Nexus 5X vs. Lumia 950

[Tadrift]

Here we are grinding out the details of what we wanted in the new 5X and debating what is missing, liked, or disliked in the new Nexus. Will we buy, won’t we buy etc. Then, out of nowhere (or at least I wasn’t paying attention) Microsoft releases its new Nokia 950.

So this morning, I skim my tech news and see all this excitement about these new 950 and 950XL phones. So, I check it out and as I read the specs, it was like Microsoft found my dream list of everything phone hardware should be and made it a reality. You know, “THE” list (geeks) we all keep in our mind and compare new phones too.

Microsoft checked all the boxes. I spend a lot of time on the forums here, so I feel like I have a pretty good idea that what I want is what a lot of you want as well. I was hesitant to post this, but I just had to find out if it is just me, or if others feel the same way.

Some of the highlights of the 950 I felt were missing from the 5X….. Nice build quality (subjective I know), Amoled 5.2 WQHD Screen, 3 GB of Ram, Impressive Camera Spec, 32GB Standard, SDcard Slot, a Large 3000Mah Removable Battery. And maybe not as important, but still noticeable is the Iris Scan Unlock, a Huge Number of Carrier Bands, Wide Angle Front Camera, and Desktop Connectivity.

I have to say (I am not a huge Microsoft fan) that Microsoft seems to have been paying attention to users and really took the time to address what people are looking for when they created these phones. It feels like Google was not paying attention. Not that the 5X is a bad phone. Then it hit me, why didn’t Google make the 5X like this. Why follow the broken down theory that people who want a smaller phone, don’t need the Ram, Storage, Battery of the bigger flagships.

Before you say it, yes it is a bit expensive. And it has yet to be determined if the 950 will be a carrier exclusive or unlocked. Of course there is the obvious that no one has really touched either phone yet, so we don’t know how they will compare in real life.

Certainly looks impressive, but it is still running Windows, which is a complete non-starter for most of us. I still have to ask, why wasn’t the 5X built with these kind of specs? Why does the 5X have to be the lessor phone to the 6P and other Flagship phones just because of screen size? Am I alone in thinking if the 950 was wearing the Nexus brand and labeled 5X running Android, it would have been an outrageous success?

 

[Zendroid1]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Well the 930 started out at $600+ unlocked so this one will be $650+. Sure, Google could have made the 5x all spec'd out for double what they are charging now, but that isn't what Nexus is about.

Nexus is about software. The hardware is for the most part irrelevant. It is there to run the stock Android and anything beyond that is bells and whistles. If you are looking for a device to purchase based solely on hardware specs, Nexus is probably the last place you should look since it's all about software. Each iteration is becoming more and more about hardware but in the end, it's all about the software.

That being said, I think the new Windows phones look great and I'd love to try one.

 

[Leonel Funes]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Microsoft certainly surprised a lot of people with the list of goodies they showed off today.

But some info about the 950/950XL has been floating around for at least a month in Windows Central already, so not much of a surprise - except the Surface Book (labeled as "the Macbook killer" by many) was definitely a surprise!

 

[Aquila]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

I'd have to say that Google and LG weren't trying to hit the $550 price point, they hit a point 30% less. Personally I'm not sure in what way the build quality of the Nexus 5X is lacking and the same thing for the camera. They actually did put together a device to hit the $550 price point (well, a little lower, they hit $500) - the 6P - which seems to match or knock the socks off of the 950/950XL on paper. Obviously none of these devices are in the wild to see how they compare.

 

[Aquila]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

except the Surface Book (labeled as "the Macbook killer" by many) was definitely a surprise!

Yeah had no idea that was coming. People are really calling it that?

 

[Tadrift]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Fact is, we don't know the price, but you aren't far off. But if Microsoft has shown anything, it is that they will soon dump the price.

As to your Nexus comment, that is an outdated argument. Because the last Nexus not to care about hardware specs and offered cheap pricing was the 5. The Nexus 6 was fully loaded and it mattered. And the 6p is loaded and not that cheap. Cheaper then a flagship, yes, but not enough to support that statement. "Anything beyond running stock android is bells and whistles"?, you mean like a nice camera, fingerprint scanner, etc?

I think it does matter. I think that you made the safe argument. I am a tech gadget guy and love android, but I also appreciate good hardware when I see it.

 

[minnemike]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

It's desperate times for MS.... they gave away windows 10 for free and it shouldnt surprise anyone that they will try their best to lure new folks to their phone world. But that is the non-starter issue for most as you stated... the OS.

