Nexus 5 is Google’s latest and greatest flagship model, manufactured in partnership with LG.
The device also comes loaded with Android Kitkat, a leaner version of Android that Google hopes to use to consolidate a vast fragmented Android market. Its not just the hardware that is designed to amaze.
The Nexus 5 boasts incredible performance and comes jam-packed with all the Google bells and whistles that we have become accustomed to over the years.
Together users will get a chance to experience a “clean” version of Android, which can be a quite a nice experience for some users. However, this also means you get to miss out on your favourite built-in apps and services that you get with HTC, Samsung and others. Nevertheless, it seems the Nexus 5 seems to have one more ace up its sleeves: a low price.
This puts the Nexus 5 in the league of more powerful or well designed phones in terms of price.
Pros
● High-def screen
● Low Price
● High-end performance
● 4G enabled
Cons
● Battery could be better
● Camera isn’t the greatest
● Kitkat may need to mature for better features
Design and Display
The Nexus 5 features a 4.95” Full HD IPS 1920x1080 display (445 ppi)and encased in the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Given its dimensions - 5.43 x 2.72 x 0.34 inches - many first reviewers argue that the phone is not unwieldy as one might expect because the bezel is quite narrow, so the overall size is not made weider by the larger display..The device is also quite lightweight (130g) due to the heavy use of plastics as opposed to glass or metal. However, this also means you are not going to get that premium feel that comes with something like the HTC One or iPhone 5C.
Just above the display is the round earpiece, the front facing camera (to the left) and the LED notifier (just below). The microUSB port, speaker and microphone are located on the base. The 3.5mm headset jack is located on top. The edges feature the volume (left) and power (upper-right) buttons made of ceramic. The backside features the 8MP camera and LED flash. There is no microSD card slot, so users will have to make a more careful decision between a 16GB and 32GB variant.
Performance
Underneath the hood, the Nexus 5 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, 2.2GHz processor and an Adreno 330, 450MHz GPU. All this is further complimented with 2GB of RAM. The hardware is augmented with a variety of standard sensors including gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, ambient light detector, pressure detector, hall detector, GPS, etc. Importantly the Nexus 5 is also 4G enabled, which is probably not worth singling out anymore as 4G becomes the standard over the course of the next few years.
Camera
The Nexus 5 features an 8MP rear facing with Optical Image Stabilisation and 1.3 front facing camera. Standard camera features come loaded too but it seems that the initial reviews of the camera have been disappointing. One of the most serious criticisms were that the camera fails to perform well in low-light situations and focusing could also be an issue. On the bright side, there is speculation that this is probably due to a bug not necessarily a hardware failure.
Battery
Disappointingly rumours of a 3000mAH battery didn’t materialise. Instead, it comes loaded with 2300mAH battery that promises 17 hours of talk time, 300 hours of standby time and internet up up to 8.5 hours on Wi-Fi, 7 hours on LTE. Moreover, the device comes loaded with a wireless charging feature. Given the size of this device, a 2300mAH battery seems just good enough. Again there are conflicting reports that the battery is better or worse than expected. Again this might be all due to software glitches than any real hardware issues. The only way to verify this is by testing after the initial updates for KitKat.
4.4 KitKat
The strongest appeal of the Nexus 5 has to be the introduction of 4.4 KitKat. The OS is supposed to help consolidate a fragmented OS. Currently, most Android phones run on Gingerbread and they don’t really get the same sort of unified updates that Apple has featured since the very inception of iOS. KitKat is an effort to make the Android experience cleaner and of course, draw people ever closer to the Google ecosystem. The first thing many users will notice is that it features a deeper integration with Google Now, which comes loaded with an enhanced voice and search system. Triggering Google Now would require a voice command “Ok Google” and from then onwards you can get the device to carry out a variety of tasks. Unfortunately, if you are posses a Lankan accent, you might find the experience a little daunting. Moreover, it seems that the Nexus 5 will not have Google Now working on passive mode as it does on the Moto X. Therefore, you’ll actually need to unlock the phone to use the feature.
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Messaging also received an overhaul. Now all communication including texts and Google chat is handled via Google Hangouts. For some, this may make things simpler but it might seem to discourage users who have grown used to separating their multiple inboxes. If you don’t like this arrangement, you can always download a third party texting app.
KitKat also features improvements to multitasking and resource management. This makes it easier to switch between apps and kill unnecessary ones. The experience is designed to be more fluid than previous incarnations of Android. Unfortunately, users might not be able to make full use of this feature just yet as many apps need to be optimised to work on the new OS.
Last but not least, KitKat also features an updated dialer and phone app that makes it easier to access contacts on the go. The feature is cleaner than previous version and now comes fully integrated with Google now, which allows you to pull up numbers of people or places based on your location.
Pricing
As mentioned earlier, one of the draws of the Nexus 5 is the attractive pricing. The 16GB costs $349 and the 32GB costs $399. This is well below some other premium phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the iPhone 5S. The price makes this phone particularly attractive because there is plenty of great hardware to compliment the device. An aggressive pricing strategy seems to set the stage for Google’s already enhanced ambitions.
Verdict
The Nexus 5 comes 4G enabled, features superb performance is one of the cheapest premium phones on the market. Moreover, it comes loaded with a pure version of Android 4.4. KitKat (for those purists out there), which in turn has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. There are obvious problems with the camera, non-expandable storage, battery issues and minor software glitches. However, these issues do not outweigh the benefits of the Nexus 5. If you are already heavily integrated in the Google ecosystem as many of us are, the user experience will be quite familiar and comfortable. Add in the price advantage and the Nexus 5 is one of the best bets on the market.
By Navam Niles
0 Comments
Gayan Danthanarayana says:
Dec 10, 2013 at 12:00 amGreat review. Thanks! One question: is the 4G LTE feature on this phone compatible with our mobile service providers?
Tech-a-holic says:
Dec 10, 2013 at 12:00 amHi Gayan, Thanks for the feedback. Yes, the 4G LTE feature is compatible with our mobile service providers. They operate on different LTE bands but the Nexus 5 covers all that. Cheers!