Nexus 6 no longer a budget phone

[Uppsala9496]

It could be, but wouldn't Samsung be pretty annoyed Google's attempting to directly undercut them? Same with other OEMs?

Also contract pricing is just ridiculous. It gives very little movement in price. A $0 phone should be a piece of crap, but a $200 difference in full pricing isn't supposed to make that big of a difference ($600 for a GS5, $400 maybe for last years GS4 which is still very capable).

The discounted Gnex, N4 and N5 didn't alienate the OEM's, so why should pricing the N6 at $449 alienate them?
Pure speculation here, but I would guess that the general buying public is A) sticking with contracts versus pay as you go off contract and B) going to stick with a major brand for their phone (samsung, apple, etc) if they are on contract. That or they are going with the free POS because they just don't care.

I could be completely wrong on that speculation. I would love to know what the sales figures are for phones sold direct from google. I can't imagine it is large enough to upset any OEM's.

 

[theeedude]

There is room for a brand like XiaoMi to come in and disrupt the spoiled US phone brands and Google.

 

[soccerballtux]

That is us nerds for you though. We want the perfect phone with amazing build quality and support, and we want it for the costs of the materials.



The more I think about it, every non-LG Nexus has been normal priced. Maybe that was a mirage because of LG's desperation to break into the market and had nothing to do with Gogole.

it's not like they needed it, the G2 sold quite well and the G3 is as well

 

[Sid59]

You bring up some good points here, but at the same time I'm not sure if pushing 6" is really a good idea. I've argued in the past that SoC choice should also mimic what we're seeing in devices. I criticized Google's TI choice in the Galaxy Nexus phone when the Exynos chipsets were the most popular back then. Qualcomm made a roaring comeback with the GS3 because that was the only option for LTE in the US.

Does 6" really make sense here? I get that some users may want phablets, but how does developing on a 6" platform make sense if the market continues to choose 5"? Maybe they should've looked at the market and realized there's a desire for both phones and phablets, which is what most OEMs do and make 2 models. You could probably argue the N5 sticking around is "good enough" for another year though.

The whole sell directly from Google idea seems to only work with low pricing though, which comes with its own challenges--OEMs want to keep it on the DL and not have the device undercut their own offerings likely. Selling at full price alienates the US population (although my argument is that they should just go worldwide like Apple does).

I do feel that from a product standpoint Google seems to not have a firm grasp on its vision and stuff. Things keep changing and it doesn't seem to be able to set a consistent message moving forward and to improve on its products in the way Apple does. I felt like the N4 -> N5 progression was the clearest sign of improvement and forward movement. The N6 seemed to be a sidestep that ignored price and the market that was built w/ the previous 2 phones.

i'm not sure i understand where Google wants to go with their hardware but there's a piece on ArsTechnica looking at Google's multiple strategy (http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/10/googles-product-strategy-make-two-of-everything/)

Does Ron's theory apply to phones and tablets? It makes sense in context of his article. Google certainly has the resources to create these products (as half baked as all of them seem).

Without concentrating on internals and price too much, Google released a 4.7" (N4), 5" (N5), 6" (N6) phones.
What about tablets .. 2x Nexus 7s , Nexus 9, Nexus 10.

Various screen sizes and I'm not a developer so i can't speak to their tools for creating apps in the given software but Google has/is providing devices for developers to use. In the case of the Nexus 10 and Nexus 6, they've released a screen that's ahead of everyone.

Price and Concessions - The last 2 generations of Nexus released were very cost effective but with some flaws.
N4 / N5 - camera and battery
N7 -2012 - shaky build, screen lifting issues, touch issues, terrible memory/memory controller, no rear facing camera
N7 - 2013 - better build, better screen but still had touch/non responsive issues and random reboots.

Next Generation - higher price point, everyone assumes at this higher price point ..
- better battery life aka on screen time
- better camera and alogrithms for processing
- better build, in the case of the N9, absolutely


I've had the
N4 and 2012 N7 - both no longer usable, i'm a klutz and the screens smashed, the price point were so inexpensive, they weren't worth fixing.
N5 and 2013 N7 - N7, I had randomly reboot and the motherboard replaced by asus.

I'm definitely getting the N9. I'm on the fence of the N6. I'm waiting on reviews of the camera (I want 60 fps and 120 fps shooting modes) and battery life/SOT. The last 2 Nexus phones makes me want more. If those values are in the good enough side of the review and has active notfications, i'm in. If they are sub-par, i'm going Sony Z3.

 

[Apex]

Not sure I'd say $650 is value priced compared to anything. LG G3 is $600. Note 4 is $700 (only $50 more and you get a digitizer and pen, expandable storage, fingerprint scanner). iPhone 6 Plus is $750 (only $100 more and has an Apple logo on the back). Though I'm also not arguing it's too expensive (though the price is a bit of a surprise).

