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ORIGINALLY STARTING OFF as a developer phone to help show off Android, Google’s Nexus series has begun to hit its stride when the Nexus 5 and 7 were released.
Since the Nexus 5 has been available on Ireland’s Google Play store for the past month, unlocked with 16GB or 32GB sizes, it can be a tempting prospect, but is it an opportune time to get one, or should you divert your attention to its rivals?
Look and feel
The answer is rather nice. The rubber exterior is nice to hold – its lightness helps as well – and the 4.95-inch screen offers a clear and vibrant display.
The display is much easier on the eye, with colours and brightness being softer than most phones. When you compare it to rivals like the Galaxy S5, which has a screen so impressively sharp it can feel like you’re looking at a TV, it’s not a bad thing to have.
Hardware and software
Essentially, this is Android in its purest form, where KitKat (Android 4.4) is allowed to do exactly what it was designed to do. When you first boot it up, all you have are the traditional apps associated with the OS, and unless you despise Google products, chances are you use some of them already..
The best way to describe the Nexus 5 when running tasks is zippy. Any action you perform flows smoothly and the features Android provides – like Google cards – work perfectly. Even when uploading apps onto the phone, there was practically no slowdown or unexpected crashes during its use.
While the likes of Samsung cram features and software into their phones in the hope that you’ll use them, the Nexus 5 is content letting you decide what to install on it. More importantly, it has the power and speed to keep up with anything you do on it.
Camera
This is where things get a little disappointing. The Nexus 5′s camera is decent, but even taking its original release date into consideration, an 8MP camera is far behind what’s currently offered now by other rival phones (To give you an idea, the iPhone 4S uses a similar quality camera).
In a strange way, this is where the Nexus 5′s screen works against it. The soft colours and display means images look somewhat nicer when you’re taking them then they actually are.
Google Camera – the native camera app for the Nexus 5 which is now available on Google Play – is nice to use because of its simplicity (Lens Blur mode is still fun to play around with), but much like the Nexus 5 itself, the app is stripped down to the bare minimum.
Overall, it’s accessible, but if camera quality plays a major role in what phone you buy, there are far better camera phones out there. Again, the images it takes are more than presentable, but the focus and lighting might be an issue.
Battery
While the camera is still pretty good, the same can’t be said of its battery. It’s an issue with all smartphones, but the Nexus 5 has a worse case of it.
For normal users, this mightn’t be as noticeable, but if you’re an intensive user, don’t be surprised if you see battery life hovering around the 10-15 per cent mark by the end of the day.
As long as you don’t go overboard with the amount of apps running in the background, it will be fine, but either way, it’s something you will have to be careful with.
Conclusion
It’s best to think of the Nexus 5 as a blank canvas, one that lets you strips away the unnecessary extras and lets you do whatever it is you want to do.
Make no mistake, this is still a high-performance device and one that still matches the newer high-end smartphones.
The disappointing battery life (and to a lesser extent, the camera) but they’re not deal-breakers by any means, and the strengths of the phone greatly outweigh this, especially since you can purchase it unlocked.
You could wait until October for the next Nexus version to arrive, or hope that the OnePlusOne phone (a similar style phone which has received a positive response so far) makes its way over here, but if you’re pressed to get a high-end smartphone now, the Nexus 5 is still up there with the best of them.
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Strange you don’t even refer to it’s best feature – the price, as I’d imagine that’s the first thing 99% of buyers consider.
I’m addicted to my ipad, nexus, and kindle fire.
But I’ve started to just use my nexus.
I’m down to one tablet a day now.
Just got a nexus 10 and am very surprised at just how use able android is beyond phones.
Tried Ubuntu touch developer preview on it which is far from impressive so far – very much hoping it’ll improve as I’m very much a Ubuntu/Linux lover….
Price?
Simply put no, it’s a great phone and runs stock android without bloatware but you cannot get any better at this moment in time than the HTC One M8 the stunning design is beautiful, amazing sound just like last year’s HTC One M7, fast and smooth, if Samsung binned touchwiz and made metal instead of plastic phones they might be in contention.
