Gadgetory

it's the biggest pure Google phone ever and there's a lot of prime technology packed into its ponderous frame does this Jolly blue giant punch above its weight class or fall on its fat face well neither but it's still the boldest Nexus yet I'm Michael Fisher this is PocketNow and this is our Nexus 6 review brought to you by Al key as we discussed in our earlier Nexus 6 comparisons with the Moto X and Nexus 5 Google's newest smartphone doesn't have much in common with either its immediate predecessor or its Moto from another mother most obviously the Nexus 6 is big as its Motorola code name implies and while we've seen oversized smartphones before we haven't seen one bearing the Nexus name on the one hand this isn't great while other so-called phablets have justified their large screens by filling the expanded canvas with extra features stock Android doesn't do that yet so you're left with a smartphone experience that just feels kind of inflated sound familiar look at the new calendar app it's wonderful and functional yes but on a screen this big and sharp why is there so much wasted space why don't I have two column view in messaging apps or the ability to use Google now or the homescreen and landscape mode if I want this thing's only an inch smaller than last year's Nexus 7 so it seems odd to restrict me from treating it like the pseudo phablet it is on the other hand the big screen does offer the usual advantages in browsing video reading and gaming sometimes bigger is just better and on a broader note average smartphone screen size is ballooning and these larger phones are selling to expect Google to sit on the sidelines for that is kind of irrational so yes the Nexus 6 is a big phone because it has to be and in exchange for that bigness you get some of the best specs you can find on a smart phone in 2014 specs that'll hold up well into next year on top of that Motorola's industrial design is outstanding as ever with an aluminum antenna band subtly tinted to match comfortably curved backside a spine dimple so you know where to rest your finger and loud front firing speakers two of them dotting the Gorilla Glass 3 up front I wish the soft touch paint job from the Nexus 5 could have made a return here because the plastic is a bit slippery on white and blue versions of the six but you can't have it all the big Nexus banner on the back means this phone is also a software showcase and here of course we're talking about Android 5.0 lollipop this is to our eye the most beautiful version of Android with gorgeous animations and more attention to detail than we've seen from the platform in the past it's a version of Android I'd feel comfortable recommending to someone intimidated by technology it's friendly enough for them while still powerful enough for technophiles and if you have both types of people in the same family you can switch back and forth between user profiles on the same phone so you're each set up with your own home screen and your own apps owners are admirers of the Moto X we'll also find things to like here there's a low-power lockscreen called ambient display that wakes up when you pull it from a pocket or pick it up from a desk and you can double tap a notification to jump right into the corresponding app and you can interact with the Nexus 6 with your voice even when the screen is off both of these features are better realized on the Moto X but it's great to see them here nonetheless ok Google what's the length of the USS Enterprise there are some downsides to lollipop on the 6 the size of the device makes one-handed use difficult especially if you're lying down and you want to get to the top of the screen say to access your notifications it's frustrating that Google didn't add a shortcut toggle down low for that purpose as some other manufacturers have done on their builds of Android more frustrating is the new volume control paradigm it took two steps to silence the ringer on the previous version of Android it takes double that on lollipop if you're listening to a song or a podcast you can't control the ringer behavior without digging into the Settings app or closing whatever you're listening to and while we appreciate the device wide encryptions lollipop brings all throughout the OS there are hints of lag stutter and hiccup whatever you want to call it many people think the encryption is to blame for it whatever the reason it's disheartening to see stock Android stutter in 2014 the Nexus 6 camera is powered by a slightly upgraded version of the Google camera app we've got to know a few months back it's friendly colorful and simple to use and that goes a little ways toward making up for its lack of manual controls as for the camera itself this is a 13 megapixel Sony sensor with optical stabilization and a fancy ring diffuser on its dual LED flash and the photos it kicks out are fine thanks to those comparison videos you mentioned earlier we know we prefer the Nexus 6 s photos to those of the Moto X and mostly the Nexus 5 so it's great to see that progress here I wouldn't mind a bit more punch to colors in contrast this camera tends to err on the safe side when it comes to the authentic versus oversaturated debate but