Google Nexus 6 review:

Prepare to pay for the biggest Android Lollipop

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Review Date: November 12, 2014

The Good The Google Nexus 6 has a razor-sharp and expansive display, a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 805 processor, the latest Lollipop OS and an OIS-equipped camera that takes great outdoor photos.

The Bad The Nexus is heavier and wider than most big smartphones, and its call volume is low on audio speaker. And it's the most expensive Nexus yet.

The Bottom Line Although the Nexus 6 trails the slimmer Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in processor performance and native productivity features, it's still the most powerful pure Android handset available and the largest Nexus yet.

As the first plus-size smartphone from Google, the Nexus 6 isn't a simple upgrade from the Nexus 5. And when Dave Burke, the company's VP of engineering, first handed us the 6-inch handset, he encouraged us to ask not, "What is the right size for a phone?" but, "What is the right size of a pocket Internet device?"
It was a clever comment on his part, for if you think of the Motorola-made Nexus 6 in those terms -- as a do-anything-and-everything tablet replacement -- then it's a fantastic device. With a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 805 processor, a gorgeous quad HD display, a nimble camera that can take ultrasharp photos, and that large screen, the Nexus 6 gives you more room for things you really do on a smartphone, mainly checking email, browsing the Web, watching movies and taking pictures.
That said, even as other manufacturers rush to build larger phones, the jump to the Nexus 6 is a debatable move on Google's part. Size does matter, and by breaking from companies like Apple and Samsung that make both phone and phablet models of what is essentially the same handset, Google risks alienating users who consider it too big (it's heavier and wider than other big smartphones) or who don't want to pay the $650-plus premium to buy it.
For those more keen on going small, there are plenty other options on the market, such as the also pure-Android Motorola Moto X. But for anyone looking for a big-screen handset with an authentic form of the new Lollipop OS, the Nexus 6 is the smartphone you want. It performs well and it has all that you'd expect from the Nexus family. If you want to go big and don't need stock Android, though, we give the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 the edge. It's just as powerful (if not more so), it has more productivity features like the super-handy S Pen, and its design better handles the large size.

Availability

In the US, you can pre-order an unlocked Nexus 6 from the Google Play Store for $649 (32GB) and $699 (64GB). Carriers that will stock the device include T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular, and it will hit store shelves in November. Over the next coming weeks, the handset will be sold in 28 other countries, with 4G LTE variants both for the Americas and countries on other continents. In the UK, it will cost £499 (32GB) and £549 (64GB). The 32GB model will cost AU$869 in Australia and the 64GB model is AU$929.

Hardware and key components: The guts of the operation

The phone is powered by a quad-core, 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 processor from Qualcomm, which is the same CPU found in other powerhouse devices like the reworked LG G3 Cat 6 for Korea, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the upcoming Motorola Droid Turbo. The processor includes the Adreno 420 GPU for smooth graphics rendering and gameplay.
Giving the Nexus 6 its juice is a non-removable 3,220 mAh battery. Similar to its predecessors, the battery has wireless charging capabilities, and can supposedly regain 6 hours of power after 15 minutes of charging with a specialized Turbo charger that features Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology. We'll detail how these stats actually pan out later on in the review.

Powering the handset is a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 805 processor from Qualcomm. Josh Miller/CNET

For your camera needs, the handset has a 13-megapixel camera, with a dual-LED flash that encircles the lens, and a 2-megapixel front shooter. Additional goodies include 3GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB of internal storage. Unfortunately, there is no option to insert a microSD card for expandable memory.

Design: AKA, the Motorola Moto 'XXL'

Simply put, the Nexus 6 looks essentially like the second-gen Motorola Moto X on steroids. It has the same curved back, an aluminum trim that dips down into the backplate at the top edge, and a branded M-dimple, for Motorola. This isn't very surprising since Google's decided to go with Motorola to design its flagship, instead of LG as in years past.
But just because we like the Moto X's design doesn't necessarily mean the supersize look translates well for the Nexus. For example, the Moto X's design is highly customizable, and it's small enough so that its arched backside feels comfy in the hand. Google's device however, is just too wide to grip comfortably.

