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
Display on mobile devices is one area where we’ve seen considerable improvement. Pixel density has gone up, contrast ratios have improved, and the emphasis on low power in a platform gated by its battery size means there’s always innovation happening.
In the case of the Nexus 5, there’s a considerable jump in resolution, from the WXGA 1280x768 display on the Nexus 4, to the now-standard 1080p. The biggest change is an obvious shift in aspect ratio from 15:9 to 16:9 once more. Back with the Nexus 4 and Optimus G, I noted just how surprisingly noticeable that extra 48 pixels of width was. Although we tend to think in absolute display resolution and talk about it quite a bit, Android uses display independent pixels or dips in order to keep layouts display density agnostic and support a wide variety of screen sizes and resolutions. Nexus 5 implements the 480 ppi or xxhdpi screen density, whereas Nexus 4 implements 320 ppi or xhdpi density. The result is that the Nexus 5’s display is 360x592 dips in size, compared to 384x592 dips for the Nexus 4, coming in 24 dips narrower. It’s important to note however that this change is intentional to maintain Android’s DPI independence, even if it does mean less overall real-estate in apps and browser.
Display quality is a big deal in the Android space, with lots of variance between devices. In the case of the Nexus 5, I started by tracking down the display type. If you recall, 5-inches with 1080p is a resolution we’ve seen before in the Droid DNA and Butterfly. From what I can tell, the Nexus 5 uses a very similar evolved version of that panel, a JDI (Japan Display, Inc) 1080p display with in-cell touch courtesy Synaptics ClearPad 3350 solution.
The other question was whether Nexus 5 also uses a PSR (Panel Self Refresh) type display. This display is indeed a MIPI command mode panel, the same kind of system, so yes it does include those features. An additional change is the addition of software vsync in Android 4.4, which to my knowledge the Nexus 5 does use, you can see this pop on and off depending on what’s happening on-screen if you monitor surfaceflinger. Those improvements should decrease latency and improve how sticky animations feel.
To characterize display quality and accuracy, we turn to our usual display measurements.
The Nexus 5 doesn’t go quite as bright as Nexus 4, but it’s still a very bright display. Blacks and contrast are a bit disappointing though, contrast is definitely on the lower end, but not bad. I definitely haven’t been put off by them. I also haven’t noticed any of the distracting dynamic brightness behavior I have on other handsets, which is awesome.
My only criticism is that I wish Nexus 5 would allow its auto screen brightness algorithm to go dimmer when in dark scenarios. There’s still more dynamic range in the manual brightness setting bar than there is for the auto brightness routine from what I can tell.
The new Nexus 7 impressed me with how accurate its display was in terms of color reproduction, beginning with Google stating it targeted sRGB (the color space for both the web and Android) calibration for it. The Nexus 5 seems to have done the same, and wowed me with the best GMB color checker Delta-Es we’ve seen from any Android handset. In addition, the Nexus 5 has none of the saturation boost that’s sadly quite pervasive right now, instead giving the right evenly spaced saturation stepping on its color channels. The Nexus 7 has slightly lower Delta-E, but it’s clear to me that Google has made color calibration an emphasis on the Nexus line.
It’s interesting to hear some Nexus 5 users complain that the display seems undersaturated, since that kind of end user feedback reflects subjective comparison. It also suggests to me that a large percentage of the population doesn’t know what some colors or system elements actually should be. Even for me, looking at the green elements inside the Google Play store on the Note 3 in movie mode or Nexus 5 initially seemed slightly more muted than normal. The reality is that this is what they actually should look like. We’ve just become accustomed to their oversaturated appearance on virtually every other device.
This kind of expectation about what looks right and what doesn’t is rather telling for the state of display calibration in Android handsets, and how OEMs have used oversaturated colors to increase retail shelf appeal. Unfortunately the reality is that oversaturated colors do seem to win taste tests among shoppers, the same way that TVs in most big boxes do. We’ve been looking at them for so long that well calibrated displays like Nexus 5 initially do look noticeably different.
