What's good
- Sharp display with bold colors
- Excellent battery life
- Lightning fast performance on all tasks
- Great photo quality in good and low lighting
What's bad
- Impossible to use one-handed
- Whites on display have yellow tint
- Size makes it almost impossible to fit in pants pocket
Is there such a thing as too big? Google answers that question with their Nexus 6. It might simple be one number up from its smaller sibling – the Nexus 5 – but the Nexus 6 is more than just a simple upgrade. It is one of the first devices to run Android Lollipop and is also one of the biggest phablets on the marketing measuring in at 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.4 inches. Its large size makes it pretty much impossible for reviewers to use one-handed but the contoured sides and curved back made it comfortable for them to hold for extended amounts of time. Sitting comfortably with it in their jean pockets, however, is another story. Mashable states, "This thing isn't designed for normal-sized pockets…"
The majority of the phone's size is due to the 5.96-inch, AMOLED display. It boasts an impressive 2.560 x 1,440 resolution which translates to an impressive pixel density of 493ppi. The Nexus 6 might technically have a higher resolution than the iPhone 6 Plus, but when experts actually compared them side-by-side any differences were negligible. Both screens were incredibly crisp and well-defined, even when they inspected it under a magnifying glass. Thanks to the AMOLED screen technology, the Nexus 6 wowed critics with its bold colors and "blacks as inky as the void" as Yahoo describes it. Still, they noticed that it veered towards oversaturation in the green, blue and red range and that the whites often had a yellow tinge. In general, these small issues didn't dampen the enjoyment critics got out of watching a movie or playing a game on the device.
At the heart of the Nexus 6 is a 2.7GHz quad-core processor backed up by 3GB of RAM and either 32 or 64MB of internal storage. Reviewers describe performance as "lightning fast" with daily and necessary tasks opening without delay and graphics heavy games playing effortlessly with no lag. The 3,220mAh battery might not be replaceable, but it did provide critics with a day's worth life even during heavy usage. It also comes equipped with wireless charging capability and a Turbo charger, which gives 6 hours of life from a 15-minute charge.
Motorola has improved the Nexus 6 phone with a new CMOS sensor, wider aperture and optical image stabilization. The 13MP snapper impressed experts with its overall color accuracy and photo details. The wider aperture helped critics take better low light images with very little noise and graininess. CNET did notice that it did get fuzzy around the edges during macro shots. The camera app itself offers standard fare like Panorama and HDR Mode along with some new features like a lens blur and photo sphere. It does not, however, have filters or the ability to adjust white balance presets. While most still place the iPhone 6 as having the best camera, they admit that the one on the Nexus 6 is a close second.
While reviewers have few complaints about the Nexus 6, many are still on the fence about a wholehearted recommendation. CNET states, "...if you welcome the expansive size and pure Android experience, the Nexus 6 delivers the goods…Ultimately though, a better alternative is the Galaxy Note 4…" Forbes adds, "…treated in isolation the Nexus 6 is a great success…Ultimately, however, it is impossible to escape the question of size."
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Chris Martin, Tech AdvisorThere are some good things about the Nexus 6 including build quality and some top-end hardware such as the screen, processor and camera. However, it's simply too big, unwieldy and expensive to warrant awarding it anything higher than four stars and really get behind it (unless we wanted to hid from...
- Chris Martin, Tech AdvisorThere are some good things about the Nexus 6 including build quality and some top-end hardware such as the screen, processor and camera. However, it's simply too big, unwieldy and expensive to warrant awarding it anything higher than four stars and really get behind it (unless we wanted to hid from...
- Loie Favre, AndroidPITGoogle and Motorola pushed the bar way up for future Nexus phones with the Nexus 6. It has sucessfully addressed past problems with the camera and battery. If you can deal with its formidable size and want to stay on the front-line of Android updates, then the Nexus 6 is for you.
- Julie Strietelmeier, The GadgeteerShould you buy the Nexus 6 Android smartphone? The answer might be no if you like your phone to have a replaceable battery, microSD card slot, a fingerprint scanner and sized small enough to comfortably fit in your pocket. But the answer is resounding yes if you want a phone with a very large displa...
- Prasid Banerjee, DigitIf you’re a tech enthusiast, you’re probably sulking (like me), at the fact that a Nexus phone costs over 40k. To the regular consumer though, this won’t matter. So, yes, the Nexus 6 is indeed a good phone to buy. I like the Moto Turbo more, because it’s compact and easier to...
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Common Questions
Motorola backs up the Google Nexus 6 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Google Nexus 6 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Motorola support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Motorola's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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