I've owned my Nexus 6 for one week now and there are things I like & dislike about the phone. Prior to owning the nexus 6, I've owned a Blackberry, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, Windows phone, Galaxy S3, iPhone 5, Galaxy Note 2, and Galaxy S4. I've never jail broken or rooted any phone but I am a power-user because I'm on my phone for phone calls, texting, calendar and e-mail all day. I considered getting the iPhone 6 Plus, Note 4, and LG G3 but I nervously went with the Nexus 6. Below is my review of the phone after one week of use:
THINGS I LOVE
- The beauty of Lollipop. This is the most beautiful UI I've ever seen. I loved the customization of android but I always thought ios UI was a little better. Now with Android 5.0, I don't think any other interface comes even close. From the home screen to the notification screen to the apps themselves, this interface is incredible. I don't want any other phone after using this one.
- The built-in Calendar app. I use my calendar app non-stop and rely on my phone to tell me where I need to be each hour of the day. I HATED Samsung's calendar app and I had a hard time finding a third-party app that I liked. I was always jealous of the ios 7 calendar. This app is finally one that I love even more than the ios calendar and it syncs perfectly.
- The built-in keyboard. I know it's not a big deal since you can download whatever keyboard you want but typing on this phone is the BEST experience I've ever had with any keyboard on any phone (probably due to the size also).
- The new pull down menu with all the essentials like flash light, hot spot, etc.
- Ambient notifications. I love this concept - all my notificaitons pop up on my screen (in more of an ios fashion) but it does so in a dimmer black & white screen. If I tap the screen, then I can access my notifications. The ambient notifications also appear whenever I pick up my phone or pull my phone out of my pocket. I absolutely love this feature. Some articles say it drains the battery but it seems better to me than popping up with a message on full brightness every time I receive a text. For me, it seems to be a battery saver.
- Battery. Speaking of the battery, I LOVE the battery life on this phone. All the articles I read talked about how the battery on this phone was no good compared to others. I start my day about 6:30 am and with my Galaxy S4, my battery was dead by noon if I didn't charge it. With my Nexus 6, my battery lasts all day. Also, I keep GPS turned on which I never did with my previous Android phones.
- Google Now at all times. I just say 'OK Google' from any screen or when the phone is turned off and it automatically takes me to Google's voice command. I find myself using this feature all the time now. I know most newer phones will have this feature and I love it.
- All apps feel the same. From e-mail, to calendar, to texting, there is a continuity as to how the apps work that hasn't been there on past android devices I've used.
- The size. The 6” screen is INCREDIBLE! I thought the size might be too much. Others have said in reviews that it’s too wide or too thick or can’t be used with one hand but I love it. Maybe my perspective is different because I bought the phone expecting to use two hands and it works wonderful for that. I actually love the way it feels with two hands and I have managed to use it with one hand in a pinch. I was also worried about it fitting in my pocket but the curve on the back of the phone allows it to comfortably fit in my front pants pockets. I have not put a case on it yet, so that could change things but so far I’m pleased with the size.
- The screen. The 6” screen is INCREDIBLE! I read some other reviews that said it’s not as nice as the Note 4 screen but I don’t get it. I held it side-by-side a Note 4 and I didn’t see a difference. The N6 screen is phenomenal. Other reviews talked about the screen having a pink hue in low light which is accurate. If you have the screen brightness feature set to auto adjust, the screen is definitely pink when on low. I found a way around this by simply turning off the auto brightness….for some reason that gets rid of the pink hue and makes the screen look great in low light.
- The back arrow. In many apps, the back arrow will turn into a down arrow if the keyboard is on the screen. Pushing the down arrow gets the keyboard off of the screen. This is actually very helpful.
- Notifications that don’t interrupt what you are doing on your phone. I never realized how much I disliked being interrupted with phone calls, appointments, alarms, texts (on some phones). Sometimes I want to keep doing what I'm doing and ignore the incoming notification. I love how the notifications just appear at the top with two buttons (like call or ignore if it’s a phone call) without interfering with what I’m doing.
- Texting – I always used Samsung’s default texting app and thought it was fine. Now I’m in love with the Nexus 6 texting app. It looks so much cleaner and I love how everyone automatically gets assigned different colors and that’s easy to change the colors. (Think ios green & blue). It makes it very helpful when following a group text that everyone has different colors.
- Camera - I haven't played around with it much but pictures from the Nexus 6 seem to be just as good or better than any previous device I've owned.
