Good, bad, ugly

[pc747]

For Nexus fans we are a day a way from officially seeing the 2015 editions to the Nexus line. At one time the Nexus line was meant to set the standard for where android can go in the future. Now we can clearly argue that Samsung has taken that title and left the nexus line to being the budget friendly high-end smart phone with competitive high end specs. As much as I continue to look forward to the next nexus device I must admit that some of the excitement has worn off over the years.

Speaking of the nexus line I find myself looking at the Nexus 5X with the thought of "is this a phone meant to last me for 2 years or the next year?"
With the (rumored) Snapdragon 808 and only 2 gigs of RAM, I find myself feeling underwhelmed. Being that we are approaching the 4th qtr, a phone like the Nexus 5X would have felt like a better buy had it been released in the the first quarter of this year. We will have to wait for reviews to see if the device surpasses expectations or fail to meet it.

Marshmallow 6.0 will be hitting Nexus devices in the coming weeks (and probably Motorola as well). But many of the updates found in Marshmallow are hitting phones via G-apps updates. One change in particular, the Google Now launcher, changed the app drawer back to a vertical scrolling. At first I hated the change but began to embrace it, especially the ability to search your apps. But others have expressed strong criticism toward Google for the change. Be interesting to see if Google provides an option in the settings to allow users to choose between vertical or horizontal scrolling. The option to choose has been a staple of third party launchers since froyo. It has been long overdue for Google to make that feature native.

 

[Powarun]

Isn't the Nexus line supposed be mid-range and affordable? I always kind of viewed the Nexus line up as the flagship of the mid-range, one that says, here is how we want the Android OS to run. And with Pure Android we can put in "affordable" parts and have it run better than anything in Q1 and Q2 and comes with new features with that iteration of the OS. We just got spoiled with the Nexus 6

 

[pc747]

Isn't the Nexus line supposed be mid-range and affordable? I always kind of viewed the Nexus line up as the flagship of the mid-range, one that says, here is how we want the Android OS to run. And with Pure Android we can put in "affordable" parts and have it run better than anything in Q1 and Q2 and comes with new features with that iteration of the OS. We just got spoiled with the Nexus 6

As of late, but the Nexus One was meant as a standard setting device.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I think you guys have illustrated hit the real problem here. No one ever seems to be sure what the point of the Nexus program was. Idk about SUPPOSED to be affordable, but it was prior to the N6. I don't think that was a bad move. I also don't know about SUPPOSED to show the future. I took it as supposed to be more of a guideline on what you should be doing now as an OEM. Obviously, they've taken cues from most of their oem partners and integrated things that the oems were doing well before a Nexus device ever did.

It's really kinda hard to say at this point exactly what the Nexus line's intended purpose really is, other than being a vehicle for the stock android experience. I'm glad to see they're rumored to be selling these unlocked direct to consumers. Even read a rumor that they won't be in carrier stores at all. That, to me, is a good direction to go and I'm glad that Moto isn't the only one who took that step this year.

 

[bkdodger]

I think the Nexus 6 was first upgraded flagship Nexus with specs.. And Google listened to peeps.. Complaints about size and thus two options.. One smaller with more affordable and one higher end.. We will still get complaints I want smaller phone with higher end... Lol

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[pc747]

I think you guys have illustrated hit the real problem here. No one ever seems to be sure what the point of the Nexus program was. Idk about SUPPOSED to be affordable, but it was prior to the N6. I don't think that was a bad move. I also don't know about SUPPOSED to show the future. I took it as supposed to be more of a guideline on what you should be doing now as an OEM. Obviously, they've taken cues from most of their oem partners and integrated things that the oems were doing well before a Nexus device ever did.

It's really kinda hard to say at this point exactly what the Nexus line's intended purpose really is, other than being a vehicle for the stock android experience. I'm glad to see they're rumored to be selling these unlocked direct to consumers. Even read a rumor that they won't be in carrier stores at all. That, to me, is a good direction to go and I'm glad that Moto isn't the only one who took that step this year.

As of late, but the Nexus One was meant as a standard setting device.

Remind me how back in the day the rumored Verizon Nexus One was changed to the HTC Incredible and became the hottest device that never reached its potential because of shortages (which is an early indication of the fall of HTC).

Looking at older videos I fond myself amazed at the times.

The Nexus one spawned the HTC Incredible (which was suppose to have been vzw's version of the Nexus one) but looking at the Incredible, manufacturer skins looked much better and provided more customization stock . But you can clearly see the influence of the Nexus One as it really moved android manufacturers to move forward with designs



Like you JK, year after year I no longer see that and wonder the point of the Nexus line. As a person who like having a device with an unlocked bootloader I continue to want the nexus line to continue but it has gone from trend setter to compromise for those who like to root/develop.

 

[pc747]

I think the Nexus 6 was first upgraded flagship Nexus with specs.. And Google listened to peeps.. Complaints about size and thus two options.. One smaller with more affordable and one higher end.. We will still get complaints I want smaller phone with higher end... Lol

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Good point.

 

[pc747]

The News keep getting uglier for the Nexus line.

[Sorry Part 3] Both The Nexus 5X And Nexus 6P Cameras Lack Optical Image Stabilization

If all that ends up being true then we have a clear cut winner for 2015 in the Moto X pure edition.

Congrats Motorola.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I didn't think the X Pure had OIS? I thought I'd decided I could live without it once again if I went to that device from my Note 4.

 

[bkdodger]

No OIS on Pure X..

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[pc747]

I didn't think the X Pure had OIS? I thought I'd decided I could live without it once again if I went to that device from my Note 4.

No OIS on Pure X..

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good points.

 

[Mustang02]

Does ois really matter that much? I've never had a phone with it.

 

[Rognish]

I think it matters more for video than photos. It should help eliminate some of the jerkiness you see on videos.

 

[Ollie]

OIS makes a huge difference when in lowlight settings. That is where most, if not all, mobile cameras show how truly lacking they are versus a stand alone camera.

It also reduces the rubber banding effect in videos that was so prevalent not so long ago.

 

[bkdodger]

Plus I'm from the school if it's out there I want it.. Haha
Just like One+2 not having NFC.. I can use it once but I want it.. Kinda like Sundays dinner.. We cook for 20 peeps only 5 us...

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