Size and weight

	Google Nexus 6	Samsung Galaxy Note 4	Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Dimensions	6.27 x 3.27 x 0.40 inches (159 x 83 x 10.1mm)	6.04 x 3.09 x 0.34 inches (154 by 79 by 8.5mm)	6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches (158 x 78 x 7.1 mm)
Weight	6.49 ounces (184g)	6.2 ounces (176g)	6.07 ounces (172g)

This may not be a problem for those with larger hands, but keep in mind that the handset is also heavier and thicker than the Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone Plus. Even in the realm of phablets, the phone will prove unwieldy, or at least uncomfortable, for some.
In addition, compared to the previously mentioned devices, the Nexus 6 doesn't feel as premium. Don't get us wrong, the handset doesn't look cheap in anyway -- the dark aluminum trim adds an element of luxury, and we dig the dual front-facing speaker grilles. But it doesn't have the glossy, contemporary aesthetic of the Note 4, or the lightweight all-metal build quality of the iPhone 6 Plus.
The phone's plastic back also traps fingerprints easily. Since we reviewed the Midnight Blue variant, it might have been easier to see our prints compared to the Cloud White version, but nevertheless, we had to constantly wipe it down to clear away smudges. Moreover, every time we did this, the plastic rear made crackling noises as we pressed and rubbed against it. This isn't enough to turn us away from the Nexus 6 altogether, but for a $650 device, it was still unnerving to hear.

Although the arched back works well for the Moto X, it doesn't do much for the Nexus' large body. Josh Miller/CNET

Display: Going big for a reason

Of course, the main advantage of the handset's larger design is its enormous screen. Vibrant, razor sharp, and immersive, the phone serves up nearly six inches of media-viewing goodness. Web pages, HD videos and graphics-intensive games all looked buttery-smooth, with dynamic colors and fine details.
Both the Nexus 6 and the Galaxy Note 4 have a higher resolution and pixel density than the iPhone 6 Plus, with the latter having the most pixels packed per inch among the three. But while we can slice hairs over the numbers on paper, differences between the display resolutions are negligible to the naked eye. Even under close examination with a magnifying lens, all the screens looked equally crisp and well defined to one another.

Display resolutions, compared

	Google Nexus 6	Samsung Galaxy Note 4	Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Display	5.96-inch AMOLED (2,560x1,440)	5.7-inch Super AMOLED (2,560x1,440)	5.5-inch LCD (1,920x1,080)
Pixel density	493ppi	515ppi	401ppi

We were able to notice other details, however. Given the iPhone's LCD screen and the other two's AMOLED display, there were obvious differences in color temperature. Green, blue and red hues were more saturated and rich on the Galaxy Note 4. The iPhone showed the purest and brightest whites, which became especially apparent next to the Nexus, which displayed whites with a faint shade of yellow. The deepest blacks came from the Note 4, with Apple's phablet displaying its black with an almost bluish tone, and the Nexus coming somewhere in the middle.
In general, it's all a matter of personal preference. The Galaxy Note 4 lets you adjust display tones, but even so, its screen has the most punch to it. At times though, colors can look unrealistic (especially skin tones). On the other side of the spectrum, the iPhone comes off a tad muted, but colors are more true-to-life. The Nexus 6 is the perfect compromise between the two. It has better color representation than the Note 4, but isn't as vibrant. At the same time, it's more vivid than the iPhone, but its colors aren't as accurate. Whichever device you go with, however, you're still guaranteed to get an engaging and expansive viewing experience.

With a 1440p resolution, the phone's display is ultracrisp and bright. Josh Miller/CNET

Software features: Oh lolli, lolli, lolli

Living in a Material world

With the new update, Android 5.0 introduces a completely redesigned interface called Material Design. Animated, playful and colorful, Material reaches just about every corner and crevice of Android -- from the dialer, to the notifications shade and even the hotkeys for back, home and overview (previously known as, recent apps) have changed into simple geometric shapes.
As previously mentioned, animations are a big part of Material. Nearly everything that you interact with via touch will move in some way. Sometimes it's a transparent gray shade that ripples outward with every tap, or it's a small wave that moves as you drag your finger across the screen. When you launch the app drawer, its circular icon expands into a big rectangular window; and when you're at the unlock screen, texts zoom in and out.
After a while, these breathing animations give off the impression that your Android handset is very much alive and dynamic. Some of us personally like this, but other CNET editors say that having too many animations can make your phone look like it's working slower than it actually is.

