Nexus 5: First Impressions & Reviews

[dmcincubus]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

overall, i'm really impressed. very glad i took the plunge and upgraded from the nexus 4, which is also a terrific phone.

now i'm not necessarily ********, but something i've noticed. and that's the build quality. now, the nexus 4's build quality is absolutely amazing. outside of the iphone's, is there a better built phone? it's hard to argue. even though the n4 still felt fragile because of that damn back glass.

now with the nexus 5. great looking phone. i actually prefer the look more than i do the nexus 4. and it feels like it's a sturdy phone. but lets face it, this phone does not have the casing that the n4 has, which is far superior. so why is it more expensive? is google wanting to have a bit more of a profit with the n5 than what they had with the n4? i understand that the guts of the n5 are far superior than the n4's, but that was a year ago, so on and so forth, it's all comparable.

 

[DS1331]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

Lol you answered you're own question, the hardware is why it coasts more

Sent from my Nexus 7 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Jdane07]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

Just got mine! Installing that initial update as we speak.

I'm very pleased to announce no rattle or very much movement with the buttons. I'm a big time stickler for these making noise and rattling, and there is nothing when shaking it rather violently

 

[dmcincubus]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

Lol you answered you're own question, the hardware is why it coasts more

Sent from my Nexus 7 using AC Forums mobile app

not really, as the hardware is a natural progression in the technology age. this years specs are equal to last years specs, you know what i mean? so the hardware is a wash, in my opinion. now, if this hardware was released this time last year in the nexus 4, it'd be a $600 phone, because it was so ahead of it'd be so ahead of its time.

 

[GearJ2o]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

I love everything about it. Only few downsides:

First, I was disappointed with how it takes too long to take a picture. If you are in a hurry, it will take blurry pictures sometimes, or if there are movement in the background, it will show that movement as a blur. I had to retake few times before I could take a good picture, but when done right, the quality is as good as any phone camera. I heard its a software problem not hardware, so I'm looking to see them improve the speed of taking pictures.

Secondly, I'm trying to get used android OS and the customizations. Making a switch from iOS to kitkat OS is a big adjustment. I'm not really used to texting and I often made mistakes. May takes time to master it, but it's all good. Where is the auto-rotation widget? I think I saw one, but it doesn't work for my Nexus 5. For google chrome browser, I wish you can go back and forth with a swipe like the iphone safari, but I'm sure there's an app for that. Someone recommended me the Dolphin Browser.

Pros: I'm really pleased with how fast it is. I love the feeling of the build as well. I love that there's so much customizations to do with it and I haven't rooted it. The battery is great when you are using it between classes, or go out. If you are using it heavily, then you will find yourself recharging it twice a day. I think it's a pretty darn good phone. I'm keeping it.

 

[dkhmwilliams]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

overall, i'm really impressed. very glad i took the plunge and upgraded from the nexus 4, which is also a terrific phone.

now i'm not necessarily ********, but something i've noticed. and that's the build quality. now, the nexus 4's build quality is absolutely amazing. outside of the iphone's, is there a better built phone? it's hard to argue. even though the n4 still felt fragile because of that damn back glass.

now with the nexus 5. great looking phone. i actually prefer the look more than i do the nexus 4. and it feels like it's a sturdy phone. but lets face it, this phone does not have the casing that the n4 has, which is far superior. so why is it more expensive? is google wanting to have a bit more of a profit with the n5 than what they had with the n4? i understand that the guts of the n5 are far superior than the n4's, but that was a year ago, so on and so forth, it's all comparable.

The memory options are different. Last year it was $349 for a16 GB model and that hasn't changed. But instead of the cheaper 8 GB model, we have the 32 GB which naturally would cost more. Therefore the pricing is consistent.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

[Ed E Android]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

I still haven’t tested the battery properly yet. My impression continues to be that it is shorter than my N4 – but this is purely an impression. I have downloaded quite a few games onto my N5 to see how well they run and so have been playing games a lot more than I used to on my N4. This could well account for the shorter battery life.
My impression of the camera is quite positive so far. Nice sharp images from everything that I have tried it on so far. Also, no sign of looseness in the volume rocker. I managed to brick it last night by repeatedly hitting the back button too quickly during a game. Holding the power key down for 20 seconds or so turned it off and it started up again afterwards with no problem.
I was going to buy a protective case, but it is so slim and light that when I put it in my pocket I just don’t notice it’s there. I am becoming really tempted to not buy a case and just risk carrying it around and using it without one.
I will probably buy a car charger and maybe a battery pack. I was thinking that something like an Anker Astro 15000mAh should might give me 2 or 3 charges when I’m travelling, but it looks like it might be bigger than the phone itself. Are there any battery packs out there which are not big and heavy?

