My review after a month (or so)

[Tadrift]

I'm not trying to defend the Moto X. My response was in regards to someone mentioning that 2gb RAM isn't enough for the 5x.

But there's problems with everyone's theory on 'app optimization for marshmallow'. Why doesn't the 6P experience any of the lag the 5x does?

You assume the Moto X with 2gb RAM is comparable to the 5X, therefore they should act the same. There are major hardware differences between the two. This is a false assumption. In general, 2GB of RAM sits right on the edge on any smart phone these days. If everything works out well, yes, it can be ok with little problems on some phones. But everything people are describing in symptoms and with a reset temporarily solving it, it rings of RAM issues. Get one App misbehaving and there is no reserve.

3GB may not be needed, but it does leave a reserve. So that same App wouldn't cause a problem on that phone, unless it was blatant. I of course could be wrong that it is causing this OP's problems, but with only 2GB, it certainly is possible and also likely. Some people are going to have this problem. How many is the question. It is just a fact. Power users are going to outrun the RAM on this phone. With RAM so cheap these days, it is just unacceptable.

 

[Zendroid1]

I don't feel the lag I'm experiencing at random times is tied to the RAM at all. This phone absolutely flies 95% of the time. I'd imagine one of my apps is triggering something in the background and making things temporarily wonky. I'll try to figure it out eventually but it's not really even a big deal yet so I'm not going to urgently try to figure it out.

 

[chris20nyy]

You assume the Moto X with 2gb RAM is comparable to the 5X, therefore they should act the same. There are major hardware differences between the two. This is a false assumption. In general, 2GB of RAM sits right on the edge on any smart phone these days. If everything works out well, yes, it can be ok with little problems on some phones. But everything people are describing in symptoms and with a reset temporarily solving it, it rings of RAM issues. Get one App misbehaving and there is no reserve.

3GB may not be needed, but it does leave a reserve. So that same App wouldn't cause a problem on that phone, unless it was blatant. I of course could be wrong that it is causing this OP's problems, but with only 2GB, it certainly is possible and also likely. Some people are going to have this problem. How many is the question. It is just a fact. Power users are going to outrun the RAM on this phone. With RAM so cheap these days, it is just unacceptable.

I never assumed anything. I've said multiple times that I believe there's software discrepancies causing the lag experience on the 5x.

The 2nd 5x I received has noticeable lag as it is out of the box. Nothing installed. It's noticeable, and frustrating. The first 5x I had had no noticeable lag other than In Chrome. It ran smooth otherwise.

2gb of ram is sufficient for most users. I'm terrible at closing out unused apps, tabs etc. I've never run into a RAM issue on the Moto X. I don't expect to on the 5x. Thats not what concerns me here, as I've said from the beginning.

 

[anon(522161)]

The 2nd 5x I received has noticeable lag as it is out of the box. Nothing installed. It's noticeable, and frustrating. The first 5x I had had no noticeable lag other than In Chrome. It ran smooth otherwise.

Wonder if the 2nd one is part of some bad batch. Just speculation nothing else on my end. If there is something on the box that could help identify a batch that it was part of, might be worth a shot to keep a track of.

 

[eaccentsac]

Anything that doesn't run smoothly in stock form should go back. Yikes!

[You might want to try an FDR before sending it back...be sure to disable the auto restore function in settings>>>backup and reset though....]

 

[sp44]

3. Stock Android - I love love love the lack of bloatware. Coming from the 2014 Moto X Pure Edition and then the 2015 Moto X Pure Edition, this was probably one of the bigger factors in choosing this phone.
.

I find it funny that you say lack of bloatware coming from Motorola which hardly has bloat. Now Samsung I can see.

 

[PhiPsi32]

I pretty much agree with OP. But I stopped using screen protectors with the Galaxy S4 and haven't looked back since. I haven't had any problems. Regarding the color, well, Nexus offers a real advantage. Since the front of all the phones is black, it's easier to change the color with something like a Dbrand skin. So if the allure of Ice has worn off, you can refresh the color with a skin.