To be fair, the Note 4 is $749 ($100 more), and the iPhone 6 Plus is $150 more (comparing 64GB to 64GB, otherwise $100 if comparing 32GB to 16GB).

 

[StrangerGuy]

To be fair, the Note 4 is $749 ($100 more), and the iPhone 6 Plus is $150 more (comparing 64GB to 64GB, otherwise $100 if comparing 32GB to 16GB).

All these new shiny phones only proves how good the Note 3 still is since last year.

 

[poofyhairguy]

it's not like they needed it, the G2 sold quite well and the G3 is as well

I would argue Nexus helped with that. Just on this forum NO ONE used LG seriously before the Nexus 4. It made LG jump to a level of higher respect.

 

[zerocool84]

Kpkp, I can only imagine Google will be handling the updates a la Apple. They take care of each and every update to everyone of their devices. The fact that the Nexus 6 is one universal SKU in America means that Google can push an update to it, and it will hit each and every carrier.

Also, I completely agree with your definition. That is how I thought it always was with the Nexus program. Well, the N4 and N5 sure made it seem it anyway.

Well hopefully it works out this time because it certainly didn't with the Galaxy Nexus. Verizon and Sprint were hugely behind the ball on updating especially Verizon. Verizon even blocked Google Wallet.

 

[VVV]

The Nexus 6 from Moto, in my opinion, was intended to be part of the Android Silver program. The program didn't come through, or suspended, for whatever reason (lack of enthusiasm from other manufactures?), so Google simply go back to Nexus brand using available model from Motorola.

I think the Android Silver program makes a lot more sense to Google than the Nexus line. Google simply want people to have a pure Android experience and fast update. Having different manufactures participate with models in different categories, sizes, prices will serve the purpose a lot more than having a single Nexus line. This will allow companies to participate without direct competition with its own models. In this case, Moto will still have Moto X in 5" and a phablet part of the Silver line. Sony could have put the Z3 compact in the program without direct competition with its flagship model etc..

The Android Silver will also break away from the Nexus line where consumers are used to have a highly affordable phone with very good specs.

This is probably the reason why the Nexus 6 is not cheap. Moto was looking at the Android Silver program. It's a flagship and it's priced as it. If Moto put a phablet on the market under Moto brand, it's still probably the Nexus 6 in form and price. Nexus 6, in my opinion, comes from a failed Android Silver program then from a plan.

This is my explanation regarding the size and price of the Nexus 6

 

[magomago]

IMO this means flaws in the phone won't be justifiable anymore. At 650 dollars, if the Nexus 6 doesn't have all the standard niceties I will not be pleased.

A great example is having a microphone that can record a concert --> my friends Iphone 4 could do it beautifully, but everything on the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 sounds like garbage because its just too loud. Before I justified that away at 300-400 dollars...now at 650 dollars, not so much.

Also, other phones (although the Nexus 5 had it as well with some SW hacks because it hard the hardware to support it) are getting ANT+ support. These little details matter a lot to me when I'm paying 650 dollars...

 

[KeithP]

In my mind a Nexus device ran bone stock Android, updated through Google without the carriers getting in the way. That is it.

That being said I am not convinced that a Nexus 6 purchased through a carrier will meet the above standard. Has Google said one way or the other?

-KeithP

 

[magomago]

In my mind a Nexus device ran bone stock Android, updated through Google without the carriers getting in the way. That is it.

That being said I am not convinced that a Nexus 6 purchased through a carrier will meet the above standard. Has Google said one way or the other?

-KeithP

Doubtful that Tmobile will have specific branding. If any of them do have it, it might be Verizon.

 

[jlee]

http://www.androidheadlines.com/201...e-order-later-month-pricing-starting-749.html

I missed this. Google just took a dump on Canada. That's insane!

How so? The exchange rate straight-up puts it at $732.50, and everything else in Canada is more than 13% more expensive than in the States.

 

[Raduque]

the general buying public is A) sticking with contracts versus pay as you go off contract

IMO/E, few are buying phones on contract anymore. I think most are using the 0% financing the carriers are offering. I know AT&T and Verizon are both steering people away from contracts, and I don't think T-Mobile even offers them anymore.

Actually, most of the people I know are using prepaid, or contractless carriers like Cricket.

 

[Rdmkr]

Here in Europe the Nexus 5 isn't priced anywhere near as competitively as in the US, so this is hardly a huge change of trend where our market is concerned. I haven't checked recently but I think I recall the LG G2 was sold at the same price as the Nexus 5 last I saw it a store. And yes: google shopping confirms it.

I think the Nexus 5 was always available with carriers, so that may have to do with it. I don't expect they'll sell the Nexus 6 far above regular prices just to keep the price difference with the Nexus 5 the same.