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Now on to the Nexus 6 and we have been through delays, Google and Motorola being out of stock, and just missing At&t sending phones back, because of loading up phones with the wrong software, but here we are with a device in hand so we can talk about it with you.
The Nexus 6 is a large device and if you have not owned a phablet before and/or hate large devices then you may want to pass on this device. For those who like phablets this is the first that I have held that really felt like it was designed to last. Don't get me wrong you may want to protect it with insurance and/or a case as there have already been a couple of drops, one resulting in a damaged screen. But if you were one who loved the feel of the (og) Motorola Droid and the Droid X then you will love this phone as it brings back memories to what a solid motorola device feels like. And while we are reminiscing about Motorola I have to talk about the radios. My last motorola phone was the Droid 2 and since then I have yet to own a device with the radio quality found in my Droid and to be honest I missed those radios. Something else that stands out are those front facing speakers. In fact that is probably the second thing you will notice behind the size, especially if you boot up on AT&T, as those speakers are loud.
On the software side you are looking at Google's brand new software in Lollipop designed to bring unity as well as security to android. That security caused concerns earlier this month on how long it would take to get it rooted and though it turned out root was able to be obtained on day one we did learn that the encryption Google added to this new software causes slower read and write speeds for the nexus 6 as compared to other android devices. Also in order to unlock the bootloader users will have to manually check the "Enable OEM Unlock" under developer options in settings. Battery life is satisfactory though not as long lasting as the Droid Turbo or Galaxy Note II, but I think some of that is because of the display and some because the software is still needing more optimization. Over time we will see the battery life improve on the Nexus 6 as the software is improved.
So is this phone for you?:
To be honest it depends what you are looking for in a phone. The Nexus 6 is by far the most premium nexus ever with specs that matches up with the best. And though the camera suffers from poor low lighting performance (in comparison to the top smart phone cameras on the market) it is a pretty decent camera. Packaged with the newest software, swift updates, Motorola's signature radios and call quality, as well as the booming front facing speakers and I say we finally have a winner.........for us nexus fans. For the average consumer I can see them looking at the nexus next to the note 4 and trying to figure out what the nexus have that the note 4 doesn't. And really for the average consumer the nexus is just a large phone where the note 4 offers the gimmicks, S pens, and eye candy that justifies the size. I even said at one time on this forum that a phone with a 5.5 inch or larger screen without a "S (like) pen)" is pointless so I would not fault anyone else feeling the same, especially with the Note 4 having a better camera, more commercial appeal, and a better overall package. But for people like me who like phablets and love the nexus experience you owe yourself to experience the device for yourself. But just like with most of us early adopters to Google's new software we know we are going to run into some early software bugs that we know will improve over time. Yet we are willing to accept that as long as we can unlock our bootloaders and root, everything else we will find a way around (ie carrier logos, carrier boot animations, etc).
So if you loved the Motorola Droid for its radios and tank like feel, if you owned the note 2 and refused to upgrade to another Samsung device because you were tired of Touchwiz and locked bootloaders, and if you felt like the Nexus 5 was almost there but not quite, then the Nexus 6 may be the beast that you have been dreaming about ever since the first Nexus was released to the public. We finally have a marriage between Motorola and Google Nexus that we could only dream about back during the early Droid days. Yeah it may be on the large side and come encrypted, which I do not think is a bad thing, but if you joined the team in 2009 with the Droid this phone feels like the (og) Droid all over again. And those of us who owned the Droid back then remember how far we have come to installing 3rd party browsers for pinch to zoom, waiting for developers to give android a chance, and seeing the potential in both the device and software. I feel like upon holding the nexus 6 in hand you get the case of those same jitters except with a more mature software that have the potential to be even better.
Check out our Nexus 6 section for more nexus 6 talk. And if you are in the market for a smartphone this holiday season and you are still on the fence, then stay tuned as we will continue to provide you the tools needed to help you make the best decision possible for you and your family.