The one plus one out next month will raise the bar even further, a start up company has produced the best smartphone ever when in terms of specifications but what’s even better is the price, an amazing €299 for 64GB model, bargain of the decade no doubt.
Meanwhile you still have gullible sheep paying over €700 for an iPhone and it is light years behind this superb phone.
I miss the feel of the M7 and the sound. Sense is s good skin too. There’s a version of sense for the nexus 5 on XDA. Its in alpha but would be well worth a look. It integrates very well with exchange.
You sound like an Apple hater there. quoting prices to try make apple sound expensive, a 16gb HTC m8 simfree retails for €689, an iphone 5s for €699. Having owned both the m8 and the iPhone 5s I personally think IOS is a lot smoother than android and apps are of a much higher standard too. Again each to their own. If someone prefers iOS buy an iPhone, if try prefer android buy one of the many available!
Plastic is better than metal. It’s light, strong and easily replaced.
Where are you getting €689 for the M8, any retailer selling for that much won’t sell many, try €100 cheaper than that.
Having used both platforms extensively I can confirm that Android Kit Kat especially is hands down the winner in every department, many people just purchase an iPhone because of hype and you have to Don your hat to Apples marketing department for that, however the reality is that Android is light years ahead of IOS, which asides from a few cosmetic changes hasn’t really progressed since its inception.
Where you getting €299?
I’m talking unlocked Simfree prices here
expansys € 695
Argos € 689
yes you can buy it for €599 from vodafone/o2/etc but its locked to that network until they have made the difference in credit back from you.
I’ve done nothing to Apples marketing department, like I said each to their own, I’ve tried both platforms, I prefer one more than the other.
I was just giving my opinion not slagging off brands or making up prices to make one seem better than the other, you come across as a massive anti apple, android fanboy here, its pathetic really.
It also deals with impacts a lot better as well. Plastic will absorb shock rather than transfer it like aluminium or glass. Removable batteries also help in that regard. It won’t stop your screen from smashing but it does reduce the risk of it happening and even more importantly it reduces the transfer of impact energy to the board. Crack a screen and it can be replaced at a price. Bend or break the board and the handset is beyond economical repair.
I bought the M8 three weeks ago and what I was pleasantly surprised about is the battery life. If I fully charge my phone in the morning. I will have battery until about midday the next day. But in thinking on that if you pay that amount for a phone you should have a battery lasting more than 24 hours, not every 12 as is the case is with Apple phones.
Yes you can get it for as low as €549 and get it unlocked for free if you search on XDA Developers, anyone who pays €»689 needs their head examined same as anyone who psys€700 for an iPhone.
The review is incredibly late and pretty insubstantial.For 90% of people they would be better off getting a Moto G and not having to worry about it. Waterproof, no need for a cover and if you lose it you can buy a new one for a 120 quid. Hit the point of diminishing returns a few months ago. Very little difference between a 1080p and 720p phone.
Moto G is deadly. Amazing battery life and features and affordable :)
No phone is waterproof. Some phones are water resistant up to certain depths for a certain amount of time. The moto G is not one of these handsets. Still a great smartphone for the money though. As long as you have a decent data allowance you can compensate for the lack of removable memory with google’s cloud storage. Think the g comes with about 40gbs of online storage.
Lots of phones are waterproof. The Moto G is waterproof enough for most people since you can use it in the shower.
N5 + N10 is my line up. I got an ipad 2 back in the day and although the apps are nicer, Apple’s closed/walled garden drove me crazy.
If you like monkeying with you device, there is nothing like pure Android.
Moto G has got to be the best Google phone for the price on the market. Great battery life, HD camera with a zoom, fantastic performance with Kit Kat and the price….€150 unlocked. I know Google sold Motorola just after producing the phone but it is the best phone I have ever used. The reviews alone tell the story. Check it out
Well Cathal no offence but your certainly in the minority here I haven’t come across anyone really who’s having issues like that , I’m having none of those issues , as for the keyboard just downloaded SwiftKey from Google play and away you go.
