Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5

[AndroidDario]

It's one year I've been using my Nexus 5, and I love it.
Love its design, its weight, and how smoothly it works since I have updated to Lollipop.
But in 2015 I will change it for a new model.
I would like to buy the Nexus 6, but I am still waiting to see the new HTC One.
What about the Nexus 6? Are you happy with it? Would you recommend it? And what about dimensions?
Thank you for your comments!

 

[jj14x]

Go to a store that has the phone, and hold it in your hands to see if you think you can adjust to it. To be honest, it actually took me a few days to get comfortable with it, and to figure out how to hold it in one hand comfortably, so a few minutes at the store may not be enough.

Other than adjusting to the size, I really like the N6. (I switched from the N5).

 

[AndroidDario]

Go to a store that has the phone, and hold it in your hands to see if you think you can adjust to it. To be honest, it actually took me a few days to get comfortable with it, and to figure out how to hold it in one hand comfortably, so a few minutes at the store may not be enough.

Other than adjusting to the size, I really like the N6. (I switched from the N5).

Would you switch again?

 

[Rukbat]

I don't own either - and I wouldn't own a phone that I can't replace the battery in by popping off the back cover. (The batteries cost a lot more, and my hands aren't steady enough any more to be sure of being able to do it myself, although I repaired cellphones for years.) Also, being able to drop a battery going into thermal runaway (although that's rare) out of the phone quickly causes a lot less stress than watching your phone turn into a little funeral pyre.

If HTC would make an M9 with a replaceable battery, that or a Nexus with a replaceable battery would probably be my next phone. (HTC because they understand *nix - it's profane to run it without su [it's like Christianity without God], and HTC doesn't consider rooting their phones a reason to void the warranty.)

 

[jj14x]

Would you switch again?

Switch from N5 to N6? In a heartbeat Love the display, ambient display notifications (though I do sometimes miss the notification LED with the Lightflow App), and the longer battery life (based on my usage).

While I have figured out how to hold the phone in one hand and be able to reach my notification bar with the thumb fairly comfortably, I suspect Google will be bringing about some changes in a near future release to improve 'phablet' usability - perhaps multi window like Note 4 or something like that.

 

[Jeremy8000]

It's one year I've been using my Nexus 5, and I love it.
Love its design, its weight, and how smoothly it works since I have updated to Lollipop.
But in 2015 I will change it for a new model.
I would like to buy the Nexus 6, but I am still waiting to see the new HTC One.
What about the Nexus 6? Are you happy with it? Would you recommend it? And what about dimensions?
Thank you for your comments!

Having had my Nexus 6 a month now, after using the Nexus 5 for a year, I'll throw in my 2 cents.

The Nexus 5 was, and remains, a stellar phone and a far better value for the money than the Nexus 6. If a new Nexus had not been introduced, I would still be delighted by the 5 and in no rush to change (especially since Lollipop), though things like better camera and larger screens are still attractive.

The Nexus 6 hits a home run in screen size/quality and sound, making it, imo, the current king for media viewing - and I do a great deal of that on my phone. Battery life was never a big problem for me on the Nexus 5, but knowing that the for the few times the 5's battery was an issue for me (e.g., on a long day out during vacation where I was taking a lot of pictures/videos) the Nexus 6 would easily make it through is a huge benefit.

Camera is light years ahead of the Nexus 5. Simple fact is, Nexus 5 could take some very good pictures, but was not competitive at all with the best phone cameras out there. The Nexus 6 is.

The main thing you need to determine is if you do or don't have an issue with the phone being too big (you need to put your hands on one, or at least on an iPhone 6 Plus to get a very close approximation, but bare in mind that if it's not uncomfortable but still feels 'big,' you'd quickly grow accustomed to it - like driving an SUV for the first time). If that isn't a concern, and the cost of the device isn't an obstacle, I can't imagine any way in which you wouldn't be delighted in it as an upgrade in every way over the Nexus 5.

 

[AndroidDario]

Having had my Nexus 6 a month now, after using the Nexus 5 for a year, I'll throw in my 2 cents.

The Nexus 5 was, and remains, a stellar phone and a far better value for the money than the Nexus 6. If a new Nexus had not been introduced, I would still be delighted by the 5 and in no rush to change (especially since Lollipop), though things like better camera and larger screens are still attractive.

The Nexus 6 hits a home run in screen size/quality and sound, making it, imo, the current king for media viewing - and I do a great deal of that on my phone. Battery life was never a big problem for me on the Nexus 5, but knowing that the for the few times the 5's battery was an issue for me (e.g., on a long day out during vacation where I was taking a lot of pictures/videos) the Nexus 6 would easily make it through is a huge benefit.

Camera is light years ahead of the Nexus 5. Simple fact is, Nexus 5 could take some very good pictures, but was not competitive at all with the best phone cameras out there. The Nexus 6 is.

The main thing you need to determine is if you do or don't have an issue with the phone being too big (you need to put your hands on one, or at least on an iPhone 6 Plus to get a very close approximation, but bare in mind that if it's not uncomfortable but still feels 'big,' you'd quickly grow accustomed to it - like driving an SUV for the first time). If that isn't a concern, and the cost of the device isn't an obstacle, I can't imagine any way in which you wouldn't be delighted in it as an upgrade in every way over the Nexus 5.

Great post. Thank you.

 

[LeoRex]

If (size) isn't a concern, and the cost of the device isn't an obstacle, I can't imagine any way in which you wouldn't be delighted in it as an upgrade in every way over the Nexus 5.

Basically this.

To be honest, the Nexus 6 isn't for everyone. There are two people that this thing will work for. People with huge hands or people with smaller hands who are accustomed to two-handing a large phone. (yeah, I know... lots of jokes for that last line). The rest... 'normal' sized handed people who might want to hold and use this phone with one hand.... well, you're going to have problems. Trust me. I got bear paws and the Nexus 6 is pretty much at the limit where I can use it with one hand and I will admit that I have to reach on occasion or just use two hands.

Pretty much every negative comment I've seen online about the Nexus 6 involves its size in one way, shape or form. For some, it is too unwieldy to hold... So don't buy the phone. I couldn't hope to ever drive a Mazda Miata comfortably, but that doesn't mean I'd crap all over it because I'm too tall for the thing. So those reviewers can suck it.

As for the ones whining that the Nexus lacks features to utilize the big screen more... like multi-window stuff. I think it was Pocketnow that complained that we are stuck with full screen apps. Well, I have something to say about that as well: Pound sand. I bought the Nexus 6 because I wanted DAT SCREEN! So if I wanted that massive screen, why on God's green Earth would I then go and carve it out into two smaller ones? Hell, on my laptop I typically stick to full screen windows unless I absolutely have too.. if I want to switch screens, that's why they invented Alt-Tab (or Recents). If I need to see a bunch of windows at once, I have dual 22" wide screen monitors sitting on my desk. And if my life gets to the point where I can't spare the time during the day to watch Youtube AND compose an email separately... well... shoot me.

The Nexus 6 is awesome and there's no desire to go back to the Nexus 5... my wife has a 5... feels like a toy now.