- Speakers. As others have stated - the speakers are amazing for music, movies, etc.
- Quality of phone calls. Since I use my phone a lot as a phone I was worried about the controls and quality of phone calls. The phone calls and speaker phone work perfectly fine.
THINGS I DISLIKE ABOUT THE NEXUS 6
- There is no toggle to put the phone on mute or vibrate (which I used to use a lot). I'm used to the switch on the iPhone or the toggle on the pull down menu of Samsung phones. The only way to put the phone on vibrate or mute is to use the up and down arrows with the phone on or go deep into the settings menu.
- The buttons are too close together, don't protrude enough and are hard to push compared to Samsung and Apple products. This is the first smart phone I've owned without a home button and that is taking some getting used to. If I don't catch the ambient display, I have to push the power button to unlock my phone and I find myself constantly pushing the volume buttons instead (which do nothing when the phone is locked).
- No way to separate my personal contacts (google) from my work contacts (exchange)
- Finger print smudges on the back of my phone. I read about the smudges problem but didn't think much of it.... It's bad though - my phone always looks like a 2 year old eating spaghetti played with the back of my phone. It's a shame because it's a beautiful phone.
- Sound on the lock and unlock screen. It makes a sound like a blown speaker or like a buzz when something isn't grounded properly every time I lock or unlock my phone. And there is no way to change the sound without rooting the phone!
- I've had a few issues with Google Now voice controls where Google Now will revert to calling the last person it called regardless of my voice command. As an example - I'll say wake me up at 5:30 and it responds with "Calling Christopher" because I called them earlier,
- The biggest thing I dislike about Nexus 6 is that there is no built-in Wifi calling. It's supposedly coming soon (whatever that means). Unfortunately this could be a deal breaker for me.
OVERALL
Overall, I freaking love this phone. This is the best interface on any phone period. I'm not an android fan-boy and I've always felt android was a little behind apple. Not anymore though - this software is amazing. Unfortunately the lack of wifi calling will make me trade this phone in (unless an update comes out soon). I work in a hospital with little to no cell reception so I need the wifi calling capability. i went in to T-Mobile yesterday to trade in my Nexus 6 in for a Galaxy Note 4 but I couldn't do it....I love the Nexus 6 phone. I'm trying to see if there are any other work arounds because the thought of trading in this for a Note 4 after having for a week is depressing.
I hope my review helps out some other average Joe's. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll gladly do my best to answer them.
THINGS I LOVE
- The beauty of Lollipop. This is the most beautiful UI I've ever seen. I loved the customization of android but I always thought ios UI was a little better. Now with Android 5.0, I don't think any other interface comes even close. From the home screen to the notification screen to the apps themselves, this interface is incredible. I don't want any other phone after using this one.
- The built-in Calendar app. I use my calendar app non-stop and rely on my phone to tell me where I need to be each hour of the day. I HATED Samsung's calendar app and I had a hard time finding a third-party app that I liked. I was always jealous of the ios 7 calendar. This app is finally one that I love even more than the ios calendar and it syncs perfectly.
- The built-in keyboard. I know it's not a big deal since you can download whatever keyboard you want but typing on this phone is the BEST experience I've ever had with any keyboard on any phone (probably due to the size also).
- The new pull down menu with all the essentials like flash light, hot spot, etc.
- Ambient notifications. I love this concept - all my notificaitons pop up on my screen (in more of an ios fashion) but it does so in a dimmer black & white screen. If I tap the screen, then I can access my notifications. The ambient notifications also appear whenever I pick up my phone or pull my phone out of my pocket. I absolutely love this feature. Some articles say it drains the battery but it seems better to me than popping up with a message on full brightness every time I receive a text. For me, it seems to be a battery saver.
- Battery. Speaking of the battery, I LOVE the battery life on this phone. All the articles I read talked about how the battery on this phone was no good compared to others. I start my day about 6:30 am and with my Galaxy S4, my battery was dead by noon if I didn't charge it. With my Nexus 6, my battery lasts all day. Also, I keep GPS turned on which I never did with my previous Android phones.
- Google Now at all times. I just say 'OK Google' from any screen or when the phone is turned off and it automatically takes me to Google's voice command. I find myself using this feature all the time now. I know most newer phones will have this feature and I love it.
- All apps feel the same. From e-mail, to calendar, to texting, there is a continuity as to how the apps work that hasn't been there on past android devices I've used.