The end result is easy to sum up, however – Nexus 5 has the best calibrated display I’ve seen so far in any Android handset. It’s also leaps and bounds more accurate and controlled than its predecessor display in the Nexus 4.
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edlee - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
yeah, I reread that sentence three times to fully understand what he was trying to say, it needs a rewrite.hrrmph - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
Just swap the words "substitute good" to "good substitute."He is clearly saying that Android and iOS are more or less on par with each other, with neither OS having a compelling advantage over the other.
It now seems more important to read the details of the articles with regards to the specific functions of each of the operating systems.
The iOS camera software is superior at this point, and a weak point of the Android OS, if that is important to you.
As I have recently come to understand (having used Apple iOS, Android 4.3, Blackberry OS 10, and WinPhone8), there is no OS that consolidates all emails, SMS, call data, and notifications in one easy-to-read list as good as BB OS10 does. A real time saver. But, you get a crappy camera.
So the Nexus 5 gets good camera hardware and crappy Android camera software. Hopefully there is a fix on the way soon.
If you want a read-out of "true" North on the compass, then iOS will easily do that, but BB-OS10 won't.
WinPhone 8 won't read FLAC audio files.
BB OS10 won't let you format the Micro-SDXC storage card using the exFAT file system. Android will.
We are now in the days where there is finally a very close neck and neck competition amongst the mobile OSes for the best quality and functionality. Unfortunately, all of the OSes have some basic features missing. They all have some catching up to do to get it right.
Galcobar - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
The sentence is correctly written."A good" means an item with value (as opposed to a bad such as pollution which has negative value). Most people encounter the word in the form of "goods and services."
"Substitute good" is a standard English term, meaning a good which is an adequate replacement for another good.
Pr3ch34r - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
I'm going to iOS, tired of beta Android versions ever since 4.0, that and the 18 month since device announced update policy...Alpeshkh - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
FINALLY!!!Still reading the battery life section and. gotta say, "Great things do take time"!
Seriously, battery life numbers are clearly the biggest surprise. Who would've thought that N5 would beat iPhone 5s in some battery life tests!? All, 'Tech' blogs who rushed out for reviews & giving scores for getting clicks should really consider their reviews' process & use the device as their daily driver for considerable amount of time!
As for me, I was just waiting for Brian's review & his finding on battery life & am really happy to see the results!
@Brian, for the difference between G2 & N5 in battery life, could the PSR be the reason!? Just curious!
Thanks for the quality review as always! It was totally worth the wait! Really appreciate the effort you and whole of AnandTech people put in!
danbob999 - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
Most "tech" sites just looked at the number of mAh and concluded that it must suck given that it's smaller than the G2's.I call them "tech" sites because they are becoming more like fashion magazines, putting the emphasis on how they feel about the product.
yankeeDDL - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
Best Nexus5 review, by far. Thanks.I whitelisted anandtech on adblock because of this review: you guys really deserve it.
I bought a Nexus5 and I read many of these reviews before doing so, but I confess that I hesitated a bit. Now I am (even more) convinced I made a good purchase.
Pr3ch34r - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
so AT approved your buy thus you give them back, how about, for a change, ack that AT is a great site for every device, apple included, can you write that?Paulman - Thursday, December 5, 2013 - link
Maybe it's because AT validated what he/she now already knows based on firsthand experience, while the other tech sites proved to err more on the side of naysaying?I don't know if the comment author has received their phone yet, but of they're like me, what I found was that a lot of the review sites blast the Nexus 5 on "poor battery life" and a "lousy camera", when in fact I've found battery life to be quite good, easily lasting a day out (in fact, on my light usage, it goes 24 hours+) and even while I take pretty good quality photos in all sorts of light (just that the camera UI is kind of messed up [slow and a bit buggy]). Also, the overall feel and responsiveness of the device "feels" really nice :)
yankeeDDL - Friday, December 6, 2013 - link
Hey, this was a great review, and, in general, I enjoy AT. I don't believe all reviews are as stellar as this one, although they're all definitely good. How can you manipulate someone's positive comment to the point of making it sound as a negative thing? Dude, chill.