So some thoughts on Nexus 5 coming from iOS

[RavenSword]

So, I have been using a nexus 5 for the past 3 days , and I have some thoughts coming from a 5S.

So, the first thing I noticed was battery life. Maybe it's me using my nexus 5 a lot, but I can't seem to really make it until the end of the day comfortably. And I'm honestly using it as much as I did my 5S.

I also remember why I liked widgets, but honestly I think I just prefer opening the app instead. So maybe I'm not the right person to make use of them.

I notice I'm micromanaging the phone a lot to try and extend battery life. Such as eliminating background refreshing in apps, location stuff, constantly looking at my battery usage screen, and etc. it feels like I might be turning off stuff that makes android android though. Is this babying necessary?

And also, I'm worrying how a potential permanent switch to android for my phone is going to impact my already existing apple products and possible future ones. I have a iPad, a Apple TV, and I plan on getting a MacBook over a laptop PC one day . I still like apple products a lot. I just don't think their phones might do it for me right now.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

The Nexus 5's primary weakness is its battery. With light to moderate use, I can usually get through the day with maybe 30% left on the battery by the end of the day. But if I'm doing some heavy surfing or game playing, I'll have to recharge it at least once. In general, you'll get a total of 3-4 hrs of screen-on time per charge.

It may be worth getting a wireless charger and making a habit of just leaving it on the charger when you're not using it. It may not seem like much of a difference, but the simple act of finding your microUSB charger and actually plugging it into your phone multiple times can quickly become a hassle, while just placing the phone on a pad and picking it up when you need it is very easy and natural. This will keep the battery juiced up more often.

I don't really use widgets much myself. I like using a clock widget (DIGI Clock) because I want to see the time easily, and I can customize it with neat fonts. I also have the Google Keep widget on a homescreen since I use it for To-Do lists. If you listen to a lot of music, the Google Play Music widget (or Pandora widget, or whichever music app you use) can be pretty handy.

I think most people obsess about battery life to a certain extent. In terms of turning off various services or changing data refresh to manual, it just depends on what you're comfortable with. I turn off Facebook automatic refresh because I don't need it to be accessing the web and refreshing when I don't look at it. It refreshes once when I open it, and that's enough for me. I also turn off Location Reporting because I don't need other people on Google+ to know where I am at all times. If I know I won't be using the phone much for a certain period of time, I'll toggle off 4G and wifi, which is easy to do with Power Toggles. Doing things like these can squeeze out a little more battery life, but it's not like you're going to get an extra hour of screen time.

Having primarily Apple products and then a Nexus 5 is doable, but it's clearly not going to be as closely integrated. There aren't any iOS apps for Android devices, while there are some very nice Google apps for iOS.

 

[RavenSword]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

The Nexus 5's primary weakness is its battery. With light to moderate use, I can usually get through the day with maybe 30% left on the battery by the end of the day. But if I'm doing some heavy surfing or game playing, I'll have to recharge it at least once. In general, you'll get a total of 3-4 hrs of screen-on time per charge.

It may be worth getting a wireless charger and making a habit of just leaving it on the charger when you're not using it. It may not seem like much of a difference, but the simple act of finding your microUSB charger and actually plugging it into your phone multiple times can quickly become a hassle, while just placing the phone on a pad and picking it up when you need it is very easy and natural. This will keep the battery juiced up more often.

I don't really use widgets much myself. I like using a clock widget (DIGI Clock) because I want to see the time easily, and I can customize it with neat fonts. I also have the Google Keep widget on a homescreen since I use it for To-Do lists. If you listen to a lot of music, the Google Play Music widget (or Pandora widget, or whichever music app you use) can be pretty handy.

I think most people obsess about battery life to a certain extent. In terms of turning off various services or changing data refresh to manual, it just depends on what you're comfortable with. I turn off Facebook automatic refresh because I don't need it to be accessing the web and refreshing when I don't look at it. It refreshes once when I open it, and that's enough for me. I also turn off Location Reporting because I don't need other people on Google+ to know where I am at all times. If I know I won't be using the phone much for a certain period of time, I'll toggle off 4G and wifi, which is easy to do with Power Toggles. Doing things like these can squeeze out a little more battery life, but it's not like you're going to get an extra hour of screen time.

Having primarily Apple products and then a Nexus 5 is doable, but it's clearly not going to be as closely integrated. There aren't any iOS apps for Android devices, while there are some very nice Google apps for iOS.

