The Nexus 6 Review
by Brandon Chester on November 12, 2014 1:00 PM ESTFinal Words
When I started reviewing the Nexus 6 I was very apprehensive. Not because I worried that it would be a bad device, but because I had never used such a large phone before. We have come a long way from the days where a 3.5" was considered huge for a phone. However, I had previously owned an iPad Mini and while the Nexus 6 was not that large, it helped me to think of ways I could use it that expanded beyond how I would typically use a smaller smartphone. At 5.96", the Nexus 6 provides an enormous window into all of your content, and allows you to freely do things like view desktop web pages and edit documents without the cramped feeling that arises when doing the same tasks on a smaller device like the Nexus 5 or the HTC One (M7). This also comes with downsides like the loss of single handed usability. The choice between a larger or smaller smartphone will obviously involve tradeoffs, but these do not necessarily make a certain size better than others. What I can say is that the Nexus 6 offered a very different experience from the devices in the 4.7" to 5" range that I was used to.
I think users that are interested in watching many videos on their device will be happy with the Nexus 6. Although stock Android unfortunately does not have a dedicated video application, Google Play is home to some of the best video players for mobile devices. After overcoming some compatibility issues with Android Lollipop, I was able to enjoy some of the best movie watching experiences I have had on a mobile device. Although the poor display calibration does negatively impact some media, films with a heavy use of black and dark colors like The Dark Knight look amazing on the 5.96" AMOLED display. I might even go so far as to say that for certain content the Nexus 6 provides an even better video experience than a tablet with a less extreme aspect ratio and an LCD display like the Nexus 9 or the iPad Mini.
Although the Nexus 6 is an additional device in Google's lineup, and fulfills a new role as a device, it's still going to be compared to the Nexus 5 purely due to its name and the timing of its release. I don't think that buyers will really need to decide between the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6, as they play in completely different markets and fulfill different roles. A user who wants a phablet won't be content with the Nexus 5, and conversely someone who wants a one-handed device won't like the Nexus 6. The Nexus 6 is better compared to other phablets like Samsung's recently released Galaxy Note 4 which shares many of the same specifications and is roughly the same price. I think that Samsung currently offers a better phablet experience with regards to software, with multi-window views, specialized landscape layouts, and S Pen integration. The display and battery life are also better on the Galaxy Note 4. The Nexus 6 has its own advantages as well, namely its build quality and guaranteed software updates. I don't think I can definitively say that one is better than the other, as they both have strengths and weaknesses which will make one more appealing to a user than the other based on what that user wants in a phablet. The Nexus 6 definitely leans strongly towards the phone side of the phablet equation though, which could be a bit disappointing for those that are looking for more.
Price is also a consideration with the Nexus 6. At $649 it represents a new style of premium pricing for Google's flagship device, and it means that the Nexus phone now competes with other flagship phones in every regard. After taking in everything that the Nexus 6 is, and everything it isn't, it's hard to come to a conclusion about if it meets the expectations set by its price tag. On the software side there are currently some issues with animation performance, but as a Nexus device you'll always get the latest updates and any future performance fixes will arrive as soon as possible. On the hardware side it sports great build quality, a camera which is greatly improved from the Nexus 5, a sharp display, and performance which is essentially the best that you'll find in an Android phone. But it's not without its issues, namely the poor display calibration and lower battery life than its competition. My need for a well calibrated display means that I personally think that Google may have aimed just a bit too high with their price point. However, anyone who isn't as bothered by the wider gamut and relative color inaccuracy should definitely feel comfortable paying the premium price that Google is asking.
Overall, I think that Google and Motorola have built a solid device. It isn't without its issues, but there's a lot to like, even if you're someone who has never used a phablet before. I had always been somewhat of a skeptic regarding massive phones; I didn't understand the appeal. But after using one, I can see how having a massive display to view all your content can be really beneficial by enabling forms of productivity that simply can't be done comfortably on smaller devices, and by making activities like viewing photos and watching videos significantly more engrossing. Not only did it change my mind about the appeal of phablets, it also changed my mind about Google's ability to compete in the premium device segment of the market. The Nexus 6 holds its own against all the other high end devices that we've seen released this year, although the Galaxy Note 4 with its more phablet oriented software features and hardware advantages might be a better device overall. But those who want a large device and value having software support directly from Google won't be disappointed by the Nexus 6.
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Brett Howse - Friday, November 14, 2014 - link
It's removed and I was "that reviewer".Apparently wifi scores are the single most critical piece of any smartphone review so this won't happen again.
jaysns - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - link
If you do the storage performance tests with the encryption enabled and disabled on the Nexus 5 you see a huge difference. As the 6 comes with this on by default and does not have a way to manually disable this (as far as I know) I'd love to see a follow up article by Anandtech on this issue and see if they can reproduce this and possibly find a way to disable it on the Nexus 6 and compare results. Based on what I've seen, if I can't disable it, or their storage is really just that slow, it would make a difference on my purchasing decision and possibly help other in the same boat. So please do a follow if you can :)Vizsla1986 - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - link
This particular review is an outlier against all the others, which are basically raves. Some of that is explicable - a lot of sites do pro forma reviews colored by a priori bias - but not all.Since I'm someone who purchased the original Moto X (loved it), upgraded to the Droid Turbo a couple of weeks ago (hated it. Returned it immediately) and then bought a 2nd Gen Moto X, a couple of comments based on actual experience.