I wouldn’t say I’m in the minority, I think most people changing from one os to the other have difficulty getting to grips with android. I’m not saying its a bad os, it’s just not for me. I use s3 minis in work all the time and I actually think they are a great phone.
Apparently, Swiftkey was sending home 4000 location hits a day….
not good, news on that came about around a week ago.
Better to stick with stock AOSP Google keyboard or Hackers Keyboard.
Have to disagree with you Cathal. I haven’t had one of the above problems with mine. Bring it back to your retailer, you probably have corrupt software.
Google? Isn’t it that company that collects our data and shares it with the NSA? Or reads our emails in order to build our profile for advertisers?
No, thank you.
No, you’re thinking of Apple.http://www.businessinsider.com/nsa-spyware-backdoor-on-iphone-2013-12#!KXora
I can see Nexus owners being the same as Skoda owners……..refusing to accept that it’s cheap for a reason. Remember, having a VW symbol on the back of the indicator switch doesn’t mean you are driving an Audi lol!
I have one and its class in every way, go on and spend more for your iPhone I’ve hand both and the nexus beats it all day
I’ve had it for 6 months now.
Terrific phone, though a better battery would make it perfect.
iPhone troll alert above.. Jaysus :-\
Bought an M8 on Wednesday as my first android phone everything about it/android bugged me, the keyboard was difficult to use/ too big on the screen, apps crashed all the time(adverts, Facebook, eBay), it was difficult to control location services per app, when you got a message and opened it up, it took a second to refresh the conversation, so the new bit hadn’t appeared yet, no home button, virtual buttons just not the same and a waste of the real screen. You cant use it with one hand. The default email app is crap, the gmail one is worse, the Dropbox one is usable but still not great. Seriously couldn’t use it any more, just turned it off this morning, good riddance, it’s now up for sale or swap for a 5s
What network? How much do you want for it?
Your experience should improve.
- you can have other keyboard other than the default
- some apps will be updated over time to accommodate the newer o/s.
It was O2 but the NAC will be here Monday. I think I have a swap on adverts.ie, but they are also waiting on an unlock request, if the swap doesn’t go ahead it will be listed there and ebay Monday evening
I’ve a nexus 5. Good phone but you need to root it and run xprivacy.
Why?
Well you should with all android phones really. I spent a good chunk of last night analysing the data leaving my phone, where it was going, etc.
It is amazing the amount of data that apps take. Xprivacy feeds these apps dummy or no data.
There’s no point letting some clown who wrote a flashlight app have your contacts and text messages for example.
Ditto for Facebook and others.
You might be interested in an app called viaProtect. It’s an app that analyses the data send from your phone and give you detailed reports on where your data goes, what country, is it encrypted etc…
It’s in public preview right now so expect bugs and stuff but it works well
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.viaforensics.viaprotect.android.agent
It’s not the sort of thing that would concern me enough to void my phone’s warranty, plus, you’re told what information an app accesses when you’re installing it, just don’t install it if you think your privacy is at risk.
LG G2 is a savage phone as well quick and responsive and the screen is excellent on it and it doesn’t break the bank to buy one sim free
The best thing about the Nexus lineup is the whole openness of the OS, been able to compile your own OS from source is a great way to learn how android works, been able to build your own ROMs the way you want and know what’s on your phone because you put it there is what the Nexus/AOSP thing is all about. Try do that with your iPhone…
I am thinking of going form iphone 5 to a htc m8 would like to know what people think I have an phone since 2008
I have the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, let’s say… Nexus 3, from more than 2 years ago and still run like the first day, so fast and no lags. I’m waiting for nexus 6!
Bq aquaris, 13mp camera, 5mp front camera, 2gb ram, quad core, 4000ma battery that last two days, Dolby speakers and a 5,7 inch full res screen all for 250€ bargain
Another point here, Nexus 5 has 2GB RAM, Moto G has 1GB, obviously, Nexus 5 will have more smoother experience, but wait until upcoming Google I/O for Nexus 6 and Nexus 8… and yes, you can buy the Nexus 5 on Google Device Shop, https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_5_16_GB_Black?id=nexus_5_black_16gb
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