How many OS updates can fit on a 64GB Nexus 6?

anon(5506951)

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Theoretically speaking, how many annual updates might the 64 GB Nexus 6 be able to handle, given the amount of storage? Basically, I want to get opinions as to how many years of use one can realistically expect out of this device. Is there a sort of shelf life that can be applied to the Nexus 6?

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Mooem

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I guess I'm a little confused on what you're asking. What do you mean by "annual updates" and what would that have to do with storage? If you're talking software updates, unless you fill up your storage space quickly (which is possible, your usage may vary), you should be fine for quite a while. Even if you did manage to fill up 64 GB, you could always offload your files, pictures, movies to the cloud or local storage on your PC to free up space on your phone. As for how many years of use one can expect out of this device, that will depend on how good or poorly you treat the device. These phones can last for years. Heck my OG Droid still fires up and works fine.
 

anon(5506951)

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If you're talking software updates, unless you fill up your storage space quickly (which is possible, your usage may vary), you should be fine for quite a while. Even if you did manage to fill up 64 GB, you could always offload your files, pictures, movies to the cloud or local storage on your PC to free up space on your phone. As for how many years of use one can expect out of this device, that will depend on how good or poorly you treat the device. These phones can last for years. Heck my OG Droid still fires up and works fine.

Apologies, I should have been more clear. Yes, I was referring to software updates. Once I get the device, I plan on keeping it for a while, so I wondered if there would come a point where updates wouldn't be supported, because well, the device would be "old". Yes, though, I do take good care of my devices. Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it. :)

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Robbie317

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Apologies, I should have been more clear. Yes, I was referring to software updates. Once I get the device, I plan on keeping it for a while, so I wondered if there would come a point where updates wouldn't be supported, because well, the device would be "old". Yes, though, I do take good care of my devices. Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it. :)

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theoretically even the 32 GB should be able to handle unlimited software updates as long as Google continues to update and support the device... You usually need a small amount of free storage for the download of the update but once it updates it usually replaces files and the overall size of the OS is about the same.. Very minimal increase in file size (although yes it will be slightly larger)
 

Mooem

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Apologies, I should have been more clear. Yes, I was referring to software updates. Once I get the device, I plan on keeping it for a while, so I wondered if there would come a point where updates wouldn't be supported, because well, the device would be "old". Yes, though, I do take good care of my devices. Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it. :)

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Aha okay. In the case of update support from Google, it's not so much storage that will be an issue as it would be the timeline that Google will offer updates to their Nexus devices. They have stated 18 months guarantee worth of updates but they have also went beyond that with the 2012 Nexus 7 and Nexus 4. Of course, you have a Nexus device so if you really needed that latest update and for some reason Google drops support out of the blue, there is always the developer community to offer "unofficial" updates.
 

anon(5506951)

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theoretically even the 32 GB should be able to handle unlimited software updates as long as Google continues to update and support the device... You usually need a small amount of free storage for the download of the update but once it updates it usually replaces files and the overall size of the OS is about the same.. Very minimal increase in file size (although yes it will be slightly larger)

Gotcha. Yes, that was exactly my concern. I'm currently using 4.5 GB on my 16 GB S3; 3+ of which is used by music. I'm not a gamer, nor do I wish to keep movies on the device. I download apps on recommendation of friends to try them out, or for maintenance purposes. I'm more of a texter, while making periodic calls throughout the day. As such, I figured the 64 GB would better accomodate supported software updates as well as music files.

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anon(5506951)

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Aha okay. In the case of update support from Google, it's not so much storage that will be an issue as it would be the timeline that Google will offer updates to their Nexus devices. They have stated 18 months guarantee worth of updates but they have also went beyond that with the 2012 Nexus 7 and Nexus 4. Of course, you have a Nexus device so if you really needed that latest update and for some reason Google drops support out of the blue, there is always the developer community to offer "unofficial" updates.

Excellent, thank you for the clarification.

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Robbie317

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Gotcha. Yes, that was exactly my concern. I'm currently using 4.5 GB on my 16 GB S3; 3+ of which is used by music. I'm not a gamer, nor do I wish to keep movies on the device. I download apps on recommendation of friends to try them out, or for maintenance purposes. I'm more of a texter, while making periodic calls throughout the day. As such, I figured the 64 GB would better accomodate supported software updates as well as music files.

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Yeah I got the 64 GB just because it was only $50 more.. I could have easily survived on 32 GB.. I am not a gamer either.... 99% of my usage falls in the Texting, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Internet browsing... I have a handful of other apps for Banking, Credit Card, and what not but use very little.. Even Netflix, Hulu and Google play movies are only on my phone so I can stream to my Chromecast...

