Nexus 6 vs. Nexus 5 – Find Out If You Should Upgrade

The release date of Motorola-made Google Nexus 6 is pegged for Nov. 12. This next-generation smartphone can be availed from all major carriers in the U.S. namely AT&T, Sprint, US Cellular, T-Mobile and also from Best Buy and Google Play store. Notably, the pre-order window starts from Oct. 29. The well-received predecessor Nexus 5, meanwhile, was released in November 2013. Readers who are interested in upgrading their Nexus 5 to the latest Nexus 6 should check out this comparison.

Display, Design And Size

The Nexus 6 features a whopping 5.96-inch AMOLED display and a Quad HD resolution of 1,440 x 2,560 pixels. This combination translates to a pixel density of 493 ppi. The Nexus 5, on the other hand, comes with a much-smaller 4.95-inch True HD IPS+ display and 1,080 x 1,920 pixels resolution, which trickles down to a pixel density of 445 ppi.

When it comes to design, the Goliath-like Nexus 6 is very much identical to the recently released Motorola Moto X smartphone. Apart from the plastic exterior, there is a metallic frame covering the sides of the handset, providing the premium-look to the mammoth device. Additionally, there are two front-facing speakers to amplify the sound effect on the handset, writes Phone Arena.

The LG-made Nexus 5, meanwhile, comes with a plastic/polycarbonate exterior instead of the glass front and back panels seen in the case of Nexus 4. This device features one frontal speaker and the back panel has the word "Nexus" embossed on the soft-touch cover. Overall, the Nexus 5 is far from anything remotely close to a premium look, but considering its modest price tag with good specs, this is not a bad device after all, writes Tech Radar.

Speaking of size, the thickness and weight of the Google Nexus 6 smartphone are 0.40-inch and 184 g respectively, whereas the Nexus 5 handset is 0.34-inch thick and weighs 130 g. interestingly, the latest Nexus 6 is both thicker and heavier than the Nexus 5.

Hardware, Software And Memory

The Nexus 6 is powered by a solid quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 805) Krait 450 processor, clocked at 2.7 GHz and Adreno 420 for graphics. On the other hand, the Nexus 5 smartphone is powered by a relatively inferior quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 800) Krait 400 processor, clocked at 2.3 GHz and Adreno 330 GPU. While the predecessor is backed by a 2 GB of RAM, the Nexus 6 comes with a killer 3 GB RAM configuration.

Moving on to the software side, the Nexus 5 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS (upgradable to v5.0 L), while the Nexus 6 runs on the latest Android v5.0 Lollipop OS. The stand out point about the Nexus line of handsets is that, they provide stock vanilla Android experience. The latest Android v5.0 Lollipop follows minimalistic design philosophy, in addition to offering an impressive overall user experience, says Phone Arena.

Furthermore, the Nexus 5 offers 16 GB and 32 GB of in-built storage, while the Nexus 6 handset goes one step further and provides 32 GB and 64 GB storage choices. Following Google's tradition of not providing microSD card support, both the handsets do not support expandable storage. The silver lining, however, is the increased in-built storage capacity in the latest Nexus handset.

Camera And Battery

While the Nexus 5 sports 8 MP primary camera unit with LED flash and OIS, the Nexus 6 houses an improved 13 MP rear-facing unit with dual-LED (dual tone) flash, optical image stabilisation and 4K video recording support. Additionally, there is a 2 MP secondary shooter for selfies in the Nexus 6, whereas the Nexus 5 comes with a 1.3 MP snapper. As far as the battery goes, the Nexus 5 smartphone houses a Li-Po 2300 mAh unit, whereas the Nexus 6 comes equipped with a solid Li-Po 3220 mAh unit.

Additional Features

1. Both the devices offer wireless charging facility. Other than the standard connectivity options, both the phones provide NFC and 4G LTE support.

2. The Nexus 5 comes in black, white and red hues, while the successor is offered in midnight blue and cloud white colours. Speaking of SIM, the Nexus 5 supports micro-SIM, while the Nexus 6 employs nano-SIM.

3. In theory, both the smartphones do not come with water- or dust-resistant exterior but the Nexus 6 counterbalances the lack of IP67/68 certification by providing a water-proof coating. Therefore, the latest Nexus 6 can survive accidental water splashes. However, leaving the handset underwater for longer period of time can damage the handset, according to Phone Arena.

Price And Release Date

The Nexus 6 32 GB model is priced at US$649 that roughly translates to AU$737. As mentioned earlier, the handset can be pre-ordered from Oct. 29 and the device will reach the door steps starting Nov. 12. Meanwhile, the Nexus 5 32 GB variant can be purchased for AU$429.95.

Verdict

The Nexus 6 has upped the game for the Nexus line of devices for sure. Even though the Nexus 5 was an incredible handset during its release, the Nexus 6 has far better and latest specs under the hood. Moreover, the latest device has a water-proof coating as well. The humongous deal breaker, however, is the size difference between both the handsets. Potential buyers with interest in a pocket-friendly device might not find the Nexus 6 very appealing, since it is too big at 5.96-inch. Plus, the price is a bit on the higher end when compared to other Nexus devices. Apart from the aforementioned reasons, there is no other ground to stop the readers from buying this brilliant device, opines Tech Times.

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