Gadgetory

in the world of Android there are few phones as revered as the Nexus 5 for an affordable price you can get up-to-date software in a simplistic but attractive body but here comes a new challenger the oneplus one that hopes to take that crown by quite literally being bigger in every way except for the price but how did they actually fare when stacked up against one another well let's find out because it's Josh McCown from Android authority what's going on everybody and this is the oneplus one versus the Nexus 5 as far as design goes you couldn't really be looking at two more different devices the first glaring difference between these two deals with size as the oneplus one towers over the Nexus 5 by having a screen almost half an inch larger while five-inch screen devices have been the norm the move toward larger devices has begun to overshadow the standard when the Nexus 5 was first released we loved the more minimalistic design choices that included a soft touch back and its own design quirk of having the Nexus logo sideways but other than that we have a comfortable feeling phone with a typical button layout and otherwise very few thrills on the other hand the larger 1+1 sports a little more flair with a silver lining around the front panel that also has capacitive buttons which don't have to be used and around the back of this particular version is the samstone black material that is akin to a soft feeling sandpaper and ultimately provides quite a bit of grip the what-you-see-is-what-you-get motif of the Nexus 5 is not found on the oneplus one as the back cover of the one can be replaced for example a bamboo backing is already spotted on the oneplus website now when what is underneath the hood seems to matter more with these two phones we thus find a similar story either way when it comes to design but we do have to factor in the size difference the Nexus 5 is a very easy phone to handle especially when you compare it to the large oneplus one which does get some credit for not being impossible to use in one hand though the 5.5 inch screen size is probably the limit of comfort for the general user that same general user might end up going for the small device more often than not anyway the Nexus 5 might be simplistic but it doesn't feel like being unique the oneplus one does think outside the box a little bit and its overall larger flare results in an attractive body all-around to light up the displays and we have no choice but to factor in the size once again Nexus 5 screen is a now common five inch IPS performer compared to the 5.5 inch LTPS panel of the oneplus one it's pretty obvious what the advantages and disadvantages are larger screens allow for a more enjoyable media experience whether it be with video games or even text in website viewing but the Nexus 5's smaller stature does definitely doesn't detract from its good experience five inches is plenty for users out there and as we mentioned before it is by far the easier size to handle in one hand and as far as quality goes both of these displays provide very similar and very good experiences with great viewing angles and similar color production while the pixel density of the oneplus wayne's a little by virtue of the larger screen it isn't a difference that is at all easy to spot it comes down to whether or not you want the larger screen but I've had a good time on either of these phones anyway it is in performance that we might see the Nexus 5 lose some ground simply because it is the older phone its snapdragon 800 has been outgunned by now by the newer snapdragon 801 that we find in the oneplus one ultimately the difference in power is negligible especially for the general user as you should be able to get great performance from either device the onus is more or less on the software to provide the smooth and optimized performance to take full advantage of the processing and here you can't find a better look at two different spectrums on the one hand we have the Nexus 5's fully updated Android ecosystem and the promise of Google's backing for the foreseeable future on the other hand we have sandwich in mind always diligently working to ensure that their operating system is not only up-to-date but performing a tip-top shape for the phone that they've graced and these two motifs seem to really benefit either device as the Nexus 5 provides the canvas for all software to thrive on Santa gen does well to take full advantage of that canvas to continuously tweak and optimize their otherwise snappy experience for a number of users this might be where the oneplus one pulls ahead as it does provide more than the minimalistic Nexus 5 both provide the same connectivity packages and will provide the user with clearer calls especially after the fixed call volume in the current final units of the one speaking of volume neither of these devices provide stereo sound quality in the loudspeaker as the Nexus 5 only sports one speaker in one of the bottom grills compared to the dual mono speakers of the oneplus one which admittedly does get pretty loud but in the 1+1 the version that is priced the same as the Nexus 5 comes with a whopping 64 gigabytes of storage which is more than enough to tide over even the power user and in our experience the oneplus one could use a little more longevity but ultimately its battery life is still quite better than the Nexus 5 which can knock out with heavier usage in under a day when it comes to the cameras I think we all remember the case of the Nexus 5 in which its camera though touted for being