1) Everyone needs to look at specs with a jaundiced eye. Sometimes they matter (storage) and sometimes it's contextual (RAM, for example. Depends on how system is used) but most of the time it's about throughput.
2) The Moto X was at least as fast, if not faster on throughput then every phone I compared it to, despite worse specs. A lot of that was display. 720 p is a lot easier on a system than 1080, but also not nearly as good. The 2nd gen. Moto X is *faster* in everyway, IMHO, than the Droid Turbo. I'd say that's also display-related, but the difference here is that the Turbo's screen (same as the Nexus 6) wasn't any better to my eyes than the Moto X 1080. YMMV, but one should carefully check this out. If you can't tell the difference (or much of one) consider the system impact.
2) The Moto X is clearly as fast (actually seems faster) as the Turbo despite an 801 chip compatred to the 805, and different clock speeds. Since I haven't had a chance to handle the Nexus 6, I can't compare, but I would urge anyone considering to pick the the two phones and compare throughput.
3) Clearly the Phablet Nexus 6 is a different experience than a smaller phone. I'm struck, though, that every single review I've read (maybe 6 of them now) has screamed themselves hoarse about how good the Nexus screen is. It's ok to be different, but *that* different? I'd recheck my report if I were the only person criticizing what everyone else thought the best thing about the phone. That's not different. That's idiosyncratic. On a phone this big, display quality is a simple thing to judge. There may be subtleties presenting on measurement, but one should be able at a glance to judge good or bad. I find this review suspect on that ground, never mind the measurements. FWIW, the DROID TURBO was bright enough. So is the Moto X. Why should the Nexus 6 be so different?
4) The price seems eminently reasonable, considering dimensions and specs. I understand why people want to see a cheaper Nexus alternative, but pricing needs to compared against delivered value, not just what one wished for.
5) Battery life. FWIW, I have never, ever, ever never needed to recharge any of the three Motorola phones I've had recently (Moto X Nos. 1 & 2 and the Droid Turbo)before going to bed. Once in a while I've drained to to a 10% remaining, but that would be it. The Turbo had an immense batterry (3900), so that's one explnation, but the 2nd Gen Motox X has only 2400 (from memory. Might be 2200). No problem. Motorola engineers are good at designing systems that get through the day on a charge. The Nexus has what? 3200? That ought to be good enough.
To be fair, everything depends on usage, and I'm not the hardest guy on batteries out there. I watch very little media (so no display drain), mostly calls, text and browsing. Someone else might have a much worse time of it. All I can attest to is my Moto phones have been spectacularly good (for me, anyway).
When I make a major purchase, I always check various vendors and compare thoroughly. If this review were in a purchase matrix I was running, I'd throw it out. It's always been a good policy for me to disregard the high and low bidders (or reviews) unless there was an exceptional circumstance. I don't see one here. I don't trust this review. I can't remember ever saying that about any other AnandTech report.
Graag - Sunday, November 16, 2014 - link
>This particular review is an outlier against all the others, which are basically raves. Some of that is explicable - a lot of sites do pro forma reviews colored by a priori bias - but not all.This is not true at all. Both the arstechnica and Verge reviews also found the Nexus 6 to be "meh".
randomlinh - Friday, November 28, 2014 - link
I dunno, most of the reviews seemed like a mixed bag to me, though leaning positive. But on the screen... AT is one of the only site to give tested numbers. Everyone has been a subjective "it looks great, just a little dim, but probably bright enough". That's not entirely helpful.The Note 4 gets a huge nod from displaymate which seems to mirror the results here: http://www.displaymate.com/Color_Accuracy_ShootOut...
gg555 - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - link
Sigh. No review of the noise cancellation. No mention of whether or not it has the four microphone noise cancellation found in the Moto X. No mention of whether it uses Motorola's CrystalTalk, Qualcomm's Fluence, Audience, or some other noise cancellation.My favorite part of the AnandTech cell phone reviews has totally died. And they were the only one doing it. What a shame.
davidc1 - Saturday, November 15, 2014 - link
Yes, yes, yes! Why no mention of audio quality, call quality, noise cancellation, etc, etc. Very disappointed.lanwellon - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - link
Hi, Brandon, I think you should point out that the reason why the Nexus 6 use the battery so quick is not all because of the bigger screen and more powerful CPU, please be noticed that in all the mobile phones you tested in this table, Nexus 6 is the only one running Android L, and Google enabled FDE (Full-Disk Encryption) function by default from Android 5.0. From my experience using Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) FDE function, this can be a reason that cause the battery running down very fast. iPhone also enable FDE function by default, but it seems that Apple optimized it pretty well, so the impact to the battery usage is not that big.ol1bit - Friday, November 14, 2014 - link
There is always a segment of the population that buys Nexus devices because they are factory boxes. This is too make sure people who want a Samsung, HTC, etc. phone are not swayed by the low price to a Nexus device. Goggle doesn't want manufactures to die off, the price of a phone is not how they make their money.murphsp1 - Friday, November 14, 2014 - link
I have owned several Nexus devices and must say that the battery life numbers on this one look terribly disappointing ... and will only get worse over time. I just hope that more manufacturers start to understand that many would happily trade off an extra mm or two in thickness for an extra day of battery life. Now, fingers crossed that the Google Play edition of the Droid Turbo is coming ...