Which phone should I get the Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6?

[elprime]

Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

So - I've literally had a free Nexus 6 fall into my lap (Canadian cell carrier contest).

I've had an unlocked Nexus 5 since February. Aside from a few issues (battery, not spectacular coverage, but that's probably carrier-side), I like it quite a bit.

The question is: keep my 5 and sell the in-box 6 for upwards of $700-800, or upgrade, and sell the 5 for probably half that at best.

I like the sounds of the camera and battery upgrades, as well as the improved audio/speakers, but I have rather small hands and have mercilessly mocked friends with phablets.

Help and feedback appreciated.

 

[brosko]

Re: Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

Both phones are great. I guess it all comes down to your preference for the size of your phone. Me I would take the n5 any day. A phone with a 6" screen kinda defeats the purpose of a phone for me.

 

[salmanahmad]

Re: Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

I would probably go for a Nexus 5 because of the ease of use and carrying it around.

I have slightly big hands and I could probably manage a Nexus 6 however:

1) It would stick out of my pocket definitely.

2) I find that the Nexus 5 is still one of the best smart phones out there, the only small sacrifice being the battery life.

The camera, screen, SOC, just about everything else is great.

With that said I am running a custom kernel, something which might interest you, its called ElementalX and it has been giving me some stunning battery life.

 

[TraderGary]

Re: Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

I've had a Nexus 5 since it was introduced. It's a superb phone and my wife has it now. She likes the size, but for me, after using the Nexus 6, the Nexus 5 seems so small.

My preference is to have a tablet that happens to have a phone in it. For me it is far more important to have a larger screen. I'm happy that we've finally gotten away from tiny phones with tiny screens.

 

[Jeremy8000]

Re: Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

So - I've literally had a free Nexus 6 fall into my lap (Canadian cell carrier contest).

I've had an unlocked Nexus 5 since February. Aside from a few issues (battery, not spectacular coverage, but that's probably carrier-side), I like it quite a bit.

The question is: keep my 5 and sell the in-box 6 for upwards of $700-800, or upgrade, and sell the 5 for probably half that at best.

I like the sounds of the camera and battery upgrades, as well as the improved audio/speakers, but I have rather small hands and have mercilessly mocked friends with phablets.

Help and feedback appreciated.

Do you consider your Nexus to be a phone with media/browsing capabilities, or a media/browsing device with phone capabilities?

If the former, unless you feel really hindered by the battery life, I'd suggest staying with the Nexus 5. A bigger screen really only shines best when you're looking at it, and if your primary use is for calls you're just having to hold up a larger slab to your face the rest of the time. If the latter, don't even think about it - go with the Nexus 6. The screen quality, size, and speaker performance yield a much better experience.

As to network, Motorola radios are widely considered to be among the very best, and from my experience (T-Mobile, GSM network), the Nexus 6 gets noticeably better signal strength and connectivity speeds than the Nexus 5. YMMV.

With small hands, the big consideration is as to whether you mind using both hands with the device, as you'll need to for many more tasks than required both with the Nexus 5.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Re: Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

Do you consider your Nexus to be a phone with media/browsing capabilities, or a media/browsing device with phone capabilities?

If the former, unless you feel really hindered by the battery life, I'd suggest staying with the Nexus 5. A bigger screen really only shines best when you're looking at it, and if your primary use is for calls you're just having to hold up a larger slab to your face the rest of the time. If the latter, don't even think about it - go with the Nexus 6. The screen quality, size, and speaker performance yield a much better experience.

As to network, Motorola radios are widely considered to be among the very best, and from my experience (T-Mobile, GSM network), the Nexus 6 gets noticeably better signal strength and connectivity speeds than the Nexus 5. YMMV.

With small hands, the big consideration is as to whether you mind using both hands with the device, as you'll need to for many more tasks than required both with the Nexus 5.

I can confirm the experience with the radios. I actually had to return my nexus 5 last year, due to very disappointing signal issues. My nexus 6 is spectacular in this area, outpacing every other phone I have owned.

 

[VW Maverick]

Re: Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

Keep the 6.

Mav.

Sent from my Sprint Tri-Band Nexus 6.

 

[elprime]

Re: Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

Hmm - all very helpful, thanks.

On the one hand, there's really nothing WRONG with my 5, despite some nagging annoyances (battery, losing signal at my office - in a high building outside of the main city centre), so I wasn't dying to upgrade, but I definitely hadn't considered my main use case, as mentioned above.

For me it's definitely more of a web browser/media device than a phone - I make/get 10-12 calls a month, tops - so it sounds like the 6 could be a nice bump up in a few areas. Plus the reception thing sounds like a nice plus as well (being on a smaller carrier, even in a major city like Toronto, means my coverage isn't spectacular).

I think I'm starting to lean even closer to just embracing the upgrade, even if it means losing out on some extra holiday cash from selling a BNIB Nexus 6 to a cash-drunk tech head. It's still a decent chunk of unexpected change.

 

[stanny]

Re: Nexus 5 vs Nexus 6

Nexus looks really big. Don't know if I'll ever go so big.