Nexus 6 vs 5X?

[etherealfocus]

I'm about to switch to Project Fi and can get a slightly used Nexus 6 (not 6P) or a new 5X for around the same price.

I care about:
-battery life (!)
-general responsiveness for moderate multitasking with GPS, SMS/GChat, Gmail, etc - probably a win for the 6 with extra gig of ram?
-2G/3G/4G and GPS reception/accuracy
-rear camera

Care a little:
-speaker quality for music
-fingerprint scanner (win for 5X)
-larger screen (win for 6)
-micro USB to avoid cable replacement hassle (win for 6)

Don't care at all:
-front camera
-gaming performance
-minutae of screen quality/resolution - I'm not using Photoshop on it

 

[etherealfocus]

Based on this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus/comments/3psoxp/nexus_6_vs_5x/

I'm leaning toward the 6.

-Avoid expensive/dodgy quality/extra hassle with USB-C adapters/new cables
-Significantly better battery life with a few tweaks (reduce resolution, downclock, etc)
-Better multitasking with extra GB of memory... multitasking on my G2 is a PITA due to sluggishness I expect is RAM related. Usually using GPS, Facebook, Gmail, SMS/Gchat, etc.

Biggest concern is whether the 6 will stop getting updates before the 5X since I don't tend to upgrade often (see my G2 lol)

 

[etherealfocus]

Oh yeah, the 6 I'm looking at is 32GB for $215... 32GB 5X is $250.

 

[vi edit]

The important thing is size. The 6 is a behemoth. It's freakishly large and heavy. The 5x is much smaller and lighter. If you don't want a big phone, then the 5x is a better choice. If you don't care about the size or pocketability of the device, then the 6 is probably a better choice, especially given the prices it is going for right now.

 

[etherealfocus]

Glad to hear it cause I just bought last night off the forums

 

[etherealfocus]

And yeah, long as it'll fit in my pocket (even if just barely) I'm happy. Big screen = easier GPS. I can do a pushup so not worried about the weight either lol... will post back if it ends up being an issue somehow.

 

[vi edit]

The weight is more of a function of pocket comfort for me. It's like having a heavy rock in your pocket or jacket. I had a droid turbo that was like carrying a slab of concrete in my pocket. It just bounced around a lot when walking. The Nexus 6 is even heavier.

 

[ThisIsChrisKim]

The camera on the 5X is significantly better. Depending on how much you value the rear camera compared to the other things on your list, that could be a determining factor.

 

[tsupersonic]

I would've chosen the 6 as well. I hope you got a great deal on it, there were "fire sales" earlier and they were going for $249-299 new. I think at one point, they were even $199 new, but I might be mistaken.

 

[stlc8tr]

The camera on the 5X is significantly better. Depending on how much you value the rear camera compared to the other things on your list, that could be a determining factor.

Is it that much better? I saw over at DXO that they scored it 78 (vs 84 for the 6P, which uses the same setup as the 5X) so it seemed close.

But the 6 is too wide, IMO. Most of the reviews mention this.

And no fingerprint scanner, which I think is super useful.

There are rumors that Google will introduce a 820-based 6P soon so that might be the device to wait for since the HTC-based units are farther off.

 

[Seven]

The Nexus 6 is a better phone. Faster performance, better build quality, better speakers, stronger vibrator, amoled screen. The 5X advantages are better camera, fp scanner, and size factor if you favor a smaller phone.

 

[etherealfocus]

Camera, battery life, multitasking (not waiting 30 seconds to switch from GPS to Gchat), and wifi/cell/GPS reception are my top concerns - in no particular order. Sounds like the 6 wins on everything except camera... and I'm being a cheapskate so I don't expect to win 'em all. Long as the camera's a real step up over my G2 I'll be happy.

I think it'll work out well... also, I paid $215 for a 32GB N6 in white. Maybe not rock bottom, but $35 cheaper than the same size 5X ain't bad. Way cheaper than they're selling for on Swappa for the unlocked version.

 

[ThisIsChrisKim]

Is it that much better? I saw over at DXO that they scored it 78 (vs 84 for the 6P, which uses the same setup as the 5X) so it seemed close.

But the 6 is too wide, IMO. Most of the reviews mention this.

And no fingerprint scanner, which I think is super useful.

There are rumors that Google will introduce a 820-based 6P soon so that might be the device to wait for since the HTC-based units are farther off.

Yeah, the camera is a huge step up. Particularly in low light. The 6 was fairly middle of the road (to below average) when it came out and the 5x is definitely close to the top for cameras from last year. It still compares favorably to this year's flagships.

To me, camera is one of the most important aspects of a phone, so I put a much heavier emphasis on that aspect than some others may, though.

 

[stlc8tr]

-Avoid expensive/dodgy quality/extra hassle with USB-C adapters/new cables

This one is kinda meh.

It's $7 for two microUSB to USB-C adapters. They're tiny so you can always have them on hand to use any available microUSB cable.

 

[etherealfocus]

Bummer about the middling camera. Like I said though, long as it's better than my G2...

The adapters are a moot point since I already ordered. No biggie like you said stlc8r, I'm just a little OCD about it.

 

[Binky]

For the price, you really can't go wrong with either phone. My wife has the 6 and I have the 5x. Speed wise, the 6 wins. Battery wise, the 6 wins again. The screens on both are good, but the 6 is better to my eyes. The fingerprint sensor on the 5x is just awesome; it's one of those things that you can't live without once you have one.

