Questions

[anon(5506951)]

Hi everyone,

Before I start, I know I could probably find some answers to my questions in the threads, but this is just for me, so I can easily refer back to my own thread in the future. As such, I would just like your honest opinions/experiences.

With the slew of new phones coming out on a seemingly weekly basis, I've come to the conclusion that given my use case, which includes heavy texting, moderate to heavy calling, playing music and browsing sites and YouTube throughout the day, the Nexus 6 seems the best fit, as I'm not a feature user, either. Honestly, with the exception of a multi-window feature, I have no real and true use for other features that come with skinned phones. I am by no means a techie, so I have no interest in rooting the phone and flashing custom ROMs.

Just as background info: I currently have an international version S3, with a 4200 mAh extended battery. It is protected by a universal Zero Lemon case. Yes, it feels like a brick, lol. I fully charged the phone last night and unplugged it at 9:20 pm. As of now, at 6:03 pm EST, I have 50% remaining. And yes, I am making use of a battery saving app, and have turned off apps and bloat that I don't use. I am running Nova Launcher Prime, as well.

The point is, I'm rather bored with Samsung and TouchWiz, and the general "sticky" feeling it comes with. I just want a phone that works as it's supposed to, is fast and smooth, and can last me given my usage pattern. I've been doing my due diligence with regards to the N6, watching in-depth reviews as much as possible. Professional reviews are a mixed bag, from obvious and unabashed love for the device, to some pointing out its flaws--the most glaring to me is the reported salmon-pink tint the phone gets at its lowest brightness. My S3 is set to the lowest brightness, with auto brightness turned off. To me, the purported pink tint-- which looks horrendous in videos that I've seen-- is inexcusable for a device worth $650-700.

Now, before anyone says it, I'm not complaining about the price point. Google wanted to try their hand at making a phablet by putting "industry-leading" specs in it, and that's fine. Some have complained about the price increase, but I for one have no problem paying for a device with specs that are backed up by performance. But a pinkish to cream colored tint in the whites? I have heard, however, that this problem might just be a batch issue, so by the time I actually get the device--which is a long ways away-- it might be a non-issue. Also, I'm hoping that any patch updates Google sends out will fix some of the other bugs I've heard about. As such, is anyone dealing with the pink issue on their N6?

Also, I'm very concerned about battery life, as you can tell by my usage case. I know that the N6 has a non-removable battery. Based on my usage, how long can any of you estimate I can get on a charge? Along those lines, would it best serve me to keep ambient display on, or just turn the screen on manually as needed? What can/should I turn off on the phone to maximize battery?

Since I like the overall look of Lollipop, I feel that I won't need to use Nova Launcher on the N6, and I'd just download a multi-window app from the Play Store as well as a music player, and be set.

My only other options in terms of phones that I could be happy with is a future LG G4, as I like the more minimal look and muted colors of the Optimus UI, the ability to customize the buttons and the ability to increase the size of the keyboard. I feel that LG is really coming on with their Optimus line, and they aren't as "in your face" with the same plethora of features like Samsung is. And anything is better than TouchWiz, imo.

Lastly, I've heard about a burn-in issue with the N6. Is anyone affected by this, and is it something to be bothered by? I actually read yesterday that Motorola is planning to launch a Verizon exclusive Nexus phone, with beefed up specs of the original (Snapdragon 810, 4GB RAM and a 4000 mah battery). I wonder if I should wait on that and get an unlocked version of that? The potential of that battery has me thinking. Anyway, as far as the Nexus 6 goes, any and all information/ feedback/personal accounts would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Linda

 

[ODog2323]

Phew so much reading! I think I saw some questions in there

I keep my N6 on pretty low brightness most of the day. Haven't really noticed any screen issues here. Keeping the brightness low probably helps avoid burn in issues if anything.

Keep in mind the price isn't bad considering what the unlocked Note 4 and iPhone 6+ are going for. Nexus devices are traditionally cheaper, but also not spec monsters like the N6 is.

Battery life is hit or miss in the nearly 2 weeks I've had the phone. If I'm on Wi-Fi all day I can easily get 5+ hours screen on time with moderate to heavy mixed usage. When I'm out and about though it's more like 3-4 hours due to signal reception not being so great. At work i get next to no service on AT&T, while others have no problems on their Samsung and Apple phones.

If you're feeling that patient you may as well wait to see this other Motorola monster that's supposedly coming, if you're ok with it probably being a VZW exclusive.

AC App
Nexus 6

 

[Erick Newman]

I came from an HTC M8 that had amazing battery life. However my Nexus 6 is no slouch I easily get a full day of battery with about 30% left. That's from 8am to about 12am. I don't have any burn in issues or a pinkish tint. Me and my girlfriend both got the nexus 6 on the same day and neither of us has had any significant problems. The only one I have is the normal one about cloud print stopping. I love this **** out of this phone it's amazing. You would be coming from a S3 you would fall completely in love. Also you can read and watch reviews all day long but the moment you actually walk into the store and play with it you'll know it's the phone for you.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Ordwynac]

I've been using the Nexus 6 for a couple of weeks now and I have had absolutely no problems with it! I'm not nearly as heavy a user as you are in terms of messages and calls but I do use quite a bit of data so I hope this post finds some usefulness to you.

