Is Nexus 5 still a good buy?

[salmanahmad]

So me and my dad are looking to replace our old Windows Phone and Blackberry devices, I used to be an Android user for a pretty long time and only briefly tried Windows Phone, it is nice but I like rooting and tweaking my devices so I was considering one for myself, and getting one for my father as well(he's been experiencing issues on his Blackberry).

The Snapdragon 800 coupled with Stock Android still runs amazingly smooth even today, but I was wondering with the introduction of new chips like Tegra K1 will Snapdragon 800, 801, and 805 just instantly become outdated or would they still run most apps and games smoothly?

Edit 1: If I have posted this in the wrong forum I am extremely sorry, I am new here and I hope some moderator will put this post in a more appropriate forum.
Oh and how is the camera after all the Google improvements? Primarily macro and lowlight shooting?

I'm probably going to install Cyanogenmod or something the moment I get it and install a dozen other camera tweaks etc but still I was wondering should I get it or no?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I've had my Nexus 5 for about 6 months, and it continues to be an excellent phone. Great performance, and more future-proof than most other phones when it comes to system updates. I find the camera to be excellent--I took some great pics on a recent trip to Alaska. Macro is terrific, as is the Lens Blur feature. Low light is ok, but obviously not as good as a real camera with a big sensor. Videos look good.

 

[salmanahmad]

Welcome to Android Central! I've had my Nexus 5 for about 6 months, and it continues to be an excellent phone. Great performance, and more future-proof than most other phones when it comes to system updates. I find the camera to be excellent--I took some great pics on a recent trip to Alaska. Macro is terrific, as is the Lens Blur feature. Low light is ok, but obviously not as good as a real camera with a big sensor. Videos look good.

Wow that was a very fast response and a good one as well. So how long do you plan on keeping the device till you buy a new one? I know that lowlight won't be amazing but as long as they are okay it should be fine. Do FPS in the camera viewfinder drop in lowlight? And do you think that the Nexus 5 has a fast camera?

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm not the type to upgrade every 6 months, so I plan on keeping this baby for at least 2 years. By then, I'll probably be lusting after the latest and greatest device.

FPS do drop in low light, but not ridiculously so. I feel that it takes shots very quickly--certainly better than my old Razr Maxx, but that's not much of a comparison. My wife, who up until recently had an iPhone 4S, would often look at my photos with some envy, compared to the ones she took on her iPhone.

 

[bubba3595]

Had mine since November and I absolutely love it! Battery life could be better, but for the cost and the ability to have an unlocked phone for that cost, idk if it can be beat

 

[bjrosen]

If rooting is important to you then a Nexus phone is the obvious way to go. Objectively the N5 is still an excellent phone. I have Android L on mine and the performance is as good as it can be, I don't see any delays that aren't network related so a faster processor probably wouldn't be noticable. The display is also excellent, the only thing out there that's objectively better is the LG G3 which has a QHD display but it's also bigger. The WiFI is 802.11AC which is the fastest standard that's currently shipping. I've measured the WiFI performance to by network and it's 270MBits/second which is much faster than my 150MBit FIOS connection which is as fast an Internet connection as you are likely to see in the next couple of years.

The N5 also uses Qi wireless charging, the LG G3 uses a much less mainstream standard and it might be optional. There are a lot of great Qi chargers available (I have several including a Qi car mount which is indespensable), I don't think there are nearly as many choices for the standard that's used in the G3.

That said, I'd wait a couple of months to see what this years Nexus phone is going to look like. If all they do is introduce a phablet then I'd get the N5 but if they do an N5 2014 then I'd probably get that instead.

 

[salmanahmad]

Seriously the way you guys study all this stuff is amazing and I'm very impressed.

I'll hopefully get the Nexus 5 soon.

I put up an ad for selling my Lumia 520 and took a photo of it by a 5.1 Megapixel camera and it came out pretty good, I imagine how the 8 Megapixel beast on the Nexus 5 will perform.
Sent from my Lumia 520 using Tapatalk

 

[salmanahmad]

If anyone is interested these are the photos I took with a 5.1 MP camera, are they good? Really trying to sell the 520 as fast as possible to get enough money for Nexus 5(almost there).
Sent from my Lumia 520 using Tapatalk

 

[B. Diddy]

Good photos! That 3rd one is a little too backlit, which obscures the details of the front of the phone, though.

 

[salmanahmad]

Good photos! That 3rd one is a little too backlit, which obscures the details of the front of the phone, though.

Thanks and I know it is a little too backlight, I took these photos with a Desire 500 at 5.1 Megapixel mode, it doesn't have the best HDR mode so I snapped the photo like this.

Anyways I just had one last question, are there any manufacturing faults that people are facing that I should know of? Such as a yellowish tint, faulty buttons, etc.

I'll hopefully(In Sha Allah) get the phone in a day or two.

I'm ecstatic. You are all amazing guys thank you for the help I received and I will try to contribute back to this forum when I get a Nexus 5.

 

[B. Diddy]

Earlier manufacture dates seemed to be associated with a loose or rattling power button. But I haven't heard much about this issue lately.

 

[Blaize19]

I've had mine for two weeks, and have no hardware issues whatsoever, fwiw.

Posted via my Nexus 5 via the Android Central App

 

[salmanahmad]

Earlier manufacture dates seemed to be associated with a loose or rattling power button. But I haven't heard much about this issue lately.

The rattling issues you are talking about did people immediately notice this issue when they bought the device or did the issue start occurring in like a few days?

This is hopefully my last question.

It's Eid here(Muslim holiday) so shops are closed but I'll get it in like three days or less.

 

[B. Diddy]

Usually right away. Good luck!

 

[Ed Briggs]

The rattling issues you are talking about did people immediately notice this issue when they bought the device or did the issue start occurring in like a few days?

This is hopefully my last question.

It's Eid here(Muslim holiday) so shops are closed but I'll get it in like three days or less.

It was only with the first ones released last November. You probably won't have any issues.

 

[salmanahmad]

So I got the Nexus 5 right now and it came with a small plastic protector on the camera, should I peel it off? Will it not affect camera focusing or quality?

 

[neonworm]

So I got the Nexus 5 right now and it came with a small plastic protector on the camera, should I peel it off? Will it not affect camera focusing or quality?

I would peel it off.

 

[Shilohcane]

So I got the Nexus 5 right now and it came with a small plastic protector on the camera, should I peel it off? Will it not affect camera focusing or quality?

Get rid of that plastic over the camera. BTW, you may consider a case and a Nillkin Amazing H+ Nanometer Anti-explosion Tempered Glass Screen Protector that will help if you drop your Nexus 5. This isn't a plastic screen protector it is Tempered Glass that has a 9H hardness.

 

[LightaDroid]

Take it off.. I don't remember mind coming with one.

But it would effect the performance of the camera

Posted from Google Nexus 5

 

[Jamie_tnt]

Yes I love this phone. Replaced my S4 with it. So worth it and stock is awesome. Also the camera is really good imo, although I was not expecting much based on reviews.