Nexus 6 or Z3 Compact

[strav22]

I know, these two phones are on opposite ends of the spectrum. But I've narrowed it down to these two. I'm a Nexus 5 owner that enjoys stock but I'm in a serious need to upgrade to a phone with better battery life. I read a lot of news on my phone, avid twitter user, and an occasional Netflx binge here and there. Basically, the SOT is crucial to me.

The z3 compact has fantastic battery life and great performance. I'm ok with the Sony skin, its not bad. I'm worried about downgrading to a 4.6 inch screen after the nexus 5. Every year my cell phone screen has increased so this feels backwards. I like the idea of pocketability and one handed use.

I've been reading more about the Nexus 6 lately and I'm considering my first phablet. Its sounds like it may have decent battery life, not as good as the z3 compact though. Its a Nexus with no skin which I'm really happy about. I feel getting this phone negates the need for a tablet, it will make reading news and watching video an enjoyable experience. The pocketability is a concern.

I'm posting in the Nexus 6 forum because I assume there are those that have had smaller phones like the Nexus 4 and a Phablet. I'm looking for your advice. I'm torn between the excellent battery life, pocketability/one handed use of the z3 compact and the large screen and nexus experience of the Nexus 6.

I'm looking for an unlocked phone, so I'm excluding the z3 from consideration.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[mattopotamus]

great timing. I had this same question. I really do love a smaller phone and the z3c ticked every box but one for me. Updates straight from google. That alone is the most important factor for me personally. I just know I would be sick owning a z3c and lollipop is out but not on my device. I also will be able to replace my nexus 7 completely by getting the n6.

I think you would be shocked at how easily a large device can be pocketed. They are so thin now that it is a non-issue unless you wear extremely shallow pants. The thickness is not noticeable though.

 

[codeda]

I've had these on my list as well. One too big and one too small. What I can say is by the time I got ahold of the xperia z3c it felt too small. It felt like a downgrade. I don't know why now bigger phones equals better and logically I know the internals are great, but it was just too small. So now we will see if the nexus 6 is too big. Would be nice to just have one device and I've handled the note 4 which seems like a reasonable size. Good luck!

 

[strav22]

Its a tough decision. If Google had updated the Nexus 5 to a bigger battery, small spec bumps here and there, and a price tag of under $499, I would have bought it.

Phone arena has a site where you can compare the sizes. you can even calibrate the screen. The link below does put things into perspective. Still a tough call.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact vs Sony Xperia Z3 - Visual phone size compare

 

[Jeremy8000]

So now we will see if the nexus 6 is too big. Would be nice to just have one device and I've handled the note 4 which seems like a reasonable size. Good luck!

The Nexus 6 is larger than the Note 4, but not terribly so - and the rounded back makes it a bit more 'hand-friendly.' If the Note 4 feels ok in your hand and isn't right at the threshold of being too wide to hold, the Nexus 6 should be fine. Go check out the iPhone 6 Plus - they're very, very close in size.

PhoneArena has a great comparison tool



Edit: lol, strav22 beat me to it!

 

[Jeremy8000]

Its a tough decision. If Google had updated the Nexus 5 to a bigger battery, small spec bumps here and there, and a price tag of under $499, I would have bought it.

When Lollipop hits it, the N5 will feel as if its been given a slightly better processor, camera, and 30% larger battery, all without a change in price (unless it actually drops, which I don't foresee for some time).

 

[mattopotamus]

When Lollipop hits it, the N5 will feel as if its been given a slightly better processor, camera, and 30% larger battery, all without a change in price (unless it actually drops, which I don't foresee for some time).

I have only seen one website claim that amount of battery increase. All others said around 90 mins, which is far from 30%. Yesterday I had 10 hours on battery and 52m SOT and my battery was at 20%. That is just atrocious!

 

[strav22]

Where did you get the info on 30% larger battery? That would mean the Nexus 5 would feel like it has a ~2990 mAh battery. I'm doubting that is the case.

I take it off the charger at home at 6 am, by the time I get to work I'm at 65% or less. I run in the morning (stream music) and then read on the train (1-1.5 hour). Just seems like the Nexus 5 battery has never been up to par. If Lollipop really has this affect on the Nexus 5, I would consider staying where I'm at.

 

[Jeremy8000]

Where did you get the info on 30% larger battery? That would mean the Nexus 5 would feel like it has a ~2990 mAh battery. I'm doubting that is the case.

Arstechnica did a workup on it with an early developer preview (they actually came in at 36%). It's worth noting that this was with an earlier beta of 5.0, so it's possible the effective difference has moved either way (though more likely towards even greater efficiency than lesser), and the testing they conducted will not mirror yours precisely, so YMMV. But if your primary reason to consider a different phone is battery life and just a little more 'oomph' to the processor, you might want to hold off just a bit - Lollipop is officially released this coming Monday, and you can probably expect it to hit your Nexus 5 within 1-2 weeks at the most.