 

[L0N35T4R]

OP would you give up the G4 to use this as your one and only phone?

 

[eaccentsac]

I find it funny that you say lack of bloatware coming from Motorola which hardly has bloat. Now Samsung I can see.

Lol. That is precisely why. Before the 2014 Moto X Pure I had a VERIZON device with more bloat than I had ever seen before. It was frustrating and annoying so the 2014 Pure was a breath of fresh air and freedom...something I am no longer willing to do without.

 

[Zendroid1]

OP would you give up the G4 to use this as your one and only phone?

In a heartbeat.

 

[Tadrift]

Nexus phones are designed primarily as reference/developer devices and not as top of the line retail phones like Apple or Samsung, yet is available to public to purchase. Google expects buyers to have an above average technical ability and the patience to work with Google through any glitches. Some may not agree, but it is true.

When you buy one, you are effectively becoming a test subject. Google pushes the edge to fine tune their OS on a Nexus before going mainstream. They also use to test things like Project Fi and other mobile platform beta services. With that said, Google is very aware that these phones are peoples daily drivers and very quick to fix things.

Any current issues with the 5X are going to be resolved. But to expect the same polished device you get from LG, Apple or Samsung is unrealistic and you are missing the point. Bottom line, some people just shouldn't buy a Nexus.

 

[Zendroid1]

Nexus phones are designed primarily as reference/developer devices and not as top of the line retail phones like Apple or Samsung, yet is available to public to purchase. Google expects buyers to have an above average technical ability and the patience to work with Google through any glitches. Some may not agree, but it is true.

When you buy one, you are effectively becoming a test subject. Google pushes the edge to fine tune their OS on a Nexus before going mainstream. They also use to test things like Project Fi and other mobile platform beta services. With that said, Google is very aware that these phones are peoples daily drivers and very quick to fix things.

Any current issues with the 5X are going to be resolved. But to expect the same polished device you get from LG, Apple or Samsung is unrealistic and you are missing the point. Bottom line, some people just shouldn't buy a Nexus.

I think they ditched this model last year with the Nexus 6.

 

[eaccentsac]

Nexus phones are designed primarily as reference/developer devices and not as top of the line retail phones like Apple or Samsung, yet is available to public to purchase. Google expects buyers to have an above average technical ability and the patience to work with Google through any glitches. Some may not agree, but it is true.

When you buy one, you are effectively becoming a test subject. Google pushes the edge to fine tune their OS on a Nexus before going mainstream. They also use to test things like Project Fi and other mobile platform beta services. With that said, Google is very aware that these phones are peoples daily drivers and very quick to fix things.

Any current issues with the 5X are going to be resolved. But to expect the same polished device you get from LG, Apple or Samsung is unrealistic and you are missing the point. Bottom line, some people just shouldn't buy a Nexus.

I don't find the 5X "un-polished" myself. I think of the Nexus vs other manufacturers like this:

• Nexus - basic house
• Motorola - basic house + a few useful additions
• other manufacturers - basic house + tons of accoutrements, some of which are totally unnecessary and not even useful ...there is a point where you start to think "they've gone too far"

For me, I love the basic house and I wouldn't object to a few useful additions. Everything else, it's starting to get gaudy, resources are being used inefficiently, and you're now paying for extras that may not even be useful.

Could be because I view my phone as a tool to help me to be productive and connected and not an accessory to be judged on how much I spent on it or if I'm using the "coolest" and most popular device.

 

[Tadrift]

I don't find the 5X "un-polished" myself. I think of the Nexus vs other manufacturers like this:

• Nexus - basic house
• Motorola - basic house + a few useful additions
• other manufacturers - basic house + tons of accoutrements, some of which are totally unnecessary and not even useful ...there is a point where you start to think "they've gone too far"

For me, I love the basic house and I wouldn't object to a few useful additions. Everything else, it's starting to get gaudy, resources are being used inefficiently, and you're now paying for extras that may not even be useful.

Could be because I view my phone as a tool to help me to be productive and connected and not an accessory to be judged on how much I spent on it or if I'm using the "coolest" and most popular device.