 

[adamspt2]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

Got my phone Wednesday so not long but I'm liking it a lot so far. I had reservations as I was clicking to buy - mainly the camera and battery. So far the camera has been better than I expected (except for shutter lag most noticeable in darker lighting) and the batter has been about what I expected.

I had the Nexus 4 so that's my basis of comparison. Really like the screen - color and brightness. I like the look of KitKat. The phone is very responsive, fast and I haven't had any issue with anything getting bogged down yet. And maybe just because it's clean but the glass seems super smooth when swiping. I had a minor issue with the Play Store trying to download every single app I had ever bought and also reinstalling apps I had uninstalled from the N5 but that was fixable.

Since I'm sitting at work and on Wi-Fi all day, I'm turning 4G off just to see if there's any appreciable difference in the battery. I'll only have specific times that I'll need 4G so I may keep that off if it bumps up the juice.

 

[scorpiodsu]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

overall, i'm really impressed. very glad i took the plunge and upgraded from the nexus 4, which is also a terrific phone.

now i'm not necessarily ********, but something i've noticed. and that's the build quality. now, the nexus 4's build quality is absolutely amazing. outside of the iphone's, is there a better built phone? it's hard to argue. even though the n4 still felt fragile because of that damn back glass.

now with the nexus 5. great looking phone. i actually prefer the look more than i do the nexus 4. and it feels like it's a sturdy phone. but lets face it, this phone does not have the casing that the n4 has, which is far superior. so why is it more expensive? is google wanting to have a bit more of a profit with the n5 than what they had with the n4? i understand that the guts of the n5 are far superior than the n4's, but that was a year ago, so on and so forth, it's all comparable.

Price is consistent with last year's release. The N4 16GB at release was $349. Same as the 16GB N5. Now of course, the 32GB would be more expensive.

 

[leafs123]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

Stupid question as I am not seeing this anywhere, but does everyone's Nexus have the serial number sticker on the back of the device?

I think it's poorly placed.

 

[mrsmumbles]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

Stupid question as I am not seeing this anywhere, but does everyone's Nexus have the serial number sticker on the back of the device?

I think it's poorly placed.

Yes, but where else would it be seeing as the phone isnt meant to be opened up?

Sent from my LG870 via Tapatalk 2

 

[leafs123]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

Yes, but where else would it be seeing as the phone isnt meant to be opened up?

Sent from my LG870 via Tapatalk 2

They could have put it inside and it would be there if the phone needed to get serviced. There are other non-removable battery phones that don't have it on the door.

 

[slick2404]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

So here’s my quick thoughts.
16gb white. Ordered within first 15 min of launch, received it Nov 7.
Pros:
Screen is gorgeous, love it. On par with the HTC One for sure.
Size – this is the ideal size of a smart phone IMO. For my needs, its perfect and fits in every pocket.
Reception – Wifi is strong, I seemed to have an issue with my N4 at home. Not with this one. But my reception at work….fantastic! My building is notorious for weak signals, and my N4 would constantly be no EDGE with no bars with whatsapp/bbm msgs constantly delayed. This morning, I’ve noticed I’ve got zero bars with LTE, but everything works fine! Instagram, FB, whatsapp bbm you name it. By far the best bonus.

Cons:
Speaker volume is low in a crowded bar.
Not sure If I’m a fan of the white backing yet, it’s silky smooth but I like the grip of the black one. Not sure how careful I have to be about getting this dirty, especially on wing nights haha.
Battery – can’t quite fully comment on this yet but it does seem to drain quickly.
Low light pictures – it’s decent, I think HTC one wins this one easily.

 

[Lisa Driscoll]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

So today I have had my first Kit Kat issue with the new N5. There is no black list built into the phone dialer!? WTH is up with that?? That's a basic function to my thinking - the other foo-foo crap they have added to the dialer app is okay but unnecessary. I NEED to be able to block wrong numbers and spam callers - not have instant access to paid yellow page searches. Nice Google - you need to fix that.
And yeah, I can get a 3rd party app - but I shouldn't have to.

