gather many more photons (i.e. signal) for given light intensity, greatly improving signal to noise ratio (thermal noise is independent of pixel size).
gg555 - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
Unfortunately, that is completely wrong. I don't know why this is so hard to get. Even your own incorrect comments contain within them the logic that should allow you to get it.If you have a sensor that is say 1 inch square (which would be a very large senor) and it is exactly 1 pixel (which of course would reproduce nothing with that resolution, but anyway) it will capture the same amout of light as a 1 inch square sensor that has two, or ten, or one hundred, or 12.3 megapixels. You have the same amount of light over the same 1 inch square sensor, you have just broken it up into more or less pixels, for the sake of achieving a certain level of resolution.
It's the physical size (i.e. surface area) of the sensor that determines how much light falls on it, not how many pixels you happen to have broken it up into.
Pixels do affect things like noise and resolution. And for complicated reasons having to do with the optics of a sensor (the lenses), not with the sensor size, there is a sweet spot for pixel size for a given sensor. You can have both too many pixels and not enough. Without enough, you cannot resolve enough detail (in the case of the one pixel sensor you would have no detail, just a single pixel that's some color, which would create an image that's just one even color and nothing else). But with too many pixels, you increase the noise in the image and reduce color accuracy.
Most sensors these days in phones have too many pixels (16 MP, 20 MP) for their sensor size. So they will have more noise and less color accuracy. But you can go too far the other way also. Like HTC's "ultrapixel" fiasco. Then you just give up resolution and don't gain anything.
So there is a good reason for the 6P to have "only" 12.3 MP. But the reason is not low light performance. That is entirely influenced by the physical size of the sensor, not the size of the pixels.
But obviously this is too complicated for consumers (and some commenters here) to understand, so it's simpler to just say we made the pixels big for better low light performance, even though it's not true and is the larger 1/2.3 sensor, not the larger pixels, that will cause better low light performance. Clearly Google felt like they needed to explain why there's only 12.3 MP when other phones have 16 MP and 20 MP. And no one would understand the real reason. So they just made some nonsense up.
Boltd - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
You're partially right and partially wrong. Take a look at a mirror. Ignore your ugly self. Now imagine that mirror breaking up into a grid of individual pieces. Same amount of light, right? Now imagine that those individual pieces shrink but the overall size of the mirror remains the same. So now there's a gap between individual pixels. That light is not captured. Only the light where the individual pieces are.gg555 - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
It's a nice idea. It's also a completely made up idea and does not reflect how sensors actually work. The spaces between the pixels effect noise, but not low light performance. And the noise doesn't have to do with light that's not captured, it has to do with effects of the electronics in the sensor itself.Boltd - Thursday, October 8, 2015 - link
Not made up, it's physics. Per a given area, there is a finite amount of energy in the form of photons. Anyway, I was responding to your statement that what matters is the overall surface area of the chip vs individual pixels. Both do - whether it is a greater number of pixels to increase the overall surface area of exposure to photons or larger pixels. Exposure in terms of aperture size and shutter speed determines how much many photons (in terms of power) hits the pixels. Individual pixels that are larger have more surface area to collect photons. Physics.Noise that you see in pictures come from the signal from each individual pixel - from degradation of performance mostly due to heat from amplification of the signal. Smaller pixels collect less light and the signal to noise ratio is lower. Less signal means greater amplification and amplified noisy signal is bad.
I do agree that this is only part of the equation, there are so many other factors - from the AR coating of the filters, the signal path from each pixel, the amplifier/processing design, even software determining which pixel is exhibiting noise vs a true signal. In the end, it doesn't matter much other than the result.
Bottom line though is that you are wrong about your assertion that the individual size of the pixel doesn't matter about the light collection.
kliph - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
"On the bottom of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P you'll find a 3.5mm audio jack" - The 6P has it on top.oaf_king - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Isn't the Nexus 6P's Snapdragon 810 the troubled chip killing Qualcomm? I was getting excited for that nice big battery but I believe 810 is on 20nm, while Apple/Samsung are on 14nm aka 30% more efficient chip, and not one rife with throttling issues. Hope that's old news tho.. but gonna have to wait to see some benches for suremisiu_mp - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
I don't know if 6P's 810 is 20nm or 16nm but even just because the feature size on a chip is 30% smaller does not mean it is 30% more efficient.Laxaa - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Man, the Nexus 5X is shaping up to be a dissappointment.I can live with the 2GB of RAM and the 32GB of storage(albeit a little low), but the lack of OIS, wireless charging and only a single front facing speaker(even though it has two speaker grills) are dealbreakers for me. I'd reckon Google wants people to upgrade to the larger and more premium 6P.
