There’s certainly a lot of excitement buzzing around the new Motorola Nexus 6, the latest in Google’s Nexus line of devices. The Nexus 6 is not a phone you want to sneeze at, and is probably Google’s most "flagship" Nexus to date. Last year’s Nexus 5 cut it close, but the Nexus 6 goes above and beyond when it comes to performance, features, and specs. With that being said, just because the Nexus 6 is in direct competition with what’s available from this year’s flagship lineup doesn’t mean that the Nexus 5 should be completely forgotten about.
The Nexus 5 might be a year old, but it is by no means (dare I say it) obsolete. With a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 1080x1920 5-inch display, the Nexus 5 is still able to hold its own against many phones released even this year. Maybe it’s not necessarily “flagship” status anymore, but given that the phone still only costs $349, it’s a great value.
Aside from the specs, the Nexus 5 still has the privileges that make the Nexus line so great in the first place - stock Android, and one of the first phones in line to get the latest Android updates straight from Google. Most other Android smartphones on the market are going to come with their own “version” of Android - at least in terms of skins - and those skins are not always the most user-friendly. Samsung, HTC, Sony, and even Motorola have their own skins that go over Android. Probably the most annoying thing about non-Nexus devices is that they also come with bloatware, which a user may or may not want. If you do want the bloatware, great! If not, most of the time you’re going to have to jump through hoops in order to get rid of it (read: learn how to gain root access). For some people it’s not a big deal, but it’s certainly not as easy as just being able to uninstall something you never plan on using. (Thanks, Windows Phone!)
The two biggest things that hold the Nexus 5 back probably comes down to camera and battery life.
The Nexus 5 features an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, which was acceptable last year but won’t get by so easily this year. The phone also only features a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter, which is doable, but with the front-facing camera quickly becoming just as important as the rear-facing one it might turn some noses upwards.
As for the battery, a 2300 mAh battery isn’t really all that bad - but it’s nothing to write home about, either. If anything, the Nexus 5’s battery life can be described as “average” at best. It’s no measure to the Nexus 6’s 3220 mAh battery, but more importantly the Nexus 5 also doesn’t feature that nifty 15-minute charge for 6 hours of battery life feature, either. Still, the Nexus 5 should at least last you a day with average usage.
Despite it’s shortcomings, the Nexus 5 is still well worth the $349 price tag. The Nexus 6 might be here, but the price tag of the Nexus 6 ($649) is a lot more expensive than we’re used to seeing with Nexus phones over the past couple of years. If big phones (or price tags) aren’t your thing, then at least you still have the choice to purchase the Nexus 5. With the Nexus 5 recently coming back into stock on the Google Play Store, the phone seems like it is here to stay - at least for a little while longer.
Readers, between the Nexus 5 and the Nexus 6, which do you prefer? Do you prefer the Nexus 6 with its bigger screen and more powerful specs, or do you prefer the Nexus 5 with its lower price tag and Nexus charm?
Images via Phone Cruncher, AnandTech
