Google Nexus 5 Review
by Brian Klug on December 5, 2013 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- LG
- Android
- Mobile
- Snapdragon 800
- Android 4.4
- Nexus 5
As is often the case, the conclusion to this Nexus review is one part software, and one part hardware. I'll start with a discussion of Android 4.4.
Google adds a subtle but appreciated level of polish to the Android UI with its latest iteration of the OS. This has been true for a while now, but the Android we're talking about today is really a far departure from what existed back in the early 2.x days. Anyone who hesitated to move from iOS back then will find themselves with an OS today that is clearly a substitute good. What once was an OS that only appealed to a crowd that appreciated its flexibility is now just as approachable as anything else on the market, and just as powerful as it always has been.
Likewise, Android is now smoother than before thanks to further improvements brought forth by project butter and refinements to the GPU-accelerated 2D rendering pipeline that was introduced in Android 3.x Honeycomb. Like any platform, it's still possible to craft apps that jank, but you have to look hard for examples that truly drag the experience down, and on the whole almost all the system apps are polished and performant. Project svelte also reduces memory footprint for midrange (emerging market) devices with 512 MB of RAM, where most of the remaining growth is for the smartphone market abroad and at home. I can't wait to see how that bears itself out even on devices like the Moto G with 1 GB of RAM or less, since it's hard to immediately find the difference on flagships with 2 GB or more that aren't always under high memory pressure.
I'm glad to see the antiquated SMS/Messaging app gone, but I'm puzzled by the poor integration into Google's new Hangouts app. The Hangouts experience in Android remains incredible, but the SMS component is far from the sort of seamless integration I had hoped for.
The most disappointing part about Android 4.4 is the miserable camera UI, but I'll get to its impact on the Nexus 5 in a moment.
For the price, the Nexus 5 is easily one of the best buys on the market today. At $349 you not only get the absolute latest hardware, but the most accurate 1080p display available on an Android device. I really can't give Google enough credit here for doing what literally no other Android OEM seems to care enough about and actually shipping a display with proper sRGB coverage. It's not quite as good as what you'll get from a 2013 Nexus 7, but it's easily the best I've ever encountered in all of my experience with Android devices.
It's good to see the default storage capacity move from 8GB to 16GB, but I would really like to see Google embrace even larger options. There's no reason Google couldn't offer a 64GB Nexus 5, and/or be a little aggressive on NAND sourcing and push for a 128GB model as well.
The fact that the Nexus 5 ships unlocked at its price point is another huge selling point. It seems to me that what you can get for $179, $349 and $599 is improving substantially across the market. I would love to see Google extend the Nexus family both up and down the pricing spectrum to really provide excellent solutions for all segments of the market.
The camera story on the Nexus 5 is among the most frustrating aspects of this phone. From a hardware perspective, Google has settled on a combination of sensor and optics that's quite close to the most optimal configuration available today, and a dramatic improvement from the Nexus 4. The problem with the Nexus 5's camera is entirely limited to the horrible mess that is the default Android camera app. We're nearly into 2014 yet substantial shutter lag, focusing issues and a preview that doesn't reflect reality are still problems with the AOSP camera. The fact that many other Android OEMs have already worked around some if not all of these issues is hugely disappointing. Depending on how important the camera experience is to you will really determine whether or not the Nexus 5 is a good fit. Google has apparently told other publications that software fixes are on the way, but it's currently impossible to gauge the magnitude of improvement coming down the pipe.
Thankfully, we find ourselves in a time where there are a number of excellent options in the Android space.
Quite possibly the closest alternative to the Nexus 5, while still retaining the mostly-stock Android experience, is Motorola's Moto X. You lose out on core count and display resolution, but in return you get a smaller/more comfortable body, potential for color customization, and a far more usable camera today. The Moto X is just a much more polished device overall, and something you can also find on Verizon (not an option for Nexus 5). If having access to virtually-stock Android is of value to you and you want a cleaner experience today, the Moto X is a great alternative to the Nexus 5.
On the other end of the spectrum there's LG's G2 - the Nexus 5's closest hardware relative. Here you also get a much more functional camera offering and even better battery life. The tradeoff is of course that you lose the stock Android UI and the display isn't as accurate (it is however slightly larger), but it's absolutely a liveable option if you value things like a usable camera.
Google is really so close to perfecting the Nexus as a smartphone. Nexus 5 is a huge improvement over Nexus 4, and the obvious upgrade for Nexus 4 users, it just still needs a few refinements before I can comfortably recommend it to normal smartphone shoppers. For enthusiasts seeking the device that will get Android updates first, or shoppers looking for optimal value, the Nexus 5 is a definite buy.