 

[strav22]

Thanks, I'll read the article. I would say I'm perfectly content with the processor. Battery life is my main concern.

 

[someguy01234]

I think the best thing to do is wait for a week after the Nexus 6 has been delivered to people and see what their thoughts on the battery life are. I am hoping Android L will improve battery life.

If you want something in the middle in size and with best battery life, the Verizon Droid Turbo may do it, it still work with GSM as far as I understand.

 

[codeda]

pretty sure the compact will kill the nexus 6 with battery but I'm ok with it if it just gets me through a full day with no troubles.

 

[rap4usa]

I switched from a Note 3 to a Z2, I honestly think that Sony finally came up with an awesome product, though they were some hiccups in the beginning (phone gets hot when taking video and etc) after resolving it, I really like the phone. With the Z3 out, there is no doubt I would get it. But there is something about the N6 that draws me to it. I guess is the size. Always have a soft spot for big screens.

 

[JRDroid]

I have only seen one website claim that amount of battery increase. All others said around 90 mins, which is far from 30%. Yesterday I had 10 hours on battery and 52m SOT and my battery was at 20%. That is just atrocious!

I don't know. 90 minutes and 30% are about the same thing on my N5.

 

[mattopotamus]

I don't know. 90 minutes and 30% are about the same thing on my N5.

I don't know. I'm almost certain you get more that 5 hours on battery. I get 10-12, so 3 hours and 90 mins is double the difference.

 

[Jeremy8000]

I don't know. I'm almost certain you get more that 5 hours on battery. I get 10-12, so 3 hours and 90 mins is double the difference.

The difference each person will see will vary dependent on a number of things, such as settings, apps installed, and nature/frequency of use. While I posted a link that showed one simple, scientific test done earlier, many people don't like to read through those things so here's an image showing the point of it...

​

In a nutshell: Nexus 5, 100% screen-on uptime, reloading a webpage every 15 seconds till the device powered down, all apps/settings identical so the only difference is the version of Android OS, we get this:

4.4.4: 345 minutes (5h45m)
5.0: 471 minutes (7h51m)
Difference: 126 minutes (2h6m)
So on 5.0, same task (fairly battery intensive), same device, same settings, one would get 36.5% longer battery usage.

It's also worth pointing out that a new "battery saver" feature built into 5.0 which even more aggressively extends effective battery duration when it hits 15% was turned off, or they might have gone even further.

Obviously, YMMV, but it seems pretty clear that the increase will be substantial regardless - and the ones who will need it most are generally the extreme power users for whom the above test might be close to representative of their usage.

 

[mattopotamus]

The difference each person will see will vary dependent on a number of things, such as settings, apps installed, and nature/frequency of use. While I posted a link that showed one simple, scientific test done earlier, many people don't like to read through those things so here's an image showing the point of it...

View attachment 144914​

In a nutshell: Nexus 5, 100% screen-on uptime, reloading a webpage every 15 seconds till the device powered down, all apps/settings identical so the only difference is the version of Android OS, we get this:

4.4.4: 345 minutes (5h45m)
5.0: 471 minutes (7h51m)
Difference: 126 minutes (2h6m)
So on 5.0, same task (fairly battery intensive), same device, same settings, one would get 36.5% longer battery usage.

It's also worth pointing out that a new "battery saver" feature built into 5.0 which even more aggressively extends effective battery duration when it hits 15% was turned off, or they might have gone even further.

Obviously, YMMV, but it seems pretty clear that the increase will be substantial regardless - and the ones who will need it most are generally the extreme power users for whom the above test might be close to representative of their usage.

Thanks for posting that. In other words that is a really bad test. I'm guessing the 90 minutes were closer to real world usage. That test is far from real world usage for pretty much anyone using it as a phone.

 

[Jeremy8000]

Thanks for posting that. In other words that is a really bad test. I'm guessing the 90 minutes were closer to real world usage. That test is far from real world usage for pretty much anyone using it as a phone.

I'd say it was an exceptional test in that it eliminated virtually all variables other than the version of OS, though would agree it is far from representative of most people's day-to-day use. It would be nice to see them run a similar test but with timed periods of relative inactivity, music/video streaming, etc.

 

[SteveISU]

Didnt' Sony just come out and say it was cutting back it's smartphone division when it achieved junk bond status?

 

[strav22]

I originally asked the question about the nexus vs the compact. I'm going to get a nexus 6 from T-Mobile and finance it. While the z3 compacts battery is fantastic, I really prefer a pure google experience. I've also looked into getting a tablet so the nexus 6 purchase will prevent me from getting a tablet. The nexus 6 will no doubt get better battery than my nexus 5.

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