Nexus 6 vs Nexus 6p relative performance?

[Jeremy8000]

I've had my Nexus 6 for almost a year now, and while I tolerated the N4 and really liked the N5, I love the N6. Sure I could nitpick a few things, but there wasn't anything anything substantially lacking as had been the case in earlier iterations.

That stated, now the N6P is out, and I'm waging an internal debate on whether I should upgrade or just wait another year for a more substantial difference in the next generation. I'm hoping that some of you who have come from the N6 to the N6P might be able to share some insight on a few specific relative performances between the two devices, as I haven't seen reviews speaking towards them specifically:

In direct comparison of the N6P's performance with that of the N6:

• ...How well does it find and retain a cellular signal?
• ...How loud and clear is the earpiece during a call? and the microphone, in terms of how others report your clarity when speaking with them?
• ...How loud and clear are the front-facing speakers?
• ...How readable and clear is the display in direct sunlight?

Also, does the N6P encrypt all data on the device, and if so... is it via hardware or software encryption, and can it be turned off/on without rooting the device?

Any other specific areas where the N6P performs poorly in comparison to the N6 (meaning features/functions that both support)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jeremy8000]

Surely someone out there must have gone to the N6P from the N6... If you could share your thoughts in regards to the questions above, it would be greatly appreciated - I haven't seen any reviews that go into the 'nitty gritty' details comparing actual performance levels between these devices, as comparisons tend to be towards other contemporary competitors.

 

[Aquila]

I have the 6 and have ordered the 6P, but it hasn't arrived yet.

 

[Robbie317]

I upgraded from the Nexus 6 to 6p. I had the 6 for almost a full year and I can say the 6p is much more of an upgrade than I thought it would be. As far as cellular signal that is hard to say.. I use T-Mobile and the 6p isn't certified or have band 12 activated so I have more dead zones with the 6p vs the 6 at the moment. I do however get better speeds with the 6p... I've swapped my SIM out a couple of times and the problem seems to be the 6 wants to default to band 12 all the time which is slower... Sitting at my desk at work the 6 connects to band 12 but speeds are in the 1 - 2 Mbps download... switch to the 6p and it is on band 4 with speeds in the 8 - 10 Mbps range... Be interesting to see what happens when the 6p (eventually?) gets band 12 support.

Call clarity is pretty good. I have had no issues hearing others and have had no complaints of people hearing me when on a call.

Front speakers are considerably louder than the 6. Clarity is up for debate. I think they sound pretty good... Better than the 6... but that is my opinion.

Clarity in sunlight is better than on the 6. Not considerably... The 6p is brand new and the 6 was a year old so comparing them side by side might not be the most ideal comparison. The screen is much crisper and brighter than the 6.

Overall the 6p is a very nice upgrade over the 6. I didn't have any issue using the 6 one handed and now that I have the 6p it's considerably more comfortable to handle one handed. Performance wise the phone just screams.... Battery life is way better.. I had 6.0 on my Nexus 6 for a week before I got the 6p and the battery improvements in 6.0 made a difference on the 6 but the 6p is WAY better...

That's all I got for now.. It's only been a week on the 6p so we will see how she does over time... so far I am very impressed and glad I upgraded.

 

[y2whisper]

I've had my Nexus 6 for almost a year now, and while I tolerated the N4 and really liked the N5, I love the N6. Sure I could nitpick a few things, but there wasn't anything anything substantially lacking as had been the case in earlier iterations.

That stated, now the N6P is out, and I'm waging an internal debate on whether I should upgrade or just wait another year for a more substantial difference in the next generation. I'm hoping that some of you who have come from the N6 to the N6P might be able to share some insight on a few specific relative performances between the two devices, as I haven't seen reviews speaking towards them specifically:

In direct comparison of the N6P's performance with that of the N6:

• ...How well does it find and retain a cellular signal?
• ...How loud and clear is the earpiece during a call? and the microphone, in terms of how others report your clarity when speaking with them?
• ...How loud and clear are the front-facing speakers?
• ...How readable and clear is the display in direct sunlight?

Also, does the N6P encrypt all data on the device, and if so... is it via hardware or software encryption, and can it be turned off/on without rooting the device?

Any other specific areas where the N6P performs poorly in comparison to the N6 (meaning features/functions that both support)?

Thanks in advance!

Its been just a week but so far...

I notice it does go back to LTE after a phone call faster MOST of the time than the 6
Don't know about call clarity seems to be fine might be even
Speakers are really good for a phone. better than the 6 here
It is better in the sun still not the greatest but an improvement.

as for encryption it is encrypted and yes you would have to modify your system to get that turned off. It is software encrypted (from the redit ama done about a month ago)

 

[CarbonOak]

I also upgraded from the 6 to 6P on Verizon and it was well worth it.