I have set my brightness to low-moderate and I leave adaptive brightness on. Like you mentioned in your post, I prefer to leave my screen off and physically turn it on. I also leave wifi and bluetooth off unless I am using them. My location settings are set to high accuracy because I'm always out and about but you can easily change it to battery saving or device only if you feel like you don't need it. That being said, I have no problem getting at least a day out of my phone. The only time I see my battery life draining quickly is when I am constantly refreshing the statistics for sports, like football or hockey (nerd, I know).

If I know that I am going to have a late night, and my phone is low, the turbo charger that comes with it is fantastic (but it is something you might have to carry on you [or an external battery]). I thought that I would be somewhat disappointed in the fact that it does not have a removable battery, but so far i have been very impressed with what the N6 has to offer.

If you are on Verizon, and truly are in need of a phone that maximizes battery life before anything else, the Motorola series, like ODog2323 mentioned, are pretty awesome. I have a friend who goes on long hunting/fishing/camping trips where he has no access to electricity and he currently uses Verizon's Motorola series.

Definitely check both of them out!

EDIT: Have not noticed any burn ins or weird screen tint issues with mine so far.

 

[bbhybridchris]

Honestly if anyone is ever waiting for the next big thing you won't have to wait too long. I've had every Nexus since the Nexus S and am so glad I can finally use one as my daily driver again since I'm on Verizon now. I have AT&T for my work line which I rarely use anymore so haven't been able to use the Nexus 5 much but did enjoy the limited time I spent with it. The N6 works great with Verizon and I haven't encountered any of the issues you mentioned. The size is all a matter of opinion but it did take a day or two to get used to holding a phone slightly different. I can use it pretty much one handed and I don't have that big of hands compared to some people. I'll use this phone and not have any issues probably keeping it for a year overall I am very satisfied with it and with constant updates I can see it continuing to be a great device. We all need to remember Lollipop is a new OS version and has a ways to go to be totally complete. As a purchaser of past Nexus devices I know the problems and bugs all of us Nexus users get to deal with for a while.

 

[anon(5506951)]

LOL, apologies if my posts are long-winded, I guess I love writing, and I like to be as thorough as possible. That being said, thanks to all of you who have responded and who have given me accounts of your experiences so far, they've been very helpful. I realize that I neglected to mention that I'm a T-Mobile prepaid customer. As such, any phone I buy will be an outright purchase. I also forgot to mention the absolutely horrible stand-by time on my S3. For example: If I charge the phone at night and unplug at 100% (including trickle charge), let's say at around 11, and not touch it til morning, I notice that at 8am, it's down to 90%. That's ridiculous. Mind you, I make sure things are turned off and apps aren't running; I use The Cleaner app to clean up residual files, and make sure to use the optimize feature on my battery saving app when possible. As you can tell, I'm rather anal, for lack of a better term, when it come to battery, lol. But yeah, I'd say a 10% drain in 8 hours of inactivity is too much. I've seen some say that they have had bad battery drain on their Nexus 6 while in stand-by, but that it might just be a bug with Lollipop.

True, with phones coming out so often, it's hard to settle on one, when each phone claims to have the latest and the greatest, but my patience has to do with making the wisest investment possible, without being swayed too much by features and specs. That's why I sort of came to the realization that the Nexus 6 might be best, whenever I chose to get it.

A friend of mine, who is an Apple loyalist but who also is no stranger to Android, having used an HTC Amaze, recently purchased the Nexus 5 in an emergency after her 4S finally bit the dust. Of course, this was after three years with that phone, which is amazing in this day and age, and ideally what I'd like to aim for with my next purchase. Anyway, she liked her Nexus before the Lollipop update, but once the update hit, she got frustrated as the issues piled up, including constant crashes by Google (without even touching the phone), to a very weird flashing and pixelated screen (that was crazy to see!).

She thus had to do a fresh install on her phone and set it up as she wanted again. Since doing this it's seemed to have fixed the issues she experienced. One thing that she's maintained though, about the Nexus (as she anxiously awaits the arrival of her iPhone 6 Plus,lol), is speed and smoothness of modern stock Android overall. She admits that even though she is an Apple loyalist, there are things on Android that Apple can't do, and vice versa. So, she's keeping both, lol. More power to her.

So, yeah, what about stand-by time on the Nexus 6? Any issues with that so far? As of this moment, I can't wait to try it out in store. Thanks again for your continued feedback.

 

[whtchdr]

The pink tint that you are referring to is only visible at the lowest brightness setting and actually allows the Nexus 6 to achieve a lower output than most other phones. You can always up the brightness slightly which will minimize this effect and put it on a par with a lot of other smartphones anyway. You can go all the way down to 2 cd/m2 without seeing the pink tint.

 

[Dmarco79]

I'm still waiting on my nexus 6 from T-mobile which has been on backorder since 11/21/14 and I'm growing more inpatient everyday. Could anyone verify if the Moto Voice app, A.K.A always listening feature, from the Google play store works on the nexus 6? I hope so because they are both Motorola phone and essentially similar to the Moto X 2014 edition which has always listening feature built in to the software. I just bought the Moto Hint earbud and love it so far. I also know that it functions much better with the always listening feature on the Moto X. So at this point I'm basically waiting for someone to verify if it indeed works on the Nexus 6 before I make my final decision. At this point I might just take the Moto X with its always listening feature over the Nexus 6 so that I can unleash the Moto Hints full potential, unless the Moto Voice can be installed on the Nexus 6 in which case I'll get that. Thanks for reading.