You NEED to hold the 6 in your hands before you buy it. It's a monster. That is the biggest negative about the 6, but possibly the biggest positive too. For the 5x, the biggest negative is the occasional stutter issue, which is a well known problem. Personally, as a man without a purse, I can't carry the 6 around.

And...they both work on Google fi - the greatest gift ever to minimal data users. My bills are ~$27/month.

 

[etherealfocus]

Sounds good to me. Honestly I've been thinking I might just carry it in my laptop bag instead of my pocket. Hate having a bunch of crap in my pockets anyway, and I barely take a leak without bag in hand.

Fingerprint sensor and better camera would be great, but less important than battery and responsiveness. Getting them both means blowing another $400ish on a 6P; to me those features together would be worth another $100 max. Think I made the right choice going with the 6; will find out tomorrow and post back.

 

[RossMAN]

Getting them both means blowing another $400ish on a 6P; to me those features together would be worth another $100 max. Think I made the right choice going with the 6; will find out tomorrow and post back.

As someone who recently upgraded from my beloved Nexus 5 (which cost me $40) to the Nexus 6, I freaking love it. I'm not really a media consumption guy but I've been watching more Youtube videos (thank you JL) and reading news is great due to the mammoth display. Unfortunately it doesn't fit as easily in my front pockets but it still barely fits. My wife's Moto G 3rd gen 2015 feels great in the hand but could be larger, I've come to the conclusion that 5.5" is the perfect size.

As others have stated it is freaking yuuuge but I have gotten used to it by now. In comparison my Nexus 5 feels like a Fisher Price toy now with crappy battery life and dim display, it's gathering dust and is probably worth $120-ish now ... so sad.

Since the 6 doesn't offer microSD expansion I'm very happy that I opted for the 64GB, worth every last penny. Not to mention the small bump in resale value. Unless the Nexus 6P drops to $300 for 64GB, I'll probably wait for the 2016 model or maybe even 2017.

 

[etherealfocus]

Makes sense. Big screen is sweet for GPS too - my dash mount sits above the central control panel which is a bit far to make out details on my G2. I'll probably snag a rearview mirror mount for the 6 if the screen still isn't big enough.

And yeah, the 820 CPU doesn't do anything for me so I'll probably be happy with the 6 until the 2018 refresh. That's probably about when OS and spec bumps will be really significant at the ~200 price range.

 

[RossMAN]

And yeah, the 820 CPU doesn't do anything for me so I'll probably be happy with the 6 until the 2018 refresh. That's probably about when OS and spec bumps will be really significant at the ~200 price range.

After Googling "Nexus 2016" and reading articles like this, I'll probably skip the Nexus 6P and jump to the next version. Crossing my fingers it's 5.5", Snapdragon 820, fingerprint, 128GB option all for around $499 during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. I guess I'll find out in about 6.5 months.

 

[etherealfocus]

Just wanted to update this... I've been using my N6 for several days now and it's by far the best phone I've ever owned.

Typing: I always hold my phone in one hand and type with the other, and that's extremely comfortable on this phone. Marked improvement over the G2.

Size: Fits fine in my pocket. Dunno why everyone else is having trouble with it. Little clunky on occasion but no biggie (pun intended). Huge screen is much more pleasant for reading. Would never read an Anandtech review on the G2, but I've read two on the N6. Spiffy.

Speed: Awesome. Love it. Does everything I want with practically zero delay. If someone replaced the CPU with a tiny i7, I probably wouldn't notice. That third gig of RAM probably helps too.

Battery: Seems a bit better than the G2 both on idle and screen-on time. I never talk for more than 5 mins at a time so can't comment on that.

OS: Marshmellow is mostly the same as Lollipop, but I love not having Sprint's BS apps lingering in the background. And the promise that I'll get N fairly promptly on release without hacky BS.

Camera: Better than the G2. I haven't done a super detailed comparison but it takes pics faster and they do come out a bit better. Video is better too.

Flashlight: The one real downgrade. The G2's flashlight is definitely brighter, has a higher color temp (N6 is kinda blah yellow) and has a better throw distance.

Device turn-on: lack of either tap-on (G2) or thumbprint scanner (5X) is a small annoyance. And the power button is small so I end up hitting the volume instead. Minor annoyance. On the other hand, tap-on didn't work half the time on the G2...

I think that's everything. Best $215 I've spent in a while.

 

[RossMAN]

Just wanted to update this... I've been using my N6 for several days now and it's by far the best phone I've ever owned.

Thank you for the update and my Nexus 6 agrees with you 100%.

Here's a thread you may be interested in: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2423520

 

[Graze]

Good phone but lacks trusted voice. As a result of this I can't "ok google" from the lock screen and have it proceed without it asking for me to unlock it first. Google fucked up here because the processor is capable of handling this
:thumbsdown:

For this reason alone I would have taken my 2013 Moto X over it...but that died.

 

[etherealfocus]

Bummer but doesn't affect my usage at all.

Final note: my N6 shows an average RAM usage of 1.9GB, so I'm definitely benefiting from that 3GB vs 2GB in the 5X. I'm a fairly light user so others on the fence may want to take that into consideration. Got a friend with a 5X and he has no problem with it, but all he does is Gchat and tethering as far as I can tell.

 

[vedantdude]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9742/the-google-nexus-5x-review/3

The 5x throttles too much according to the article. 6 has better gpu but also twice the pixels of 5x to draw....idk which one is smoother.
Anybody used both 5x and 6 on nougat? Which one's smoother?

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