--Call quality is great and I feel like reception is slightly better
--Speakers are also great. They are crisper and louder than the 6
--The screen is beautiful, colors look great, and the screen is brighter than the 6, better to see in sunlight.
--While I had occasional hiccups and bouts of sluggishness on the 6, the 6P has had stellar performance with no problems.
--I love the size. The 6P is slightly thinner, lighter, and just a tad more slippery than the 6, but it feels much more comfortable to hold and I have smallish hands. Reminds me a lot of the Droid X, which I liked.
--Battery life is considerably better. I miss the convenience of wireless charging that the 6 had, but fast charging with type C makes up for it.

 

[Robbie317]

I miss the convenience of wireless charging that the 6 had

I second this..... I miss wireless charging a lot more than I thought I would.... Doze is awesome. It's nice to set the phone down for 4, 5 or 6 hours and only lose 2% battery life.

 

[planoman]

I had the Nexus 6 since last November and sold it to get the Nexus 6P. None of the reasons that you mention are a reason to upgrade based my needs and on my experience with both. I flashed Marshmallow on my Nexus 6 the first day it was out and it improved the performance and battery life significantly IMO. The Nexus 6 did all of the things you mention very well. There may be a slight edge in performance to the 6P but the Moto radios were very good as were the speakers. The screen does seems crisper on the 6P, but I have not tried in sunlight as that is not something I do usually.

I upgraded for the size, namely less width. I never completely got used to how wide the Nexus 6 was and the 6P is much better for my hand. I also wanted the fingerprint scanner as I use it a ton for apps etc on my iPhone so I hope that banking and financial apps get upgraded on android soon. I also use my camera a lot and camera is noticeably better on the 6P. I have not done enough cycles on the battery but so far I am impressed with the 6P but the 6 was no slouch especially after Marshmallow. The 6P does have a larger capacity battery. Wireless charging was nice, but I miss quick charge more since finding an extra charger and getting the right cables is not as easy as I thought it would be in the usb type C world. At least I have the one that came with the 6P. Trying to avoid dropping $40 on an extra set from the Google Store.

We all have our reasons for what we consider an upgrade. Overall the Nexus 6P is a measurably better all round device to me. YMMV.

 

[choclab1]

I second this..... I miss wireless charging a lot more than I thought I would.... Doze is awesome. It's nice to set the phone down for 4, 5 or 6 hours and only lose 2% battery life.

I really, really miss wireless charging. I'd like to second that...

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Nreeldeep]

I've had my Nexus 6 for almost a year now, and while I tolerated the N4 and really liked the N5, I love the N6. Sure I could nitpick a few things, but there wasn't anything anything substantially lacking as had been the case in earlier iterations.

That stated, now the N6P is out, and I'm waging an internal debate on whether I should upgrade or just wait another year for a more substantial difference in the next generation. I'm hoping that some of you who have come from the N6 to the N6P might be able to share some insight on a few specific relative performances between the two devices, as I haven't seen reviews speaking towards them specifically:

In direct comparison of the N6P's performance with that of the N6:

• ...How well does it find and retain a cellular signal?
• ...How loud and clear is the earpiece during a call? and the microphone, in terms of how others report your clarity when speaking with them?
• ...How loud and clear are the front-facing speakers?
• ...How readable and clear is the display in direct sunlight?

Also, does the N6P encrypt all data on the device, and if so... is it via hardware or software encryption, and can it be turned off/on without rooting the device?

Any other specific areas where the N6P performs poorly in comparison to the N6 (meaning features/functions that both support)?

Thanks in advance!

Beautifully structured post! Hope you get some good, solid feedback in order to help you in your decision.

 

[AnnDroid]

I've only taken one call (2 days with phone) and it was cellphone to cellphone, so just as crappy as with every other cellphone I've had.

I disagree with others about the speakers. I still have my N6 and speaker loudness was a selling point for me. I did a test with both phones sitting almost touching each other. I played a podcast, same episode, used the same player (BeyondPod) and played it at the same spot in the podcast on both phones. We have a sound meter for loudness (hubby's device, I don't know it's name). Same reading on both phones, both phones at max volume level. I don't listen to music, so I can't judge quality, but hubby is an audiophile and he heard no real difference in quality.

I changed carriers, from Project Fi to Cricket, so can't help with signal.

I just took both phones outside and cranked the brightness to max. It's a bright sunny Calif day. Both phones look similar; I can read both easily in sunlight. They do have different color 'values'.

What I like about the phone, whites are a blueish on the N6P and the N6 is on the yellow-side. The blueish looks crisper, cleaner. Yellow-ish whites look faded to me.

I love, love that I can sign into LastPass with my fingerprint.
Battery life is already noticeably better. I rarely put down a phone, so I haven't seen doz kick in as yet.

Just my opinion, it's an incremental upgrade. I never minded and prefer the size of the N6 and I think it's a better looking phone.