Key Features: 5.96-inch QHD display; Android 5.0 Lollipop; 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization; 4K video support; Dual LED flash; 2-megapixel front camera
Manufacturer: Google

Originally previewed on 12 November 2014

Google Nexus 6 – First Impressions

Google’s Nexus phones have become synonymous with flagship tech combined with great value for money. The Google Nexus 6, however, is something of a curve ball, and a huge one at that.

It's a phone brimming with high-end hardware – a 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, QHD display – but it's left the mass market to the Nexus 5 and opted for a 6-inch phablet form factor. As the phone’s size has gone up, so too has its price.

We now know officially that Nexus 6 will sell for £499 for the 32GB version and the 64GB version for £549. Obviously this is much more than the Nexus 5 sold for when it was launched, which means the Nexus 6 will now compete against pricier and more accomplished phones.

It's due to go on sale on 1st December, though pre-orders are open now.
Watch the Nexus 6 official announcement video

Nexus 6 – Design

There is no getting away from it, the Nexus 6 is huge. At 159.3mm tall, 83mm wide and 10.1mm thick it dwarfs flagship phones such as the Galaxy S5 and LG G3. Although it features an overall footprint not much larger than the iPhone 6 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, it doesn’t carry its size as well as either rival.

I found the phone to feel bulky and cumbersome from the start. Its considerable 184g weight is distributed well across the phone’s sizeable form, but unlike some overweight handsets, the Nexus 6 does little to hide its size. It's wider than the 6 Plus, less graceful than the Note 4 and fatter than both, it is an awkward, gangly teenager of a handset.



Visually, the Nexus 6 is basically an oversized Moto X. It's not ugly phone, but it lacks the refined simplicity of the Nexus 5 and certainly can't match the iPhone 6 Plus or Note 4. The two-tone colour scheme is easy on the eye and the metallic blue edges give the phone an air of elegance, but this is overshadowed by the phone’s cheap looking – and feeling – plastic back.

Further highlighting the Nexus 6’s awkward design are the phone’s physical buttons – a power key and separate volume rocker. Both feel dwarfed by the handset’s overall size. They are well located in the centre of the phone’s right-hand edge, but small and fiddly to operate.


Nexus 6 – Screen

As with the phone’s overall look and feel, the Nexus 6’s screen fell slightly short of expectation on first use. While the handset’s 5.96-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel QHD panel is sufficiently sharp and detailed, it lacks the pop and vibrancy of either the Note 4 or 6 Plus.

Unusually for an AMOLED panel, I found the Nexus 6’s colour range to be a little subdued. Hues aren’t exactly muted but neither do they wow. This ran throughout all elements of the Nexus 6 from the new Material OS design to web pages and the image viewer.

Where visuals were slightly off, the screen’s touch capabilities and performance were on point. Screen transitions were smooth, swipe gestures fluid and all multi-finger commands handled with ease. Brightness levels are also hard to fault. The phone’s screen adjusted elegantly to bouts of direct sunlight and periods in a shadowy corner.

We'll need more time with the Nexus 6 to judge the screen definitively, but it doesn't wow as much as the raw size and resolution suggest.


Nexus 6 – Camera

The Nexus 6 features a 13-megapixel, rear-mounted camera, enhanced by optical image stabilisation  and a dual-LED ring flash. On paper this sits between the 8-megapixel camera found on the iPhone 6 and the Note 4’s 16-megapixel offering.

In practice, however, at least based on our early play, the Nexus 6 again falls just short of either rival. While the phone’s camera app is quick to launch, I found the handset’s focussing efforts to be a little sluggish and often a little shallow.

Early test shots weren’t the sharpest, although admittedly this was in less than ideal lighting conditions. Focal points often fell between desired targets, resulting in slightly blurred images. The Nexus 6 camera also struggled with multiple light sources, shooting indoors with artificial and natural light coming from different angles, shots were noisy and lacking any real depth or vibrancy.



This suggests that there might be software tweaks required before the phone is available to buy.

Up front, a secondary, 2-megapixel camera is a middling offering for selfie fans. As is so often the case with forward-facing cameras, test shots were flat and plagued with poor exposure.

On the plus side, the Nexus 6 camera offers a mass of shooting options. Photo Sphere and Lens Blur options join the traditional Panorama mode and raft of shooting pre sets.

With only limited time to sample the Nexus 6’s camera capabilities – and just a single, confined location in which to shoot – more time is required with the phone’s photographic abilities. Based on first use, however, it appears imaging could be an area where Samsung and Apple lead the way.


Nexus 6 – Features

The Nexus 6 is the first handset to come running Android 5.0 Lollipop direct from the box. The newly refined mobile OS is sleek and simple to use. The Material design tweaks have helped create a more streamlined, fluid user experience that instantly impresses.

The phone’s 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor is identical to that powering the Note 4. Like its Samsung-branded rival, the Nexus 6 breezed through all early tests I could throw at it. Gaming is something we have been unable to test at this stage, but we can’t see the handset’s CPU, Adreno 420 GPU and 3GB of RAM coming unstuck easily.

Dual-stereo speakers are another new addition to the Nexus 6. Looking to compete with the likes of the HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z3, the enhanced audio options promise more immersive video playback. Sadly, given the busy, noisy environment in which I used the Nexus 6, I can’t vouch for their performance at this stage.

Similarly, given our limited time with the device, we have as yet been unable to test the Nexus 6’s battery life. With a 3,220mAh Lithium-Polymer power pack on board, however, a day’s steady use is all but guaranteed. We'll find out for certain in our full Nexus 6 review.


Initial Verdict

Before I tried the Nexus 6 I was convinced it was going to be great phone. Now I have, however, I'm less convinced. Perhaps it will convince on extended use, but if you were thinking about pre-ordering the Nexus 6 ahead of full reviews then it's probably worth waiting before putting down your cash.