The Google Nexus 6 has finally been released, but this time around it carries a price tag that's a little higher than previous handset options.
With the extra cash the new device costs, many are wondering if it's worth the money to upgrade, especially as Google continues to sell the Nexus 5 at a substantially lower cost than the Nexus 6. Here are the specs of the two devices compared with one another.
Design
The design of the Nexus 6 is completely different from that of the Nexus 5. In fact, this year's Nexus smartphone is so different that it enters a different device category, the phablet. With a 5.96-inch display rather than a 4.96-inch screen, the Nexus 6 is much bigger than the Nexus 5. But the design changes don't stop there. Motorola has designed this year's Nexus phone rather than LG, and it is easy to tell. In many ways, the Nexus 6 looks simply like an oversized Moto X.
Motorola was able to pull off a few engineering marvels to ensure the Nexus 6 wasn't too big. The bezels are really thin and, proportional to the screen size, the device is lighter and more compact than almost any of its rivals, such as the iPhone 6 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
Performance
The Nexus 6 isn't just a monster when it comes to size. Under the hood, the device is equally as impressive. The Nexus 6 has skipped two generations of processors compared with the Nexus 5 and includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, which is not only faster with its 2.7 GHz quad-core, but is much better on extending battery life.
Storage and Memory
The Nexus 6 steps up the Nexus range's game when it comes to built-in storage, this time coming with a maximum of 64 GB of storage, double the 32 GB that was found in the Nexus 5. While this is surprising considering the fact everything is moving to the cloud, it's still nice users have that option, especially those who have data plans that will get eaten up through streaming music and similar things.
The Nexus 6 also brings more memory to the table, now including 3 GB of RAM over the 2 GB found in the Nexus 5. Coupled with the Snapdragon 805 processor, the Nexus 6 is certainly a phone to reckon with when it comes to sheer power.
Camera
Last year's Nexus 5 was largely criticized for its below-par camera, with many saying this is one of the ways Google and LG cut costs to make the device cheaper. The Nexus 6, however, looks to have improved on this, at least a little. Rather than the 8-MP rear camera found on the Nexus 5, the Nexus 6 includes a 13-MP shooter on the rear with an f/2.0 aperture. The camera also supports 4K video, which is a very nice addition although not totally unexpected.
The Nexus 6, like the Nexus 5, also includes a feature that many phones are starting to include and that is optical image stabilization, or OIS.
Last of all, the front-facing camera has been improved from 1.3-MP to 2-MP -- perfect for the avid selfie-taker or video-chatter.
Display
One of the main selling points of the Nexus 6 is the fact that the device's display is huge. There's really no competition with the Nexus 5, but for perspective, the Nexus 6 has added over an inch of diagonal screen real estate, and the resolution of the device improved to a 2K display, or 2560 x 1440 pixels.
The Nexus 6 also has a different screen type, including an AMOLED display like the Moto X. Because of the stunning display on the Moto X, it is expected that the Nexus 6 will have a similar quality.
Battery
Not only is the battery a higher capacity on the Nexus 6, jumping from 2300 mAh to 3220 mAh, but also both Nexus 6 and Nexus 5 users will now enjoy the benefits of "Project Volta," which is Google's focus on boosting the battery life of Android devices that has been included in Android 5.0 Lollipop. Google boasts the battery in the Nexus 6 can last for up to 10 hours of 4G Web surfing and 330 hours on standby. The device also has a new quick-charging feature, with 15 minutes of charging bringing up 8 hours of battery life.
Conclusion
There's no denying the Nexus 6 is an absolute beast. While the Nexus 5 was a great phone, its successor is far better, at least as specs go. One thing that may deter users from the Nexus 6 is its sheer size, with many users not yet ready for a phablet-sized phone. Another thing is the price, with the Nexus 6 jumping to $650 off-contract, compared with the Nexus 5's $350. However, if price and size aren't a problem for you, then there is absolutely no reason to not get the Nexus 6 -- you won't regret it.