good at capturing memories actually didn't really do much justice to the hype luckily after an update this 8 megapixel shooter did get a nice boost and became a pretty decent shooter in its own right the interface is a pretty simplistic Google camera providing only some control over shots and modes like photosphere HDR and the more recent lens blur on the other hand the oneplus one sports a 13 megapixel shooter that we found got the job done quite well with good quality all around and plenty of options to cater your shot swipe around the interface and you will easily be able to change the mode while going deeper in will allow you to change many settings like even the video codec of choice for your movie capturing quality ultimately favors the oneplus one not only because of its higher resolution and its inherent color reproduction but also because it's quality can be catered in the various modes to the kind of shot that you want the Nexus 5 is not a bad performer by any means and is good for the general user but not anyone that is looking for more out of their smartphone photography and finally in software we take another look at two different sides of the spectrum one that is vanilla and the other that can be somewhat described as swirl the Nexus 5 is the beloved Android device by virtue of being Google's own envisioning of their mobile ecosystem it is quintessentially the way Google intended Android to be for better or worse you get the vanilla stock Android KitKat experience with the usual tropes ranging from the home screens to the notification quick setting shade and a couple of Easter eggs later throughout its the canvas by which you can truly create the experience you want and all elements that are otherwise static are actually still really easy on the eyes there's no faulting the speed and optimization put into KitKat and at the same time its release of its of this version of Android was received quite well and has only continued to grow from there but those who want more on top of the vanilla experience already have a long history of making their vision a reality and none are more recognizable than perhaps cyanogen cm 11s the operating system on the oneplus one might look like a stock android experience at first glance but it does bring with it powerful features that plenty of users may have at one point or another wished the stock build had customization coming out the woodwork from the theme showcase to even the ability to cater the quick settings to one's liking are further bolstered by features like waking gestures to hopefully create the ultimate Android experience throw on top of all of that a great gallery app the ability to natively record your screen and even the choice to opt for soft keys instead of the built-in capacitive keys and you get an Android experience that feels like it gives you more power than ever for users that really want a customizable experience the CyanogenMod flavor of KitKat is quite great but we won't count out the vanilla flavor because not only is it easy to use right out of the box by virtue of being simple and thus fast it is also the Android that will be updated before all others a feature that has consistently made the Nexus 5 the more desirable choice for Android purists and thus here is the rum both of these phones are priced the same at three hundred and fifty dollars while that feels like a great price for any high powered smartphone this is the premium price for the oneplus one for the 64 gigabyte version and the base model for the nexus 5 and given all that the oneplus one does offer at this price it might seem like the better choice but for the general user the answer might not be so simple after all the opportunity to get a oneplus one is still a little scarce and the Nexus 5 has been widely available for some time now the larger everything includes the size of the one making it the harder to manipulate device for any and all users out there who reminisce about a time when phones were much smaller and easier to use and in the Nexus 5 people who want the latest and greatest of Android can get it first before all of the devices out there including the oneplus one if bigger is ultimately better for you then it doesn't get any better than the smaller price of the oneplus one for others who don't need so much to enjoy the smartphone life the Nexus 5 was and still is a fine choice so no matter which side of the KitKat you end up choosing we still think you will be quite satisfied as always thank you guys very much for watching and hope you enjoyed this comparison of the oneplus one and the Nexus 5 we will have more compare of the 1+1 since it is slowly becoming more available to all of you users out there to the flagship devices that we already have so you can see if the 1+1 is the choice for you in this case I do believe that both of these phones are kind of on par on the one hand you do get a lot of power and features in the 1+1 but the Nexus 5 is our beloved Android purest phone so you have to really see which camp you're in in order to find out which phone is better for you but nonetheless stay tuned to Android authority for all of the best coverage including our future coverage of the oneplus one compared to the various flagships we have now you can see the full reviews for both of these phones on the right side over there where you can click on either of the 4 reviews and check them out after that drop us some likes on our videos subscribe if you haven't already and remember that Android 30.com is your source for all things Android