So what's the better option? To use my nexus 7 and a PC for tablet and computer? I know things won't work as seem less , but is like to continue using what I think is best at the time.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

One big factor is how much do you use Google services? If you're pretty heavily invested in them, then stick with the Nexus 5 and install Google apps onto your iPad, and install Chrome on your Mac.

 

[RavenSword]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

One big factor is how much do you use Google services? If you're pretty heavily invested in them, then stick with the Nexus 5 and install Google apps onto your iPad, and install Chrome on your Mac.

I use chrome on my desktop, and am going to start using it on my iPad , even though there's a performance hit.

Yeah, I'm pretty invested in google. I use gmail, chrome, put photos on plus, and things like that.

 

[RavenSword]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

I really think my only issue is the nexus 5 battery life. Really wish it was better.

I'm not sure if maybe a moto x might have been a better choice?

But I would then give up the screen, fast updated, and I'm not exactly sure where lenovo is taking Motorola in the future.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

Those were some of the same considerations I had when I was deciding. The Moto X is clearly a great phone, but for me, the screen just seemed a little too small compared to the Nexus 5. I actually am not worried about what Lenovo will do with Motorola, because Lenovo seems hungry for the mobile market, so I suspect they'll take good care of their investment.

If battery life is a big concern with the Nexus 5, consider getting a portable external battery/charger. They're constantly getting smaller and more lightweight, so they're no longer that inconvenient to carry around (or to have handy in your car or office).

 

[dkhmwilliams]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

Congratulations on your new Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 was a great smartphone for me. I actually didn't have an issue with the battery life. It seemed sufficient to me. You have to be cognizant of your usage. New devices tend to get more of our attention. This can contribute to battery drain. Also, the brightness on the N5 is really high. I usually would turn it way down. I never turned off LTE, or stopped syncing anything. I would usually make it through a workday with 40-50 percent battery left. As for the widgets, I would keep a few. I liked the widgets for Google Calendar, Google keep, Google Music, and Gmail. I never used live wallpapers. It truly was one of the best devices I have owned this year behind the Chrome book C 720 and my Note 3.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 3... yeah, it's spectacular!

 

[RavenSword]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

Congratulations on your new Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 was a great smartphone for me. I actually didn't have an issue with the battery life. It seemed sufficient to me. You have to be cognizant of your usage. New devices tend to get more of our attention. This can contribute to battery drain. Also, the brightness on the N5 is really high. I usually would turn it way down. I never turned off LTE, or stopped syncing anything. I would usually make it through a workday with 40-50 percent battery left. As for the widgets, I would keep a few. I liked the widgets for Google Calendar, Google keep, Google Music, and Gmail. I never used live wallpapers. It truly was one of the best devices I have owned this year behind the Chrome book C 720 and my Note 3.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 3... yeah, it's spectacular!

I have a dumb question: when using WiFi, should I turn data off? Or does that not matter? Didn't know if data being enabled while using WiFi causes drain.

And yeah, um using it a lot because its new.

 

[RavenSword]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

Those were some of the same considerations I had when I was deciding. The Moto X is clearly a great phone, but for me, the screen just seemed a little too small compared to the Nexus 5. I actually am not worried about what Lenovo will do with Motorola, because Lenovo seems hungry for the mobile market, so I suspect they'll take good care of their investment.

If battery life is a big concern with the Nexus 5, consider getting a portable external battery/charger. They're constantly getting smaller and more lightweight, so they're no longer that inconvenient to carry around (or to have handy in your car or office).

Yeah, thinking of getting a smaller external battery or even the wireless charger. I have a 10,000 mAh external batterry , but its too tall to keep in my pocket. Its good to have on the road though.

Is the wireless charger good?

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

I have two wireless chargers--the one from Zens (available on ShopAndroid) and the one from LG. Both work flawlessly.

Posted via Android Central App--please excuse the brevity and any typos!

 

[jj14x]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

I have a dumb question: when using WiFi, should I turn data off? Or does that not matter? Didn't know if data being enabled while using WiFi causes drain.

And yeah, um using it a lot because its new.

It doesn't matter - when WiFi is on and connected, apps will use that instead of mobile data. You can leave mobile data is on or off - that will not cause additional battery drain.

Regarding your initial post, I'd recommend just a few things

1. Set location to "Battery saving" (GPS level accuracy is needed only for a very few apps like Navigation - and those apps will prompt you for that when they need that)
2. Be aware of the big battery drainers
   • Screen on (set brightness to what you think you need - lower is better for battery)
   • Low cellular signal strength
   • Navigation
   • Mobile data use will consume more battery than WiFi
   Some folks will disagree, but a reboot every week or so often will help. Personally, I have gotten into a habit of rebooting whenever I finish charging at night, and taking the phone off the charger - but a daily reboot is definitely not needed.