Perhaps "polished" was the wrong word, but the point being, there are likely to be more glitches or small problems because Google is experimenting (development). Whereas, with other phones it is all about the money and having problem free features that attract the most buyers right out of the box. They are two completely different objectives and it should be taken into account when someone is considering buying a Nexus. Google obviously has pride and wants the device to be solid and well liked because it is their reference device, but ultimately it is about development of the Android and showing other Manufacturers how to deploy it.

I am like you. What attracts me to Stock Android is the ability to focus and to be productive. I find manufacturers overlays and "features" reduce productivity. Many are just down right useless and poorly designed. I happen to think stock Android is very nice both visually and in speed.

 

[aysiu]

Nexus phones are designed primarily as reference/developer devices and not as top of the line retail phones like Apple or Samsung, yet is available to public to purchase. Google expects buyers to have an above average technical ability and the patience to work with Google through any glitches. Some may not agree, but it is true.

I think that may have been the original intention with the Nexus One, the Nexus S, the Galaxy Nexus, etc. At this point, though, I'm seeing TV commercials for the Nexus 5x, and I'm bus stop adverts for the Nexus 5x. I just don't see how it can be primarily a reference/developer device when Google is advertising it heavily. Geeks already know about the Nexus line—no need to advertise to the general public, unless Google wants to sell to the general public.

 

[Tadrift]

I think that may have been the original intention with the Nexus One, the Nexus S, the Galaxy Nexus, etc. At this point, though, I'm seeing TV commercials for the Nexus 5x, and I'm bus stop adverts for the Nexus 5x. I just don't see how it can be primarily a reference/developer device when Google is advertising it heavily. Geeks already know about the Nexus line—no need to advertise to the general public, unless Google wants to sell to the general public.

There is no question they want to expand their user base for Nexus. I still wouldn't categorize it as main stream retail. I am going by what they have said and how they approach it internally. To them, it is still a reference device. They view many of their products this way, which is why they have no problem pulling the plug on something without hesitation. They never present it as a temporary project, but if you dig deeper into almost everything (except advertising) they do, it is not main focus nor a make or break situation financially. It all just leads to the same thing for them, driving people to use their services, which in turn drives companies to spend advertising money with them.

Google has stated clearly they do not want to be in the hardware business. Nexus is a testing platform, but it doesn't mean they won't be happy selling a bunch of them. But it is still not the same objective as Samsung, LG, or any other manufacturer.

 

[chris20nyy]

I think that may have been the original intention with the Nexus One, the Nexus S, the Galaxy Nexus, etc. At this point, though, I'm seeing TV commercials for the Nexus 5x, and I'm bus stop adverts for the Nexus 5x. I just don't see how it can be primarily a reference/developer device when Google is advertising it heavily. Geeks already know about the Nexus line—no need to advertise to the general public, unless Google wants to sell to the general public.

Precisely. Nexus devices are no longer targeted for developers. Sure, its the best developer device. But its very clear Google's intention is to make them mainstream. Between TV advertisements, billboards, ads during trivia crack. But this isn't new to the 5x/6p. They started this a while ago.

 

[chris20nyy]

Google has stated clearly they do not want to be in the hardware business. Nexus is a testing platform, but it doesn't mean they won't be happy selling a bunch of them. But it is still not the same objective as Samsung, LG, or any other manufacturer.

Where did they state that? Experts seem to believe the opposite...
Google Phone Rumors: News, Specs, Release Date | Digital Trends

 

[Zendroid1]

Where did they state that? Experts seem to believe the opposite...
Google Phone Rumors: News, Specs, Release Date | Digital Trends

And the pixel c that just released

 

[Tadrift]

Where did they state that? Experts seem to believe the opposite...
Google Phone Rumors: News, Specs, Release Date | Digital Trends

Not to sound condescending, but if you read things by Google itself, not what the media reports, you don't have to do much digging. Of course a Rumor website is going to state the opposite. Not a good source to get reliable information from. Read what Google writes.