gg555 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Of course, the 6P also lacks OIS and wireless charging. And it has that fugly camera hump (I've looked at a lot of hands on articles and I have yet to find a single person who thinks it looks good). And of course there's the Snapdragon 810 with all it's overheating issues. (Some are claiming this is v2.1, so the problem has been solved, but not really. ArsTechnica looked into it a bit. It's just throttled so it doesn't overheat. Meaning it's performance is not that great.)My conclusion is that Google wants to put in enough good features to attract people and pretend that they have made "flagship" phones, but really the phones are just a showcase for pure Android and a device for developers to work with. Google always seems to fall short somehow (except the original Nexus One, that really was as standout phone at the time).
gg555 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
And by the way, the Nexus One had a unibody aluminum design. All these articles keep reporting that the 6P is the first Nexus phone with a unibody aluminum design. It's just not true. It's astonishing how Google says something or puts it in the PR press packet and all the reporters just mindlessly repeat it.As far as I know, the Nexus One may have been the first phone ever with a unibody aluminum design. It shows how far Google has slid from it's auspicious first Nexus phone. And it's sad how little credit HTC gets for pioneering this design (most people probably now think Apple did it first, even though the iPhone 6 is an obvious copy in many ways of the original HTC One--and perhaps HTC called it "One" to recall the first Nexus device?).
So it's taken Google six subsequent generations of phones to make a phone that has as premium a feel as the first Nexus phone. Is that really progress?
Laxaa - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
9I really wanted the Nexus One back in the day.HTC makes really good hardware, but their priorities seem to be lacking these days. Instead of concentrating on a simple and elegang lineup(like Motoroal) whey seem to saturate the market with a million different variations of the same model(see the recently launched M9+ Supreme Camera)
Ziich - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
That is mostly true but the nexus one had a removable plastic back covers to access the battery and internal. so technically the 6p could touted as the first all aluminium unibody nexusgg555 - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
The 6P actually hast cut outs exactl like the Nexus One, on the back, but smaller and not removable. There's a cut out obviously for the camera hump, which is glass apparently. And there's a similar sized cut out at the bottom covered with plastic the same color as the body. Other than the camera, both are mainly there for the antennas in the phone, which can't transmit well through aluminum.The Nexus One was designed the same way, with two cut outs, top and bottom, which allowed for antenna transmission. In addition the top cut out was larger to get the battery out (as you said) and to access the sim card and sd card.
But other than that size difference on the top cut out, it is in fact exactly the same type of design.
markbanang - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
What a huge disappointment, I was hoping that the 5X would be my next phone, but with the announcement I know I will need to look elsewhere.Being Nexus devices they were never going to have SD card slots, but I was hoping for a decent amount of flash. 32GB max. on the 5X is unbelievable in this day and age. Mobile data coverage simply isn't good enough to be able to rely on always having access to the cloud. Not only that but the cost of upgrading the storage is offensive. £40 for 16GB on the 5X, and £50/£130 for 32/96GB on the 6P is crazy when 128GB of high performance flash costs at most £60 at retail.
I'm seriously considering trying to order an Android One device from Turkey or the Philippines so that I can get a Nexus experience (stock and regularly updated) and enough storage at a reasonable price.
Wh0else - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Check out the Ireland store to see what we're being charged. A 32gb 5x with a folio case and USB a to USB c cable is nearly 600 euro, and we don't get the play store voucher. So we're paying so much more than the USA for a midrange phone? I think I'll stay on my nexus 5 thank youZoomer - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
I'm still waiting on a replacement for my M7. Nothing is that compelling. IMO Sense seems to be the least bad of the skins.gg555 - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
The M7 is a beautiful phone. It's going to be hard to replace. It's the phone Apple copied for the original iPhone 6. I wish HTC had kept that design for the M8 and M9, which I don't like nearly as much. The differences are relatively small, but it's funny how they make the M8 and M9 just not as striking.If I didn't want wifi calling on T-Mobile, I'd be tempted by the Moto X Style/Pure Edition. I like Motorola's designs. And they have good noise cancellation, which is important to me--probably the best out there now, since I can't tell if anyone is using the Audience chip anymore. You also get the close to pure Android, so no skin to mess with. These days Motorola is definitely my second choice after Nexus phones.