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StealthGhost - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
Finally a Nexus with good battery life. Great review as always Mr. Klug!danbob999 - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
It's also one of the first review to actually back up the battery life claim with numbers. The others are all subjective.harpocrates - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
The Verge review was a joke in this regard, stating "During our time with the Nexus 5, it's been hard to get a real grip on how its battery truly operates.". Instead of taking the time to figure a methodology to test the phone, they simply rushed out the review without real facts about battery life. I'm very pleased to see real data here at Anandtech.danbob999 - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
I totally agree. However I would also like to see some "idle" battery life tests, with display off, but with push notifications turned on. It would be more representative of the average use than browsing the web over wifi for 8 hours.Laxaa - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
Agree as well. Other reviews have made the battery a lot worse than it seems here(compared to the competition)hrrmph - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
+1, for the article and the comment.It's good to see battery life data, but something more representative of the typical user would be good.
Also, I feel that Anandtech are pulling their punches here with regard to non-removable versus removable batteries: Is it really the case that the design choice of a non-removable battery gives 40% better life? Somehow I doubt that... but it's what the charts seem to show.
So a more detailed explanation of the pros and cons of non-removable versus user removable batteries would be good, along with some data.
I'm not saying that such explanation had to be in *this* article, but the recent separate "explanation" of AnandTech policy with regard to an emerging history of neglect of these issues was heavy on defense and short on details with regards to assertions that non-removable batteries increase battery life, and thus are simply design choices with trade-offs. How much trade-off? 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%?
I'm thinking that for typical users that a 20 - 30% increase in battery life would probably be needed to offset the "hassle-factor" of not being able to change your own batteries at will. For example, if like most users you can get through the day okay, or you can get through the day on one session of say, a half hour of opportunistic charging, then a 30% increase in battery life might be enough to get you through 2 days of more or less the same behavior. That could be significant enough to sway the decision strongly in favor of a non-removable battery for most people.
Basically, I think in days and weeks on this issue. I have to charge a moderately used BB-Z10 once every 36 hours (1.5 days). A lightly used Samsung Galaxy Note 2 that I also always carry with me requires charging once every 3 days. A feature phone that I use as a bedside alarm clock needs charging once every 2 weeks.
A nitpick is that AT recently committed (somewhat unconvincingly) to being agnostic on non-removable batteries versus user removable batteries, and to not discriminate. I'll admit that I was surprised and impressed by AT's attempt to be just that... this article was much better than some others of late. However, to follow through and complete the act, being truly neutral requires openly characterizing the pros and cons, and describing them accurately.
This needs to start with descriptions. Calling these batteries "internal" versus "non-removable" is close, but not quite adequate. Both types of batteries are "internal." The correct two subsets that the category breaks down into are "user removable," and "user non-removable." In this way, the uninitiated reader who happens upon an AT article is clearly informed that the battery in the device that they are considering purchasing (in this case, the Nexus 5) is of the type "user non-removable."
Moving on to a discussion of the best way to get access to the battery: Seeing the back cover off of the Nexus 5 in the AT photos makes it plain that changing the back cover to a tool-less user removable design would be both desirable (from a consumer perspective) and not-so-challenging (from the manufacturer's perspective).
Overall, the Nexus 5 looks like a great affordable mid-range unlocked phone with a few flagship quality design features such as a great SOC (finding an unlocked phone at this price / quality is a rarity, and is to be commended). Unfortunately, the lack of a user removable battery will remain one of the Nexus lineup’s weakest points.
As an alternative, the Blackberry Z10 can occasionally be bought unlocked direct from Blackberry USA for half price (it was recently on sale at $200 each). It has a user removable battery, great multitasking OS with awesome messaging hub software (that consolidates all messages, call info, and notifications in one place) that is a real time saver, but inferior camera. The Samsung S4-Mini is another reasonably priced unlocked phone with a user removable battery.
Going up the range to a higher-end flagship, there is also the Google Play variant of the Samsung S4 that has a user removable battery... if that is important to you... since we *are* being "neutral" on the subject.
Pr3ch34r - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
the removable or not battery is a samsung argument only, you can get external batteries for any device, some even can work with multiple brands of phones, and the price is okdanbob999 - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
and they all suck because they basically discharge on the USB port to charge your phone, wasting at least 30% in the processImpulses - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
While efficiency is obviously a concern,I don't see how that means they all suck. You can get a 5,600-6,000 mAh battery for like $35 that's still smaller than the phone itself, built in micro cable and everything... Such a battery is basically good for two full charges (or more).There's smaller ones, the tiniest are usually cylinder shaped, but the built in cable and flat form factor of the former seems the most useful IMO. I've been using one for a while and I really don't miss rebooting plus taking my case & battery lid off just to swap batteries.
Obviously everyone's needs are different, some may not have the time or space for a USB battery to top up the phone in a bag/pocket. Thankfully there's still OEMs catering to all needs in the Android ecosystem.
dynamited - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
No, it's about the overall life time of the battery and after 18 months you are at 50% capacity