Does the nexus 5 really have a lot of issues?

[JeffDenver]

The Nexus 5 is a great phone, but it just doesn't offer anything so spectacular that makes it stand out aside from the price you pay for it. The Moto X has it's in-hand feel and Active Notifications/Touchless Controls.

The Nexus 5 has a better camera and significantly better CPU and display compared to the Moto X. Despite costing significantly less.

The HTC One has it's build quality, screen, and BoomSound speakers.

...and a weaker CPU. The camera is also worse in some ways (less sharp in low light).

The iPhone 5S has the fingerprint scanner, the camera, and the 64-bit CPU that flies now and will only get faster once apps catch up.

With a display that is 100ppi below the much cheaper Nexus 5, at a resolution that is barely 1/4 that of the Nexus 5, despite being physically larger than the iPhone. The 64-bit CPU does not appear to be helping it in bechmarks, as the nexus 5 is very close to that as well.

The difference is not as night and day as you might like to believe.

 

[Adranalyne]

The Nexus 5 has a better camera and significantly better CPU and display compared to the Moto X. Despite costing significantly less.


...and a weaker CPU. The camera is also worse in some ways (less sharp in low light).


With a display that is 100ppi below the much cheaper Nexus 5, at a resolution that is barely 1/4 that of the Nexus 5, despite being physically larger than the iPhone. The 64-bit CPU does not appear to be helping it in bechmarks, as the nexus 5 is very close to that as well.

The difference is not as night and day as you might like to believe.

Despite the better camera, the "significantly better" CPU, while great in benchmarks, isn't showing much of a performance upgrade in real-world use over the Moto X. The software features, in-hand feel, battery life, and speaker are all better on the Moto X. Not to mention you can customize it and pay $99 on-contract for it. Not everyone feels like paying $350-400 for a phone, regardless of how good that is off-contract. As far as the screen goes, we can throw specs at the board all day, but the Nexus 5 can looked washed out compared to the Moto X and for some people, that trumps the battery-hogging 1080p screen.

I'd choose the Nexus 5 over the iPhone 5S based on OS alone, but there's no denying that the A7 is a monster and will only get better once the apps support 64-bit. As far as the screen goes, who cares about PPI once it gets past 300? You can't tell the difference. The iPhone is brighter and has better color representation, but personally I'd take the bigger screen in this case because 4" is too small.

The HTC One is still a better low-light camera, and again, the CPU means jack squat as it's still extremely fast in real-world situations. If all you're going to do is talk about benchmarks and not how the phones actually work, you're missing my point.

I know I'm raining on your "I got the Nexus 5 and I want it to be the best" parade, but be realistic. It's an awesome phone and may be the perfect fit for some people, but in my opinion, even though it's the new phone on the block, it's still not better than some of the phones that have come out this year.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Not only that, but the Nexus 5 is doing it at half the price.

This. The N5's (in)ability to "beat" other flagship phones in features, specs, software, etc is moot when it can compete with them for half the price. HALF. In that regard, yes, the N5 is a world beater.

Also, to stay on topic: every new phone will have its complainers, nitpickers, and trolls populating the forum. Ignore them. If you want the phone, buy the phone. Love it. Touch it. Enjoy it.

 

[Adranalyne]

This. The N5's (in)ability to "beat" other flagship phones in features, specs, software, etc is moot when it can compete with them for half the price. HALF. In that regard, yes, the N5 is a world beater.

Also, to stay on topic: every new phone will have its complainers, nitpickers, and trolls populating the forum. Ignore them. If you want the phone, buy the phone. Love it. Touch it. Enjoy it.

I bought my Moto X for $69 (with the Verizon30 promo) because, like most people, I have a post-paid account and don't mind buying it on contract. Also, if I wanted it off-contract, I could buy it for $150 more than the Nexus 5. That's not half. The only phone that it's half the price of that I mentioned here is the 5S and that's just because it's ridiculously over-priced off contract. Sprint offers the Nexus 5 tomorrow for $149 on contract, which is $50 more expensive than the Moto X and the same price as the HTC One. I don't know, though; I guess I'm weird in that I don't mind paying more for a better device.

 

[JeffDenver]

Despite the better camera, the "significantly better" CPU, while great in benchmarks, isn't showing much of a performance upgrade in real-world use over the Moto X.

Well, you could say that about any of the current phones. I do not notice any huge difference in iPhone 5s performance over the nexus 5, even though it performs better in benchmarks.

My only point was that dismissing the nexus 5 as not being comparable to the other top phones out now seems a little premature to me. There are major areas where the nexus 5 is clearly better, even if the opposite is also true.

The software features, in-hand feel, battery life, and speaker are all better on the Moto X.

...in your opinion. Which is fine...you're entitled to an opinion. But "in hand feel' is hardly an objective measure.

Not to mention you can customize it and pay $99 on-contract for it. Not everyone feels like paying $350-400 for a phone

You do know you are not paying $99 for that phone, right? You are just paying it via subsidy. The MotoX does not retail for $99. On Verizon it is $500 retail - Moto X - virtually all phones can be subsidized.

