Google Nexus 5 Review

The Nexus 4 took Google to a new level in the mobile handset category. A great, slim, high performance device that sold for a mid-level price, it was also sold as is, that is, under no contract from a carrier. The phone was an international super hit. As with every great thing these days, the launch of its successor was awaited with baited breath. Now that we have the phone in our hands, let’s see if it lives up to the expectations.  

Sleek Design:

The phone is quite sleek. Its looks are a bit understated; it’s looks nothing more than a slim well designed phone. Our test handset, which was the black coloured device, enhanced this feel with its all black tone. The phone has a uni body construction and is made of polycarbonate. The SIM card slot and power button are to the right of the phone while the volume rocker is to the left. It all makes for a phone whose basic functionality is quite high. It's surprisingly light, at only 130 grams and 8.6 millimetres thick. Overall, this phone just feels great to hold in the hand. 

The Awesome Screen:

Google increased the size of the screen from 4.7 inches to 4.95 inches. It also uses Gorilla Glass 3 which gives ample protection against scratches and fingerprint smudges. The screen is a Full HD 1080p one. Clarity and picture density is amazing on the screen. With a high pixel density of 445 ppi, we’d expect nothing less. It’s great for reading text, playing games or watching a movie.

Camera:

These days, a high quality camera on a smartphone is pretty much a requirement. The 8 MP camera on the Nexus 5 takes quite decent photos when used with the auto settings. However, once you get a big deeper into the camera and adjust settings such as exposure and contrast diligently, the camera performs well. Low light performance isn't exactly poor, but again you need to manually tweak a few things to get the best out of it. 

As far as videos go, Full HD 1080p videos look great. Again, low light performance isn't the greatest, but it’s acceptable. We do genuinely hope that the next camera software update that’s expected to roll out will fix this because the camera is quite frankly the weakest link in this fantastic phone.  

Android 4.4 KitKat:

There isn’t a world of difference between KitKat and previous Android version. KitKat really is a solid improvement over earlier versions of the software, and the Nexus 5 shows it off quite well. Things like Messaging are now integrated with Hangouts that combine all of your messaging and chat under ine single hood. You can also now search keywords from within the phone dialer, which is a bit like having Google Maps business info integrated perfectly into the app. Also, the dialer has been completely redesigned. Icons and other symbols seem starker, cleaner, and larger and personally, we like it!

Processor and Performance:

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.26GHz, 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU, the Nexus 5 is like a supercar in world of phones. The device is astonishingly fast and games such Asphalt 8: Airborne which usually eat the processor run smoothly. Multi-tasking is an ease and we were astounded that the phone handled anything we threw at it with considerable ease. The phone comes with LTE and NFC and while LTE isn’t operational in India, NFC works like a charm.

Battery Life:

One complain about the Nexus 4 was that battery life wasn't that great. Google has bumped up the battery to 2300 mAH. However, battery life was rather inconsistent. We had varied battery life ranging from an entire day to a measly few hours. The screen takes up a huge chunk of the battery life and using it optimally is a great way to prolong battery life. 

Verdict:

Overall, the Nexus 5 lives up to its expectations. Combining a great UI with some smartly designed features, the phone performs and exceeds expectations in many areas. KitKat looks fantastic too and the display is one of the best we've seen. The only downside was the less than stellar camera and rather inconsistent battery life. Apart from that, it’s one of the best phones money can buy. 

Summary:

The Nexus 5 was one of the highly awaited phone launches of the year. After using it, we can see why. Intelligent design, a great display and a brand new version of Android make it one classy device.  

Why does it make Sense switching to Nexus 5

Google finally announced the much awaited Android 4.4 KitKat release yesterday along with Nexus 5 handset manufactured by LG which went on sale in 10 countries (Great Halloween treat!). The initial handset inventory got sold off in 27 minutes flat, that goes to prove a strong potential Google has got for Christmas to compete with flagship phones from other companies.

More importantly Nexus 5 got listed immediately on Indian Play Store with a coming soon tag and priced at Rs 28,999 for 16 GB and Rs 32,999 for 32 GB version. Android ecosystem seems to be up for a major overhaul after KitKat OS announcement where Google intends to go with one single version of Android running on almost all devices post Jan 2014, which is a bold move and more concrete step taken to do away with Android OS fragmentation issues.

This does not warranty automatic upgrade for handsets with low configurations released earlier, however Android OS bandwagon would be less crowded post 2014 with version 4.4 targeting major share.

Manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, Sony and LG could be sweating over Nexus 5 soon as their current crop of flagship phones are going to be left far behind in terms of performance and pricing. Also being a stock Google device dependency of being at mercy of these companies to push across new OS upgrades that take too long also goes away.

 There are rumors that Samsung may go for an early Galaxy S5 release next year to compensate for a less blockbuster response to Galaxy S4 sales, they have already announced that the next version of Galaxy phones would be based on 64 bit processing capacity and we may also see more RAM packed in OR better graphical processing power under the hood.

Samsung is not showing any signs of a shift in design, build and quality of it's Galaxy flagship phones. Note 3 is the only phone which comes with a different build quality now and TouchWiz OS gimmicks would continue to be offered as new features which most smartphone users do not actually use.

Both Sony and HTC has received decent response on Xperia Z1 and One phones which can provide them much required impetus to challenge Samsung's Android smartphone dominance in India.I am not sure how successful LG has being with G2 however Nexus 5 has got just the right pricing for Indian market which can boost prospects for this company next year.

Apple's iPhone 5C has got limited success until now where it has launched and 5S would be priced under premium category going beyond Rs 50,000 range as the case is with all new Apple iPhone's which get launched in India. I am doubtful how would Apple push their device adoption even with 5C (expected pricing around 41/42K) and EMI schemes across smaller cities and town in India?

Google device upgrades have being more balanced and well paced compared to yearly ritual now adopted by most companies, There's a limit to the upgrades we're going to see in smartphone hardware and software, and as the market saturates, the pressure to compete on price is going to become more intense. In such scenario a phone like Nexus 5 can be a value for money upgrade, which has got me planning to sell my S4 and go for this phone as it launches in India.

Would you go for Nexus 5 with the price it would be launched in India or prefer to wait for Galaxy S5 Or iPhone 5s, It would be interesting to read through your response on this.