Google's new Nexus 6 is big, and it's big in every sense of the word.
Let's start with the phone's physical design. There is no denying that the 5.96-inch Nexus 6 is the biggest in size compared to all other flagship phablets from its rivals. Apple's iPhone 6 Plus is half an inch smaller, while Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 is shorter by nearly a quarter of an inch. Of course, that's not to say that some people, particularly those with smaller hands, will shy away from such a gargantuan phablet. Mashable's Pete Pachal, for instance, classifies the Nexus 6 as a low-end tablet, not a real smartphone, particularly because of its size.
"Whenever I tried to do something with one hand, I usually gave up on using my thumb and resorted to two-handed operation, cupping in one palm while stabbing at icons with the other hand's index finger," writes Pachal. "And can we talk pocketability for a second? Sitting down with the Nexus 6 in the front pocket of my jeans, I think I understand #Bendgate a little better."
However, not everybody agrees with Pachal. Forbes' Gordon Kelly and PCWorld agree that while Nexus 6 may be the biggest and supposedly most unwieldy phablet on the market, Google, thanks to Motorola, may have come up with the most ergonomic plus-sized smartphone to date. This is largely due to the Nexus 6's curved back panel that tapers off nicely to its thin edges, a design that it borrows from Motorola's Moto X.
PCWorld thinks the Nexus 6 may be the very phablet that can convince skeptics that the benefits of having a larger phone far outweigh its usability issues. When a screen size this big is combined with powerful features, as in the Nexus 6, one can better view web pages not designed for mobile, watch better YouTube and Netflix videos, play games without lags and type and tap with better accuracy.
"A phone this big makes you start to feel, dare I say, productive," writes PCWorld. "Even when you're just goofing off, you seem to be goofing off more efficiently."
That's because Google did not scrimp on the phone's under-the-hood features. The Nexus 6 is powered by the newest 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 from Qualcomm and 3GB of RAM and runs on Android Lollipop, Google's best iteration of Android yet, to ensure everything goes as smooth as butter. Everyone agrees that the Nexus 6's 2K AMOLED screen is simply gorgeous, as Motorola took the time to tone down the color saturation and do away with the overly bright reds, blues and greens that some have complained of AMOLED screens.
As with phones that are big enough to contain many components, the Nexus 6 does not lack when it comes to battery life. Battery consumption depends largely on individual use, but everyone agrees the Nexus 6 has exceptional battery life that lasts even to the end of the day or, for some, even to the next day. For those needing a quick boost, the phone comes with Motorola's turbo-charging technology, so a quick 15-minute charge can boost the phone's battery life to six hours.
"Where the Nexus 6 does get top marks, however, are its battery saver mode and charge times," says Forbes' Kelly. "The former is now finally built into Android and kicks in automatically at 15 percent battery life (this can be adjusted or disabled) and can provide up to another 90 minutes of use."
On the front panel, the Nexus 6 is fitted with two front-facing speakers to provide a more immersive viewing and gaming experience, as opposed to smartphones that have the speakers fitted in the back. The speakers are decent enough, with its lack of bass and detail preventing it from being a replacement to portable speakers that can be used at parties and events, but good enough to listen to music to for those working at home or at the office.
The camera, however, still leaves plenty of room for improvement. The hardware certainly has a lot going for it, with a 13-megapixel shooter with f2.0 aperture that brings in slightly more light than its rivals. The Nexus 6 is a huge step up from the cameras of its predecessors and can even produce good-quality photos with low light even without HDR+. However, the Google Camera app that comes with it has so much to be desired. Google's intention was to create a simple, minimalist app that users will find easy to use, but the app is left so far behind other apps, which offer a slew of settings, such as burst mode and slow motion video.
"The native camera app crashed about a half-dozen times while using it over the last 10 days," adds Kevin C. Tofel of GigaOm. "Typically, it happened when using the new HDR+ mode, which creates stunning photos but takes time to process them. You'll be waiting a second or so between shots if you use this mode."
Notwithstanding the terrible Google Camera app, the Nexus 6 is the excellent vehicle through which Google sells Android Lollipop, as all Nexus devices were meant to showcase Google's pure Android experience without the bloatware included by OEM manufacturers and wireless carriers. While Google did not incorporate phablet-specific features to the Nexus 6, such as Apple's Reachability feature, The Wall Street Journal's Nathan Olivarez-Giles says he "never really missed those phablet-tailored extras" because of Android Lollipop.
"Every aspect of the OS has been redesigned, bringing bold, bright colors and fluid animations to apps - like the clock, calendar, contacts and phone dialer - that used to be boring," Olivarez-Giles says. "You can now wake up the Nexus 6 just by saying 'OK Google.' And you can connect the Nexus 6 to an Android Wear watch on your wrist, so the phone stays unlocked as long as you're near."
The bottom line is the Nexus 6 is the best smartphone from Google to date, and while some are hesitant to jump into the big-screen phenomenon, the Nexus 6 definitely holds its own against the competition.