So if that is all you do then 64 GB should last you a lifetime...
 

anon(5506951)

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Yeah I got the 64 GB just because it was only $50 more.. I could have easily survived on 32 GB.. I am not a gamer either.... 99% of my usage falls in the Texting, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Internet browsing... I have a handful of other apps for Banking, Credit Card, and what not but use very little.. Even Netflix, Hulu and Google play movies are only on my phone so I can stream to my Chromecast...

So if that is all you do then 64 GB should last you a lifetime...

I also browse the web and YouTube as well as making online purchases sometimes. But pretty much, yeah, that's the extent of it. Stock Android on this phone should hopefully be a pleasure, and it's obviously plenty big enough. As long as I get to say good bye to TouchWiz, lol.

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Robbie317

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I also browse the web and YouTube as well as making online purchases sometimes. But pretty much, yeah, that's the extent of it. Stock Android on this phone should hopefully be a pleasure, and it's obviously plenty big enough. As long as I get to say good bye to TouchWiz, lol.

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I've had mine a month but I came from the Nexus 5... Galaxy S3 before that and I hated Touchwiz so much I rooted and removed it after only a month....

After a month I love the 6.. and I think you will too as long as the size isn't too much for you... It's big but after just one day I went back to my 5 and just couldn't do it... Too small... I felt even the Oneplus I got at 5.5 inch is too small now...
 

88 FLUX

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As already mentioned, the storage space isn't really the concern when it comes to the device's longevity (outside of personal usage cases). When it comes to device firmware updates, Google has committed to keeping their Nexus devices up to date with the latest firmware for 18 months from the original release date at a minimum. There will never be an issue where the Nexus 6 will be constrained due to the original storage capacity that would cause the 64 GB model to receive an update that the 32 GB model doesn't. The only "issue" would be if a user filled their storage capacity with things like apps, games, photos, etc. that resulted in the filled drive space preventing a firmware update from installing. But in that case, a simple removal of some data would resolve it.

The 18 month window given by Google is simply a minimum requirement they've set for themselves and doesn't represent actuality. My 2+ year old Nexus 4 just received 5.0.1. Generally speaking, as long as the hardware (RAM, processor, etc.) supports the latest releases without major sacrifice, the device will receive it. The storage capacity is not a factor because we are an extremely long ways away from seeing the Android OS at its core utilizing 32 GB.
 

Jeremy8000

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You'll most likely get longer utility out of a Nexus 6 than any other phone on the market, in terms of staying 'current' with stock OS. It's likely that you'll find yourself yearning to update to gain some of the benefits of technological hardware improvements (battery life, speed, storage, network bandwidth, camera, etc) sooner than the Nexus 6 will be left behind on updates (consider the original Nexus).

A 64GB model won't offer any direct benefit vs a 32GB in terms of being able to support the OS for a long time (the OS hasn't grown that much over the years), though it might be preferable in terms of supporting future apps that will continue to grow larger. When a 64-bit OS Nexus phone is released, it will likely have even longer run potential for OS support, but will face the same deterioration of value over time vs hardware advancements.
 

anon(5506951)

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I've had mine a month but I came from the Nexus 5... Galaxy S3 before that and I hated Touchwiz so much I rooted and removed it after only a month....

After a month I love the 6.. and I think you will too as long as the size isn't too much for you... It's big but after just one day I went back to my 5 and just couldn't do it... Too small... I felt even the Oneplus I got at 5.5 inch is too small now...

Lol, I hear you. After being in an AT&T store and handling a test display model for as long as I could and being in awe, then subsequently looking at the Moto X 2014 right next to it and testing it, you just can't go back after you see all that screen real estate on the 6. Lollipop looks like it was just made for it. I hope future updates and optimizations only make it better. As I've said in other posts, if stock Android ever came with Motorola's software features, I'd be in heaven. But, alas...

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anon(5506951)

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You'll most likely get longer utility out of a Nexus 6 than any other phone on the market, in terms of staying 'current' with stock OS. It's likely that you'll find yourself yearning to update to gain some of the benefits of technological hardware improvements (battery life, speed, storage, network bandwidth, camera, etc) sooner than the Nexus 6 will be left behind on updates (consider the original Nexus).

A 64GB model won't offer any direct benefit vs a 32GB in terms of being able to support the OS for a long time (the OS hasn't grown that much over the years), though it might be preferable in terms of supporting future apps that will continue to grow larger. When a 64-bit OS Nexus phone is released, it will likely have even longer run potential for OS support, but will face the same deterioration of value over time vs hardware advancements.


