Approximately a year after Google released the Nexus 4, the company behind Android has come out with its successor — the Nexus 5. The new iteration of the popular and (relatively) cheap Android smartphone brings about plenty of improvements to its older sibling, enough so that the device sold out within hours after its release. Is the new device really worth the upgrade from the Nexus 4, or could it be your next high-end smartphone?
We’re giving away a white, 16 GB Nexus 5 at the end of this review. Stick around and join the competition to win it!
The phone is rather simply packed, where you can find the phone itself, a packet of reading material (along with a SIM-tray removal pin), a charger, and a microUSB-to-USB cable. It’s pretty simple and straightforward, which is good. Don’t expect any fancy accessories when you’re already paying a low price for the device.
Design :
I have to admit, I really like the design of the phone. Similar to the Nexus 4, the front face of the phone has no “blemishes” in the form of buttons or text. There’s just the screen, the front-facing camera, some slyly-hidden sensors, and the call speaker. On the left side, you’ll find just the volume rocker, and on the right, you’ll find just the power button and micro SIM tray. Both of these buttons are made of ceramic, which provides plenty of rigidity to the buttons. They feel very sturdy and should last for a long time. At the top, you’ll find the 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microphone; the bottom houses the microUSB port, a speaker behind the left grille, and a microphone on the right. On the back, you’ll find a hard matte plastic which provides a little bit of extra grip in your hand, but not necessarily on any surface. The seemingly large camera is found in the top left, along with a small flash.
The only issue I’ve noticed with the design has to do with the edge of the front face of the phone being slightly beveled. This isn’t a problem in any scenario except while in a call, because that little increase in elevation means that most of the pressure that the phone applies to your face is right along that edge. Maybe I’m just being a bit sensitive about that, but I’ve noticed that either way.
The build quality is excellent on the Nexus 5. While the body is made of hard plastic, it is still a high-quality material that should last for a long time. The Gorilla Glass 3 screen and ceramic buttons also add strength to the phone. I’m also glad that the glass back has been replaced with the hard matte plastic which will make it more robust. I tried squeezing various areas of the phone to see if it made any creaking sounds, but I didn’t detect any. It’s also a plus that the Nexus 5 is lighter than the Nexus 4, despite being bigger and sporting faster hardware.
Software:
One of the fantastic things about the Google Nexus 5 is that it’s currently the only phone running Android 4.4 “KitKat”. While it comes with plenty of fantastic new features, it also has a lot of behind-the-scenes improvements that makes the operating system a lot more resource-efficient. That, along with the improved processor in the Nexus 5, makes for a seriously smooth experience. For example, stuttering during scrolling as now been completely eliminated except in situations where you’re scrolling while the browser is still fetching information from the Internet (such as loading pictures). The launcher has also been improved and merged with the Google Search and Google Now apps. Now, you have just three home pages, where the left-most page is Google Now. Also, the phone is very responsive to, “Okay, Google.” — so much so that a friend was able to just walk past me and say the phrase to get my phone to react. Assuming that you don’t have friends who utter the phrase on purpose to mess you up, this is a good thing.
Camera :
The Nexus 5 has received a different camera, which is a relief as the Nexus 4 suffered various camera issues that deteriorated overall picture quality. None of this seems to be present in the Nexus 5′s camera. A few example pictures that I took are very clear (for the 8 megapixels it has); therefore, excellent camera quality has been restored. Of course, it doesn’t have features like the iPhone’s slow-motion video recording capability, but I don’t think that’s a must-have feature. Instead, the Optical Image Stabilization is a much better feature to have, and it works very well in real-time. The flash for the camera is acceptable, although sometimes a tad bit harsh in low-light conditions.
Pricing and Final Thoughts:
In any case, as a Nexus, the phone should be the first to receive new Android updates for quite a while. I don’t think any other Android phone was able to hold up to the Nexus 4′s upgrade pace, so this should continue until Google (presumably speaking) releases the Nexus 5 2015 edition.
The Nexus 5 is a fantastic phone that provides a great Android experience for common users, and a friendly setup for Android developers and enthusiasts. Of course, at $349 for the 16 GB model price in India is about 28,999 INR and for the 32 GB variant the price is about 32,999 INR, it doesn’t hurt that the phone also costs substantially less than other smartphones with similar specifications on the market today.
Ultimately, the only downside to this phone is that it’s slightly priced above the Nexus 4′s opening prices by maybe $50, so if that’s a major concern to you (which it probably shouldn’t be), then you can go ahead and just get the Nexus 4 at its new discounted price. Otherwise, the Nexus 5 is awesome, and even better for the price.
BUY A Nexus 5 now-
BUY A Nexus 5 now-
GadgetDesk Gives a PICK to Nexus 5
MUST buy phone if you planning to buy a phone between the range of 20,000 INR to 30,000 INR
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