 

[brosko]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Fact is, we don't know the price, but you aren't far off. But if Microsoft has shown anything, it is that they will soon dump the price.

As to your Nexus comment, that is an outdated argument. Because the last Nexus not to care about hardware specs and offered cheap pricing was the 5. The Nexus 6 was fully loaded and it mattered. And the 6p is loaded and not that cheap. Cheaper then a flagship, yes, but not enough to support that statement. "Anything beyond running stock android is bells and whistles"?, you mean like a nice camera, fingerprint scanner, etc?

I think it does matter. I think that you made the safe argument. I am a tech gadget guy and love android, but I also appreciate good hardware when I see it.

I agree. We gotta have a little better hardware and more storage options/features to go with the software. To me it's important. I won't be getting this nexus 5. I'll stick with my m5 2013 and see what comes out next year.

 

[spiff_p239]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

I'm definitely interested in giving the 950 a try so long as I can get one activated on Verizon. I am a big fan of Windows Phone and Android so the 950 and the Nexus 5X are the only 2 phones that I am considering at this moment in time. With Microsoft announcing that they have some major apps coming as universal apps (able to run on W10 PC and Mobile), they may finally be making headway toward closing the app gap a little. For me, having a higher resolution screen, SD card support, removable battery, Qi wireless charging, and a potentially better camera justifiies the $120 difference in price between the 950 and a 32GB Nexus 5X. My Nexus 5X isn't scheduled to arrive until October 28th - 30th, so it'll likely still be in its return period when the 950 is released. That may be perfect timing for me if the 950 turns out to be a winner.

 

[Aquila]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Here's one way I like to compare devices with specs only:

Win a category, + 2 points. Ok, but not bad, + 1 point. Ok, but not good, -1 point and lose a category, -2 points.

Enter all the categories, count them up and boom - 2Green+Yeloow-Orange-2Red=Score. Highest number of points wins on the spec valuation. Price is included.

In this case the Nexus 5X and the Lumia 950XL came close to each other. I didn't include software, because that's almost entirely preference based.

 

[Aquila]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

I'm definitely interested in giving the 950 a try so long as I can get one activated on Verizon. I am a big fan of Windows Phone and Android so the 950 and the Nexus 5X are the only 2 phones that I am considering at this moment in time. With Microsoft announcing that they have some major apps coming as universal apps (able to run on W10 PC and Mobile), they may finally be making headway toward closing the app gap a little. For me, having a higher resolution screen, SD card support, removable battery, Qi wireless charging, and a potentially better camera justifiies the $120 difference in price between the 950 and a 32GB Nexus 5X. My Nexus 5X isn't scheduled to arrive until October 28th - 30th, so it'll likely still be in its return period when the 950 is released. That may be perfect timing for me if the 950 turns out to be a winner.

Amended chart to only include the two devices you are looking at:

Those two are pretty close. Nothing like the 6P compared to the 950XL where it is something like 22 to -7.

 

[spiff_p239]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Amended chart to only include the two devices you are looking at:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...ABeeQ/NuiZG29VoqU/w511-h865-no/2015-10-06.png

Those two are pretty close. Nothing like the 6P compared to the 950XL where it is something like 22 to -7.

Seems like a fairly arbitrary system (ie metal beats plastic), but that's cool if it works for you. You also left out the iris scanner, removable battery, and Qi wireless charging featured on the 950/950XL.

 

[Tadrift]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Seems like a fairly arbitrary system (ie metal beats plastic), but that's cool if it works for you. You also left out the iris scanner, removable battery, and Qi wireless charging featured on the 950/950XL.

I immediately noticed that myself.

 

[Tadrift]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Amended chart to only include the two devices you are looking at:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...ABeeQ/NuiZG29VoqU/w511-h865-no/2015-10-06.png

Those two are pretty close. Nothing like the 6P compared to the 950XL where it is something like 22 to -7.

Ha! I like your approach. Nicely done. You obviously have a system that works for you. I could see how you would feel the way you do about the Nexus when you see it that way. I can also see how others might be inclined to see it your way after viewing the chart. It is a great visual tool.

Unfortunately, some hardware holds more value then others and the chart does not take that into account. Let me put it this way, if the 950 had a 1080p 3.5" screen it would only change your total by one point. And the conclusion would still be the same. Then what is important to each user is going to need to be valued different as well. That really adds confusion to the formula as well, but would be required.

I am a math fanatic and really I like what you have done and it intrigues me, but for it to be applied to each user and become meaningful, each user would have to take a survey rating each of the hardware specs in the order that is most important to them. Then apply a set point value to their more important items.