Yes, I agree with you. Technology is advancing rapidly in terms of processing ability. It falls on the user to be cognizant of what they put on individual devices, so as to get the most out of them until no longer viable, either in terms of usability or company support.

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davey11

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My Nexus 5 was a 16gb model. I used to have to delete unused or unwanted files and apps occasionally. I could live with 16 but it did take some diligence to keep space available.

I have a 32gb n6 now and I can be a lot lazier cleaning up the phone for space. I store about 4 gigs of mp3s now, which I could never do on the n5.

With your 64 gigs your phone will last ages. No sweat with storage concerns. With your usage, space will not be a concern.
 

anon(5506951)

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My Nexus 5 was a 16gb model. I used to have to delete unused or unwanted files and apps occasionally. I could live with 16 but it did take some diligence to keep space available.

I have a 32gb n6 now and I can be a lot lazier cleaning up the phone for space. I store about 4 gigs of mp3s now, which I could never do on the n5.

With your 64 gigs your phone will last ages. No sweat with storage concerns. With your usage, space will not be a concern.

Thanks, yeah. I'm really into music, so I want to be able to not be afraid of running out of space. I like the scaled up icons on stock, so I don't think I'll need to use Nova Prime with an icon pack like I am now, unless I get bored in the future. I don't use Facebook, so that's not an issue. I did hear that it's a resource hog, incidentally. Twitter for on-the-go, Textra for SMS. I like PushBullet for syncing the phone to PC. Also Cover Art Downloader. Other than that, ES File Explorer, Battery Saver Pro and Power Max. I used to use CM's suite of apps, but I found that they kill my battery, so I use The Cleaner app now. Is it just me, with the CM apps? Although I do use CM Browser.
 

Shenron

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I have a 64GB N6 as well and I'm also planning to keep my phone for awhile. More so for the flexibility of being able to use it on any carrier (currently on VZW with unlimited data and will remain until they kick me off).

But as far as storage, I used to have a 32 GB Gnex that I rooted and would update pretty regularly in addition to having a bunch of apps I never used, music, photos and video. With all of that, I still had more than half of my storage space free so I'm sure you'll be fine with 64 GB.

As for me, I'm gonna try and maintain my N6 better even with the extra space. :)

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anon(5506951)

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I have a 64GB N6 as well and I'm also planning to keep my phone for awhile. More so for the flexibility of being able to use it on any carrier (currently on VZW with unlimited data and will remain until they kick me off).

But as far as storage, I used to have a 32 GB Gnex that I rooted and would update pretty regularly in addition to having a bunch of apps I never used, music, photos and video. With all of that, I still had more than half of my storage space free so I'm sure you'll be fine with 64 GB.

As for me, I'm gonna try and maintain my N6 better even with the extra space. :)

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Good to know, thank you. Enjoy the phone! :)

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88 FLUX

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With all of that, I still had more than half of my storage space free so I'm sure you'll be fine with 64 GB.

Just remember that everybody's usage case is different. Just because you didn't fill your storage space doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't. Not busting on you. I just want to make sure that everyone realizes that there is no definitive answer.

Me personally, I anticipate that my Nexus 6 will get amazing usage out of me as my primary device but only for about a year. The longest I've ever used a single phone as my primary was my 2013 Moto X and that was for a year. lol
 

Jeremy8000

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Just remember that everybody's usage case is different. Just because you didn't fill your storage space doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't. Not busting on you. I just want to make sure that everyone realizes that there is no definitive answer.

Everyone's usage is different, but people do generally fall into one of two types.

First is the type who, once they have enough storage for the OS, regularly used apps, and perhaps sufficient media/games to provide for a couple of days consumption, don't normally fill the rest of it just because the space is there. The extra room going to a larger capacity model above the one that does suit their needs is seen as, and would be, purely a luxury, not a necessity.

Second is the sort who, after having enough storage for the OS, regularly used apps, and perhaps sufficient media/games to provide for a couple of days consumption, will throw on media/games they might like to listen/view/play at some point, and will migrate towards the largest available version out of concern the 32GB would not be enough. The reality is, though, that for most of them, going to the larger capacity will only provide a bigger closet that they will be as likely to fill and find themselves out of room.

Now I don't want it to appear I'm knocking the latter - I tend to be of that type myself. But recognizing that about myself, I opted for the 32GB, knowing I could manage with its storage, because I could actually lay hands on one much more easily and sooner than on the 64GB model.

I suspect nobody who buys a 64GB model over the 32GB will regret it - at only $50 for the upgrade and offering more than twice the available storage, it's not a bad deal at all for the convenience it provides. But by the same token, I suspect that many who, like me, purchased the 32GB simply based on the elusiveness of the 64GB, are not feeling as limited by it as we might have initially feared.