- The size. The 6” screen is INCREDIBLE! I thought the size might be too much. Others have said in reviews that it’s too wide or too thick or can’t be used with one hand but I love it. Maybe my perspective is different because I bought the phone expecting to use two hands and it works wonderful for that. I actually love the way it feels with two hands and I have managed to use it with one hand in a pinch. I was also worried about it fitting in my pocket but the curve on the back of the phone allows it to comfortably fit in my front pants pockets. I have not put a case on it yet, so that could change things but so far I’m pleased with the size.
- The screen. The 6” screen is INCREDIBLE! I read some other reviews that said it’s not as nice as the Note 4 screen but I don’t get it. I held it side-by-side a Note 4 and I didn’t see a difference. The N6 screen is phenomenal. Other reviews talked about the screen having a pink hue in low light which is accurate. If you have the screen brightness feature set to auto adjust, the screen is definitely pink when on low. I found a way around this by simply turning off the auto brightness….for some reason that gets rid of the pink hue and makes the screen look great in low light.
- The back arrow. In many apps, the back arrow will turn into a down arrow if the keyboard is on the screen. Pushing the down arrow gets the keyboard off of the screen. This is actually very helpful.
- Notifications that don’t interrupt what you are doing on your phone. I never realized how much I disliked being interrupted with phone calls, appointments, alarms, texts (on some phones). Sometimes I want to keep doing what I'm doing and ignore the incoming notification. I love how the notifications just appear at the top with two buttons (like call or ignore if it’s a phone call) without interfering with what I’m doing.
- Texting – I always used Samsung’s default texting app and thought it was fine. Now I’m in love with the Nexus 6 texting app. It looks so much cleaner and I love how everyone automatically gets assigned different colors and that’s easy to change the colors. (Think ios green & blue). It makes it very helpful when following a group text that everyone has different colors.
- Camera - I haven't played around with it much but pictures from the Nexus 6 seem to be just as good or better than any previous device I've owned.
- Speakers. As others have stated - the speakers are amazing for music, movies, etc.
- Quality of phone calls. Since I use my phone a lot as a phone I was worried about the controls and quality of phone calls. The phone calls and speaker phone work perfectly fine.
THINGS I DISLIKE ABOUT THE NEXUS 6
- There is no toggle to put the phone on mute or vibrate (which I used to use a lot). I'm used to the switch on the iPhone or the toggle on the pull down menu of Samsung phones. The only way to put the phone on vibrate or mute is to use the up and down arrows with the phone on or go deep into the settings menu.
- The buttons are too close together, don't protrude enough and are hard to push compared to Samsung and Apple products. This is the first smart phone I've owned without a home button and that is taking some getting used to. If I don't catch the ambient display, I have to push the power button to unlock my phone and I find myself constantly pushing the volume buttons instead (which do nothing when the phone is locked).
- No way to separate my personal contacts (google) from my work contacts (exchange)
- Finger print smudges on the back of my phone. I read about the smudges problem but didn't think much of it.... It's bad though - my phone always looks like a 2 year old eating spaghetti played with the back of my phone. It's a shame because it's a beautiful phone.
- Sound on the lock and unlock screen. It makes a sound like a blown speaker or like a buzz when something isn't grounded properly every time I lock or unlock my phone. And there is no way to change the sound without rooting the phone!
- I've had a few issues with Google Now voice controls where Google Now will revert to calling the last person it called regardless of my voice command. As an example - I'll say wake me up at 5:30 and it responds with "Calling Christopher" because I called them earlier,
- The biggest thing I dislike about Nexus 6 is that there is no built-in Wifi calling. It's supposedly coming soon (whatever that means). Unfortunately this could be a deal breaker for me.
OVERALL
Overall, I freaking love this phone. This is the best interface on any phone period. I'm not an android fan-boy and I've always felt android was a little behind apple. Not anymore though - this software is amazing. Unfortunately the lack of wifi calling will make me trade this phone in (unless an update comes out soon). I work in a hospital with little to no cell reception so I need the wifi calling capability. i went in to T-Mobile yesterday to trade in my Nexus 6 in for a Galaxy Note 4 but I couldn't do it....I love the Nexus 6 phone. I'm trying to see if there are any other work arounds because the thought of trading in this for a Note 4 after having for a week is depressing.
I hope my review helps out some other average Joe's. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll gladly do my best to answer them.
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