You can buy Nexus devices on contract as well...I bought my Nexus 4 on T-Mobile for $420 paying only $50 down. The Nexus 5 will be the same.

As far as the screen goes, we can throw specs at the board all day

Which you did. I was just doing the same thing you were doing. Spec-wise, the nexus 5 is right up there with the best of the current phones.

I'd choose the Nexus 5 over the iPhone 5S based on OS alone, but there's no denying that the A7 is a monster

I agree. The fact that the Nexus 5 is closer to it than almost any other Android phone (certainly far closer than the moto X) is a big deal. Because normally Apple has a huge advantage in this area.

As far as the screen goes, who cares about PPI once it gets past 300?

The people who said the retina display is so great care.

I personally can see the difference quite easily. There is no pixelation at all on 1080p devices, no matter how close you look. For me that is very nice. 300ppi to me is adequet...but 400+ is great. But thats just me.

You can't tell the difference.

LOL, I most certainly can. Even from several feet away.

The iPhone is brighter and has better color representation, but personally I'd take the bigger screen in this case because 4" is too small.

I am unconvinced the iPhone is brighter. But next time I am in a T-Mobile store I will do a comparison.

The HTC One is still a better low-light camera

By what measure? Reviewers have said that the Nexus 5's low light shots have less noise and are sharper. The One simply gathers more light.

the CPU means jack squat as it's still extremely fast in real-world situations.

If that is true why did you go on about the A7? Why does that matter if the (much slower) Moto X processor is perfectly fine? Why bring up the A7 and it's 64-bit at all?

I know I'm raining on your "I got the Nexus 5 and I want it to be the best" parade

Actually you're not, and I have explained why in detail. This seems to be annoying you for some reason. Your claim was not correct based on your own criteria, and i simply pointed that out.

 

[dkhmwilliams]

No issues here.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

[Adranalyne]

This doesn't annoy me in the slightest. I simply pointed out that I believe other phones that preceded the Nexus 5 are better and pointed out the reasons why. I guess I'd feel the same way if I bought a new toy and someone with an older toy could make a reasonable argument on why it's not as good as the older model. From what I can tell, you're so caught up in the specs and the benchmarks that you're missing my point about a phone having something that sets it apart. What about the Nexus 5, outside of KitKat that you could flash a ROM for, is better than the G2? The screen isn't as good. The processor is the same. The battery life is worse. The camera, I guess? The word "Nexus"? Price, but only if someone isn't interested in renewing/starting a contract? The Moto X has 2 features (4 if you like Assist/Camera shortcut) and a philosophy of not going balls-out on specs to make the battery better. The HTC One took chances on both the build, the speakers, and the camera, and hit a home run. You still can't find a phone with a better build than the One right now, nor better speakers. These things set those 2 phones apart and both can still compete with a phone that simply threw really good specs at a new version of Android and put it out at a cheap price. But is that not the intent, anyways? It's not supposed to be anything other than a platform to showcase Android and it does that very well.

I know you're happy with your new phone and that's great. All I'm saying is that for me, I can replicate the Nexus 5 (albeit with a slightly worse camera) on my Moto X with better battery life and 2 innovative, Moto X-only features that shape the experience and set it apart from any other phone on the market.

 

[TheDoctor 46]

Benchmarks of the CPU/GPU of the iphone 5S and Nexus 5 are showing very similar results. If you're completely ignorant to the fact that the N5 is pushing those results to a true 1080P display and the iphone is processing to a sub hd screen. So n5 wins big here!

 

[Citizen Coyote]

I bought my Moto X for $69 (with the Verizon30 promo) because, like most people, I have a post-paid account and don't mind buying it on contract. Also, if I wanted it off-contract, I could buy it for $150 more than the Nexus 5. That's not half. The only phone that it's half the price of that I mentioned here is the 5S and that's just because it's ridiculously over-priced off contract. Sprint offers the Nexus 5 tomorrow for $149 on contract, which is $50 more expensive than the Moto X and the same price as the HTC One. I don't know, though; I guess I'm weird in that I don't mind paying more for a better device.

The HTC One is $650 off contract. That's not quite twice as expensive as the N5, but it's close. As for the Moto X, you don't have to justify your purchase of it to me. If I didn't have an N4, I'd pick up the X in a heartbeat. I just don't get your need to poo-poo the N5 with backhanded compliments. 'World beater" is not an exclusive title, after all.

 

[Adranalyne]

The HTC One is $650 off contract. That's not quite twice as expensive as the N5, but it's close. As for the Moto X, you don't have to justify your purchase of it to me. If I didn't have an N4, I'd pick up the X in a heartbeat. I just don't get your need to poo-poo the N5 with backhanded compliments. 'World beater" is not an exclusive title, after all.

You can buy an HTC One for $549 on Verizon, or $599 on Google Play for the GPE. As for the Nexus 5, I don't mean to "poo poo" on it, but I also wish more people would be more realistic about it's capabilities.