 

[mrsmumbles]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

They could have put it inside and it would be there if the phone needed to get serviced. There are other non-removable battery phones that don't have it on the door.

Well this way people can just add it in to whatever home or renters insurance, if they have it. The sticker can easily be removed and put anyplace by the owner. That's a feature, not a bug.

Sent from my LG870 via Tapatalk 2

 

[leafs123]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

Well this way people can just add it in to whatever home or renters insurance, if they have it. The sticker can easily be removed and put anyplace by the owner. That's a feature, not a bug.

Sent from my LG870 via Tapatalk 2

Ok cool, didn't realize it's a sticker. Thought it's glued on permanently or something.

 

[Cubfan]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

I have personally had the HTC One and Moto X and the quality is much better. I know my opinion will not be popular with some but this is based off my personal experience and my needs/wants. And just to throw it in there, I am a fan of stock android. I prefer it over skins. My opinion has nothing to do with android 4.4. For the most part, android 4.4 is a nice minor update.

I agree with most of the points in this review. I'm an owner of the HTC One and got this phone mostly out of curiosity, and don't feel it's better in any category other than the fact that it has 4.4 now instead of a few weeks from now. I wanted to love it, but was thinking "meh" in only a few minutes... unlike the dramatic impression that the One made on me.

There are several disappointments with the Nexus 5, some pretty deep. All have been mentioned by others here and elsewhere... muted color/low contrast screen, poor battery life, fragile feel in the hand, back gets easily greasy/ugly from fingerprints, minimal camera improvement that can't frame the image properly, too light in the hand... double the battery, and it would be just right.

That being said, it's has snappy performance that is noticeably better than other Android phones I've checked out.

I know it is a cheap phone. Just wish it didn't feel cheap.

 

[dmcincubus]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

a-ha. of course. the ONE THING i overlooked. thanks guys.

 

[mrsmumbles]

Re: Nexus 5 First Impressions & Reviews

I agree with most of the points in this review. I'm an owner of the HTC One and got this phone mostly out of curiosity, and don't feel it's better in any category other than the fact that it has 4.4 now instead of a few weeks from now. I wanted to love it, but was thinking "meh" in only a few minutes... unlike the dramatic impression that the One made on me.

There are several disappointments with the Nexus 5, some pretty deep. All have been mentioned by others here and elsewhere... muted color/low contrast screen, poor battery life, fragile feel in the hand, back gets easily greasy/ugly from fingerprints, minimal camera improvement that can't frame the image properly, too light in the hand... double the battery, and it would be just right.

That being said, it's has snappy performance that is noticeably better than other Android phones I've checked out.

I know it is a cheap phone. Just wish it didn't feel cheap.

It doesn't look or feel cheap to me. My really cheap phone looks cheap.

Screen looks great to me. It's light weight but what's too light?

No grease on mine. (White).

But I do agree with the poster in a different thread who said the edges feel sharp. They can, so I'll get a soft case most likely even though that will detract from appearance.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2

 

[trap49]

Re: Using my new nexus5 right now

Got my N5 on Thurs 11/8, the day it was originally supposed to ship. So, kudos to Google for getting this out to me sooner rather than later. First impressions after about 24 hours: absolutely love the bright crisp screen, battery does seem to drain quickly, feels great in the hand. Lighter than expected, perfect size, the back of my Black model is very nice, very N7-ish

Full disclosure: I'm not a have-to-have-the-latest-and-greatest kind of guy, I'm upgrading from a....Galaxy Nexus. Yes, that's right, I did wait the full 2 years to upgrade. I took Jerry's advice and got on a monthly $30 plan from T-Mo, so I didn't have to wait 2 years, but last year's N4 didn't represent a significant upgrade for me so I skipped it. The N5 vs the GNex is a real step up for me. Although the GNex performed nicely for me, I wanted at least to be able to get the 42 speed on T-Mo and LTE if T-Mo every hooks up my town.

I expect the battery will get better once it gets into the discharge/recharge cycle, batteries are like that. It will be disappointing if this doesn't happen. My first photo of some nice foliage on my street looks good to me, I will post the unaltered image here if I can. This is a plain photo, no HDR+ or any other options. I'll update this as I use it more, but I'm happy to have it and it's working fine right out of the box.