you may prefer a more faithful reproduction of color to a more vibrant photo so that's a matter of preference my only real letdown is low-light performance which is just average and it's annoying to have to toggle HDR mode to really milk the highlights from those darker scenes the stabilization does do a fine job in video mode thankfully and while the focus jumps around a little bit the auto exposure is very quick to adjust to changing lighting conditions overall this is a fine camcorder in 1080p and you can shoot in 4k too if you want so what about the day to day slog we've had the Nexus 6 for nine days enough time to answer some of the questions you asked in the comments of our unboxing video and a popular one was what's it like to use such a big phone as a daily driver the answer awkward on the ear and taxing on the pockets but not only do you get used to it you learn to appreciate it in everything from added space on the keyboard to added room for movies the Nexus as you can tell the front firing speakers are incredibly good but I've had issues with variable or distorted audio in some apps like Spotify and Sparkle - and I'm not the only one add that to the list of lollipop issues Google needs to sort out better news near as I can tell audio through earbuds is just as good here as on any other modern Android that goes for everything from podcasts to hardcore gaming which the Nexus 6 handles as nicely as you'd expect given its Burley spec loadout while we're looking at that display you also asked about reports of variable color temperature and burn in or image retention well I haven't noticed anything of the kind on our unlocked or AT&T branded units this could be a batch specific issue there is a pronounced pink tint on the screens dimmest setting but that's a small price to pay for being able to comfortably use your phone and dark environments on medium to high brightness the screen is just okay in direct sunlight indoors it's quite vibrant with amyloids bottomless blacks and saturated colors making it stand out nicely I had no trouble talking on the Nexus 6 this is a Motorola handset after all and everything from audio quality to reception was spot-on my trouble came instead when I wanted to talk for a while or really do anything for a while because as big as this battery is it should really last longer than five and a half hours of screen on time in fact I'm lucky to get to four hours of screen on time in a day-long period with moderate mixed use screen brightness set to medium automatic and excellent LTE coverage on AT&T fortunately lollipop gives you a battery saver mode if you get into trouble and the Nexus 6 also gives you a few ways to charge it you've got a turbo charger right in the box that'll kick the phone from 0 to 15% in 10 minutes and a half charge in 40 minutes if you're more beguiled by convenience than speed you've got qi wireless charging built right in so you can drop it on a charger like the LG luna the most stylish wireless charger i've ever seen by the and keep an eye on your notifications while you top-up check the description below for details on that so what we have in the Nexus 6 is a rather mixed bag you're getting a fantastic spec sheet made into the most compatible and capable Radio stack around and lollipop is the prettiest Android yet in other ways like fluidity big screen optimizations and living up to big promises about the battery life it falls flat given that compromised you might expect me to say it's full retail price looks a little high but it really doesn't look at the equivalents on iOS and Windows Phone and the Nexus 6 kind of slots neatly in between them consumers just think the Nexus 6 is overpriced because the last two generations of Nexus phones have been wildly under priced and if cost is an issue you can get the Nexus 6 for cheaper or at least on an installment plan if you agree to a carrier contract to bring it all home the Nexus 6 is a lot like most large format smartphones with some missed opportunities on hardware and software alike but it also brings stock Android and a promise of timely updates backed up by a great track record assuming those updates continue to land regularly that makes the Nexus 6 if not our first choice then at least a solid Buy and a worthy addition to the Nexus portfolio this review was brought to you by al key maker of computer peripherals mobile power banks bluetooth speakers and of course wireless chargers like the Luna you saw in the video every alkie product was designed with details in mind by passionate gadget lovers who live and breathe technology and with a comprehensive worryfree guarantee customers spent less time fretting and more time enjoying cutting-edge gadgets so why make your digital life hard make it smart without key we talked about them to go check them out folks our Nexus 6 versus Moto X and Nexus 6 versus Nexus 5 comparison videos are live right now on YouTube and you can also see our full written review of the Nexus 6 at pocket now after December 4th linked in the description below until next time this has been michael fisher with pocket now captain to phones on twitter reminding you that time has no meaning in the Nexus we'll see you next time