Don't bother with killing apps/tasks etc. Some widgets that update very frequently will cause excessive battery drain.

Use your phone as you would (for the first few weeks, you will likely be using it a lot, going thru' the various settings, tweaking the layout etc, so battery use will be higher). It depends on your usage, but with medium usage (screen on for 2-3 hours, with voice calls for an hour or so, and some music streaming etc), you should be able to get thru' an average day with battery to spare.
(If you root, there are other options, but root is usually not needed to get battery life to get thru' your avg day.

If you see excessive battery drain, look at the "Battery" in settings, and it will show you what app/process was using what percentage of your battery charge. Use that to figure out what is sucking up the battery by keeping your phone awake.

 

[LegalAmerican]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

I also baby my battery on my Nexus 5, but I feel like it's completely worth it for the huge, amazing screen. I know a lot of iPhone users wonder why Android batteries don't seem to produce the same performance, but keep in mind that the screen is so much larger on these Android devices. I wish manufacturers would counter that with larger batteries, but aside from a few here and there they have refused to do so. Until then, I do what's necessary to have a reasonably sized screen. I'm anxious to see how the iPhone battery holds up when they enter 2011 in terms of screen size. A 5" screen with strong battery would be extremely appealing to me.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

So, I have been using a nexus 5 for the past 3 days , and I have some thoughts coming from a 5S.

So, the first thing I noticed was battery life. Maybe it's me using my nexus 5 a lot, but I can't seem to really make it until the end of the day comfortably. And I'm honestly using it as much as I did my 5S.

I also remember why I liked widgets, but honestly I think I just prefer opening the app instead. So maybe I'm not the right person to make use of them.

I notice I'm micromanaging the phone a lot to try and extend battery life. Such as eliminating background refreshing in apps, location stuff, constantly looking at my battery usage screen, and etc. it feels like I might be turning off stuff that makes android android though. Is this babying necessary?

Not for me. I don't have problem going through the day comfortably. I don't play games on it a lot though...mostly web browsing and reading books and MP3s at the gym. I do use widgets.

And also, I'm worrying how a potential permanent switch to android for my phone is going to impact my already existing apple products and possible future ones.

...which is exactly why Apple likes to make things Proprietary. It is no accident.

But if the main reason to stay with a platform is because you are afraid to lose what you invested in it already, what does that say about that platform?

I have a iPad, a Apple TV, and I plan on getting a MacBook over a laptop PC one day . I still like apple products a lot. I just don't think their phones might do it for me right now.

Using both platforms will be expensive. There is no way around that. Thats why most people pick one or the other.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

It doesn't matter - when WiFi is on and connected, apps will use that instead of mobile data. You can leave mobile data is on or off - that will not cause additional battery drain.

Actually it can, if your signal is weak. Because the LTE will constantly be turning off and on. I think Jerry mentioned something about this a while back, and he suspected it was the cause of the crappy battery life early on for the Nexus.

Anandtech's tests did not produce bad results though.

AnandTech | Google Nexus 5 Review

 

[thawkth]

One thing most people miss:

Autobrightness on the N5 is cranked a bit high. Switch to manual control and turn it down to where you are comfortable.

In Location settings, switch to battery saving mode.


Those two things should make a HUGE difference.

Also, check your battery stats and maybe one of the monitoring apps from the market - you might find a specific app is draining your battery by keeping the phone awake.

 

[jj14x]

Re: So some thoughts on nexus 5 coming from iOS.

Actually it can, if your signal is weak. Because the LTE will constantly be turning off and on. I think Jerry mentioned something about this a while back, and he suspected it was the cause of the crappy battery life early on for the Nexus.

When connected to WiFi, why would data connection over LTE even be attempted? Or do you mean that if user is using LTE (instead of the 3g radio), a weak LTE signal (for voice connectivity) will cause battery drain? If so, that is true, but that is regardless of whether WiFi is enabled or not. A weak cellular signal (3g or LTE or 1x) will cause higher battery drain.

 

[RavenSword]

I'm kind of annoyed though that u have to monitor if apps are ducking down battery unnecessarily. Why cant everything just work nice together?

 

[JohnnyBroccoli]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't shutting down your data connection while on WiFi make it so you can't receive texts and phone calls?

I definitely wouldn't bother with shutting it off regardless.

 

[neonworm]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't shutting down your data connection while on WiFi make it so you can't receive texts and phone calls?

I definitely wouldn't bother with shutting it off regardless.

Nope. It has nothing to do with calls and texts.