LG’s follow up to its beloved Nexus 5 is a an excellent mid-range phone.
By James Pikover
Android phones come in three flavors: high-end, mid-range, and crazy-cheap. We can skip the latter; the Moto G’s of the world are great if you’re on a budget. And we all used to love buying the most expensive smartphones because hey, on contract they were only a couple hundred dollars down, no biggie. Not so much these days.
We’ve been waiting for a big update to the Nexus line, and last year’s Nexus 6 was a dud for the price conscious. It was huge and pricey; a great phone not for the weak of wallet. But a year earlier we were graced with one of the best phones ever, the Nexus 5: great for both users and developers, it was powerful and inexpensive at just $350 unlocked, perfect for anyone not stuck on a CDMA carrier like Sprint or Verizon Wireless.
This time around Google made a smart move, offering two phones, a lower-cost model and an ginormous powerhouse separately, so no matter how big your hands are there’s an option for you. And the Nexus 5X is one to take home and show the parents.
Much like the latest version of iOS, the new Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system is 80-percent performance improvements and 20-percent new features. So we won’t talk too much about what’s changed on the software front, but it’s faster, smoother, and an update you’ll definitely want to get…when it’s available on your current handset, which could be a while.
But what sets the Nexus 5X apart from other smartphones is that the fingerprint scanner is on the back of the phone, not the front like everyone else. That’s weird, but trust me, it works. Without taking up extra space on the front, there’s no need to compromise precious screen real estate or have weirdly-shaped buttons. Instead, there’s a circle right below the camera that’s big enough for any finger, and it scans really, really quickly and accurately.
But so does the iPhone 6s, but the difference is that you don’t need to press a button to wake the phone. The back sensor on the Nexus 5X is always on; tap your finger on it and voila, you’re in. No fumbling to press the button, no question on which finger to use because it’s already perfectly aligned for your index finger, and no accidentally accessing the screen. Ahh, the phone making life simpler.
Google’s design team had to work hard to make the Nexus 5 such an awesome phone, mostly because the Nexus 4 had such killer hardware. With such tough competition to beat, the 5X doesn’t quite pull off the level of finesse and cleanliness that the original had, but it’s a different phone altogether. It’s rounder on the edges, softer to the touch, more comfortable to hold while reading or gripping while on a call.
That’s all great, but the biggest flaw visually is — oh boy the irony — fingerprints. Both the screen and the back panel are smudge magnets, blatantly displaying every single tap, touch, and drag. Of the three models, white is the least offended by presses, though our test teal phone isn’t bad either.
Still, the Nexus 5X is stunning in it’s simplicity as a handset, gorgeous to look at and hold, and light enough to want to never let go. Even the rear camera, which sticks out of the frame, protrudes like a perfectly round mountain ledge, caressing the frame without making the whole thing ugly. And it doesn’t even wobble when placed flat on a desk. You may actually forget the camera pokes out.
Part of what keeps the price down is that the Nexus 5X isn’t running top-of-the-line specs. And that’s okay, because all things considered it’s still a fast, powerful smartphone. But it’s got quirks.
Call quality is great, and we tested it on Project Fi, Google’s experimental cell service. But the speakerphone…isn’t so great. Callers complained that it was very hard to hear in a small room because the phone had trouble with the room’s acoustics. The same happened nearly everywhere indoors that I tested the speakerphone.
General performance hiccups are also a thing, though it’s tough to pinpoint the cause to either the phone or the new version of Android. Things like audio actually slowing down when not in the app, or swapping between apps taking a bit longer than it should. They’re all minor issues, generally to be expected with any brand new phone or operating system…that’s the price of living on the bleeding edge.
And if you drive a lot, the volume rocker is way too low on the device. It makes using a holster or car dock a pain because there’s barely any room to attach it to the 5X.
The Nexus 5X is a great phone, no doubt about it. Performance isn’t top-notch for an Android smartphone, but where it lacks in pure processing power it makes up in battery life. Even with a full day of calls, data, GPS, and streaming music, you can end the day with 30-percent left. Just enough to Netflix and chill at the end of the day.
But if you live on the phone and regularly need to charge up, then get ready to spend some dough…on USB-C cables. The Nexus 5X ships with a single wall-charger. Unlike most phones that have a separate wall adapter, the Nexus 5X’s charger is one piece, so you won’t be charging from your computer or in the car without a standard electrical outlet. Or without paying a pretty penny for some USB-C cables. Ugh. As of this writing, standard cables are going for around $8 each.
The camera is, like almost all Nexus devices, good but not great. More than enough for a day out at Six Flags, and 4K video is a great way to produce some excellent high-quality content. At night the generally fast shooter is sluggish and captures more shadow and blur than smiles. Compared to other lower-priced smartphones like the 3rd generation Moto G, ASUS ZenFone 2, and even the harder-to-get OnePlus Two, the camera produces better photos that are sharper with more vibrant colors. The OnePlus Two in particular takes better low-light shots and has a slightly better camcorder, but unless you’re always in the nightclub or flying your phone around via drone, you won’t notice a huge difference in picture quality. It’s certainly better than the Nexus 5’s camera and those upgrading will be happy with the 5X’s camera. Check out some of Google’s sample images in the gallery below.
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At $379 unlocked for the 16GB model and $429 for the 32GB model, the Nexus 5X is the best-priced smartphone you can buy. It’s sleek without being pompous, comfortable without compromise, and powerful for your everyday needs. Combine all that with the option to use Google’s Project Fi service and you have a killer combination of a snappy yet inexpensive phone with an amazing cellular service plan that’s equally low priced.
Even if you don’t have access to Project Fi, there is no better phone to buy unlocked. Just knowing that the software bugs in the Nexus 5X will get fixed quickly by Google directly, instead of waiting months or longer for other phone makers, is reason enough. It’s a great deal no matter how you look at it.