I am of course saying that "based on my knowledge" of what I read on the forums (and my own wants) that I believe the 950 offers more of what people want in hardware. Which of course is the whole reason I started this thread, to find out if I was right. I applaud you for at least trying to apply some sort of science to the question.

I won't pick apart the details, but I will say it is somewhat bias. I think left a lot off on the 950 side.

 

[Aquila]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Ha! I like your approach. Nicely done. You obviously have a system that works for you. I could see how you would feel the way you do about the Nexus when you see it that way. I can also see how others might be inclined to see it your way after viewing the chart. It is a great visual tool.

Unfortunately, some hardware holds more value then others and the chart does not take that into account. Let me put it this way, if the 950 had a 1080p 3.5" screen it would only change your total by one point. And the conclusion would still be the same. Then what is important to each user is going to need to be valued different as well. That really adds confusion to the formula as well, but would be required.

I am a math fanatic and really I like what you have done and it intrigues me, but for it to be applied to each user and become meaningful, each user would have to take a survey rating each of the hardware specs in the order that is most important to them. Then apply a set point value to their more important items.

I am of course saying that "based on my knowledge" of what I read on the forums (and my own wants) that I believe the 950 offers more of what people want in hardware. Which of course is the whole reason I started this thread, to find out if I was right. I applaud you for at least trying to apply some sort of science to the question.

I won't pick apart the details, but I will say it is somewhat bias. I think left a lot off on the 950 side.

Yeah, I don't do it the same every time - basically have to have a way to visualize what I like and don't like about each.

 

[Tadrift]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

I'm definitely interested in giving the 950 a try so long as I can get one activated on Verizon. I am a big fan of Windows Phone and Android so the 950 and the Nexus 5X are the only 2 phones that I am considering at this moment in time. With Microsoft announcing that they have some major apps coming as universal apps (able to run on W10 PC and Mobile), they may finally be making headway toward closing the app gap a little. For me, having a higher resolution screen, SD card support, removable battery, Qi wireless charging, and a potentially better camera justifiies the $120 difference in price between the 950 and a 32GB Nexus 5X. My Nexus 5X isn't scheduled to arrive until October 28th - 30th, so it'll likely still be in its return period when the 950 is released. That may be perfect timing for me if the 950 turns out to be a winner.

Great comment. You pretty much summed up my thinking. I have gone back and forth between WP and Android over the past few years. I actually think WP is a more stable and efficient OS, but then I get bored, I miss tinkering and customizing, then the App situation drives me back to Android. Add in the spyware MS has added to 10 makes me more then concerned. All combined, it makes Android feel much more powerful and useful. But I have a big soft spot for the WP OS and when I go through my (I just want life simple) phase every once in a while, I will change back.

This 950 is most likely going to end up in my collection and possibly my daily driver until the mod itch comes calling again. It is just a damn impressive hardware list. I keep trying to convince myself that the 5X is close enough, but I just can't seem to get there. I am waiting for the 950 vs 5X comparisons to come out and I am sure I will be completely entertained.

 

[Leonel Funes]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Yeah had no idea that was coming. People are really calling it that?

Search up "Surface Book" or "Surface Book Review". Most praise it strongly. A few reserve judgement until later on. You can search up "Surface Book Macbook Killer" but then of course you'll see that pop up...

 

[Aquila]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

Search up "Surface Book" or "Surface Book Review". Most praise it strongly. A few reserve judgement until later on. You can search up "Surface Book Macbook Killer" but then of course you'll see that pop up...

It did look pretty awesome, but the "killer" monikers need to go. Every month there is a new "iPhone killer" or "Flagship killer" or "Pizza Cutter Killer", it's silly I personally liked the Surface Pro 4 more than the book, but both were pretty impressive.

 

[Leonel Funes]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

It did look pretty awesome, but the "killer" monikers need to go. Every month there is a new "iPhone killer" or "Flagship killer" or "Pizza Cutter Killer", it's silly I personally liked the Surface Pro 4 more than the book, but both were pretty impressive.

Everything gets killed off eventually. The Surface Book seems to already have competition from Dell, and then something is going to beat that, and so on. I like the Book slightly more just because that can truly replace my laptop. It's a laptop itself.

 

[SeanJamesWright]

Re: Nokia 950, the Phone the Nexus 5X should have been?

The specs of the 940 are decent and the hardware is nice. But at the end of the day the 5X has better app support with updates straight from Google. WP10 looks great don't get me wrong, but the lack of app support in comparison to android is crippled and will always be an issue for me. I hope they prove me wrong.

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