 

[RavenSword]

Honestly, I want to give the nexus 5 a go, but I just got a iPhone 5S. I would need to save up for the nexus 5.

 

[scorpiodsu]

Honestly, I want to give the nexus 5 a go, but I just got a iPhone 5S. I would need to save up for the nexus 5.

Right now, you could sell the iPhone 5S and get a iP5 and Nexus for what you get for the sale LOL.

 

[JeffDenver]

You can buy an HTC One for $549 on Verizon, or $599 on Google Play for the GPE. As for the Nexus 5, I don't mean to "poo poo" on it, but I also wish more people would be more realistic about it's capabilities.

It is not lacking in the areas that you think it is lacking IMO.

It has the best CPU you can get on an Android phone, one of the best displays (if not the best display), a great camera, and very nice case with a comfortable feel (got rid of that stupid back glass thank god).

Not taking anything away from the HTC One mind you...the GPE is awesome. I wish all HTC phones were like that.

 

[Adranalyne]

It is not lacking in the areas that you think it is lacking IMO.

It has the best CPU you can get on an Android phone, one of the best displays (if not the best display), a great camera, and very nice case with a comfortable feel (got rid of that stupid back glass thank god).

Not taking anything away from the HTC One mind you...the GPE is awesome. I wish all HTC phones were like that.

Agree to disagree, man (aside from the CPU). I guess that's the only way I can put it.

 

[kgbkny]

Moto X, HTC One, and iPhone 5S (for those that like iOS). Those are world-beaters. The Nexus 5 is good, but I'd take two out of the three of those phones over it every time.

The Nexus 5 is certainly more of a world beater than the Moto X. In fact, I wouldn't consider the Moto X a world beater at all. The other two certainly are. Not looking to start an argument - just my opinion.

 

[Adranalyne]

The Nexus 5 is certainly more of a world beater than the Moto X. In fact, I wouldn't consider the Moto X a world beater at all. The other two certainly are. Not looking to start an argument - just my opinion.

No argument necessary. I disagree because I think the Moto X, from an overall standpoint, is one of the best phones out right now, but that's just my opinion.

 

[ConTejas]

Moto X, HTC One, and iPhone 5S (for those that like iOS). Those are world-beaters. The Nexus 5 is good, but I'd take two out of the three of those phones over it every time.

You must be kidding. Even the Nexus is more well known than the X and the One lol. Not knocking those devices, they're both great (esp the One's speakers and X is as close to stock on VZW), but I'd take even a N4 over both of them any day of the week. The devs will have "always listening" on the Nexus 5 in no time if that's your cup of tea...as the 800 has the proper capabilities...and really the only thing that I like about the X besides the form factor. It crushes it in every other way. Most people know iphone, blackberry, and samsung galaxy...that's it.

 

[ScottsoNJ]

The 5S has the better camera and arguably the better build and CPU/GPU. In GPU benchmarks, it bests the Nexus 5, so yes, it's better for gaming. The Moto X has better battery life, better features, it'll get 4.4 in no time, it's got a better in-hand feel, and you can customize the hell out of it. The HTC One has a better build, arguably the better camera and screen, better speaker, and the GPE will have 4.4 probably by the end of the month. The Nexus 5 is a great phone and people should love it, but I'm just saying that it's not the be-all end-all.

Maybe the 5S has a better camera. But for what most people use the camera for the Nexus 5 is pretty good. The Moto X has better features? Active notifications was not all that to me. The speakers on the HTC One are better then all the other phones. I think the Nexus 5 is 1 of the best phones you can get. And for the price I can get 2 for the price of 1 of the other phones. I have owned the a lot of phones and all of these mentioned are high end phones

 

[kgbkny]

No argument necessary. I disagree because I think the Moto X, from an overall standpoint, is one of the best phones out right now, but that's just my opinion.

Hey, you know what they say about opinions!

The Nexus 5 is far from perfect. I'll definitely miss the SAMOLED HD display of my GS4GE. However, I'll be passing that phone to my wife, so I'll still get to enjoy it. The GS4's IR blaster is also a useful, future-proof feature, but I only used it once and forgot all about it.

It all comes down to what we want out of a phone. I've always preferred muscle cars (Nexus 5) to luxury sedans (iPhone 5S).

 

[Adranalyne]

You must be kidding. Even the Nexus is more well known than the X and the One lol. Not knocking those devices, they're both great (esp the One's speakers and X is as close to stock on VZW), but I'd take even a N4 over both of them any day of the week. The devs will have "always listening" on the Nexus 5 in no time if that's your cup of tea...as the 800 has the proper capabilities...and really the only thing that I like about the X besides the form factor. It crushes it in every other way. Most people know iphone, blackberry, and samsung galaxy...that's it.

Form-factor, features, battery life, for some people the screen, etc. It doesn't "crush" the Moto X at all unless all you do is stare at a spec sheet. I didn't say anything about it being well-known, either. I'm speaking of overall which phones are better.