Anyway, I'm still holding onto my Nexus 4, because each subsequent Nexus device has been lacking in one way or another. I would have gotten the Nexus 6 if it had not been so absurdly huge (if they had only made a 5.2 inch version, like the 2nd Gen Moto X). But if the three microphone noise cancellation on the 6P is better than the usual Fluence mediocrity, I may get it. I could use a CPU upgrade (even if it's the 810), even without OIS the camera has got to be better than the Nexus 4, the stereo speakers will be nice (I use my phone a lot to listen to the radio and podcasts), and the design seems nice, except of course for the fugly camera hump (I don't mind humps, but that black band just spoils an otherwise nice looking phone, it makes what's apparently not a very big bump appear enormous--I kind of want the aluminum, but the black band seems to blend in more on the black version).
Anyway, I'm still going to wait for the phone to be reviewed. Maybe by that point my initial interest will have faded and I'll be ready to hold out for a phone with Snapdragon 820. That seems like probably the smarter move, since it's just around the corner.
Laxaa - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
The M7 is beautiful indeed. I wish they wold go back to that style and at the same time remove that stupid logo from the front. I can live with the black bar, but that logo has to go.sahaskatta - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Nexus 6 didn't have Bluetooth 4.2. It had Bluetooth 4.1.Laxaa - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
And now, it seems like EIS is cut out of the 5X as well. This just keeps on getting better and better.https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3mzrl9/hi_i...
Tedtalker1 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
To all of you complaining of only having 2GB in the Nexus 5X; we are planning to sell you a new upgraded model in 2016. It will have 2.5GB and you will notice how much smoother your apps run.Then we will give you a full 3GB in 2017.Have a great year,
The Nexus Development Team
Ziich - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
If the google team is to be believed then we should get a very good, color accurate screen in the 6p.https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3mzrl9/hi_i...
zodiacfml - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
The 5X almost had me.....except the display. I don't like the low contrast ratio and minimum brightness of the N5 at low light, I wish for an AMOLED display. I like the 808 SoC but quite ageing compared to current 14/16nm parts.Ziich - Saturday, October 3, 2015 - link
I'm sure the 5x's display will be better than that if the 5. We won't really know until reviews come out and tests are done. The 808 and 810 both use 20nm parts while the 820 will use custom cores on a 14nm . I doubt you will see the 820 on something the price of the 5x until at least the end of next year maybe later.amdwilliam1985 - Tuesday, October 6, 2015 - link
I was reading through the comments about 5X, I was like lol. WTF are those people thinking. I guess they're waiting for the perfect phone.(Introducing Nexus 5Xtreme with auto-adjust flexible screen of 4.5" to 5.5" depending on your hand size ;) that will also swap between IPS LCD to SAMOLED screens depending on the situation. It has 64GB of RAM with 1TB SSD, 10,000mah, liquid metal case and shatterproof font panel glass.
Who wants one? it's going for $1 USD million dollar)
I'm sure some of you will find complains about it, like the speaker is too loud, or too quiet. The phone is too thin or too thick. The bezel is too thick or too thin. Complain that the phone is a "real" phone that can't match whatever imaginary phone that I have made up in my mind.
Complainers will be complainers, they always find something wrong with everything.
As far as I know, we're living in an imperfect physical world, this means we have to "solve" our problems with "limited" amount of resources. Given the budget and the current phone market, I've said Google done a great job with Nexus 5X, I'm pretty sure I'll be getting one as soon as I can find a reputable review confirming it has good battery life.
My current Nexus 5 32GB is one of the greatest phone I've ever use. Like someone else' said earlier in the comments, that I would gladly pay Google for the updated version of the great phone with any improvements(preferably better battery life and camera).
Guys, rather than complains, embrace. lol.
Of course I do appreciate you guys bitching your concerns to Google and other OEMs, someone have to "force" those companies to move technology forward and push harder. Me on the other hand, will sit back and enjoy what was handed/dealt.