Material Design's new dialer (left) and app drawer. Screenshots by Lynn La/CNET

Another characteristic of Material is cards. Notifications, the app drawer and text in many apps have their own designated card that's layered on top of the background. We've seen this before in Google Now, but Lollipop has integrated it even more.
Gmail and Calendar received the biggest makeover with the OS update. The former, for instance, has a simplified inbox and refreshed sidebar. Calendar has whimsical, full-colored seasonally-themed backgrounds for each month, and it can add relevant images to events using key words entered by users such as "dinner." These graphics pop up through a parallax scroll effect. You can turn them off if you want, but I find them quite charming and easy enough to ignore if they aren't your thing.

Gmail (left) and the Calendar app have recieved major facelifts with the Lollipop update. Screenshots by Lynn La/CNET

Notifications, overview and quick settings

Notifications can now be viewed in the lockscreen, similar to Apple iOS and Moto Alerts on Motorola devices. Tapping a notification will launch the relevant app, while swiping dismisses it altogether. Users can also control how much information apps display, which is useful for sensitive emails and messages.
Long-pressing a notification card in the menu shade will reveal individual settings, but Google included an "app notifications" master list inside the settings menu as well. Alerts for phone calls, alarms and texts can pop up while you're in the middle of a smartphone task. These are called heads-up, and you can interact with them the same way as before (tap to launch or swipe to dismiss).
Recent apps and multitasking have now been renamed as "overview" and are designated by the square hotkey located at the bottom right of the display. Tap it and you'll see all the active apps that are running the background. Laid out like a stack of cards, overview also shows you multiple tasks within individual apps. In regards to Gmail, for example, two overview cards would appear if you have your inbox open and if you're drafting a new message.

Notifications now appear on the lockscreen (left), and Overview can display more than one tab per app. Screenshots by Lynn La/CNET

Overview gives a more informative preview and context to your recent apps. But if you're a regular smartphone user, recent apps can add up quite quickly. The addition of multiple tabs per app also piles on more windows. As such, it's unfortunate there is no "clear all" button that closes them all at once. Instead, you'll need to swipe or tap these cards individually, which can get tedious.
The quick settings menu, which is accessible with a two-finger downward swipe at the top of the screen, has been rejigged as well. In addition to the regular mainstays like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles, two welcomed settings have been added: auto-rotate and flashlight. These toggles haven't been featured in stock Android before, and it's great to see them finally baked into quick settings.

Additional goodies

Under the initiative of "Project Volta," Google set out to improve the device's battery life as well. With the OS update, developers are able to control how their apps affect battery life, such as scheduling tasks and fetching data only when the phone is plugged in to a charger. In addition, a new battery-saver mode will turn off background data and decrease the CPU clock speed during times of low battery.
Lollipop also enables users to unlock their smartphone via Bluetooth. If the Nexus 6 senses a known personal Bluetooth device nearby, such as a Motorola Moto 360 or LG G Watch, the phone will automatically unlock itself.

Mass migrating apps and accounts from your previous Android phone is easier with the Nexus 6. Josh Miller/CNET

To limit access from other users, Google added screen pinning and guest mode. Screen pinning restricts others to only one screen, either an app or game that's given, while guest mode lets other access your handset as a guest. This mode only offers other users access to Google apps, the camera, messages, and the dialer (though as the owner of the device, you can disallow others to make calls under guest mode).

Prepare to pay for the biggest Android Lollipop powerhouse

If you're moving from another phone to the Nexus 6, Google let's you beam your apps, wallpapers and account settings through NFC. Simply turn on NFC on both devices, tap the backs and wait until both handsets connect. The loading process takes a few minutes depending on how much content you have on your old device, but it makes the migrating process a lot easier.

Camera and video: Sharp shooting

Take the Nexus 6's 13-megapixel camera outside into the light and it will reward you for your faith with plenty of crisp, balanced images that rival those of other top phones. Lighter hues are bright and blacks are dark. Vivid colors flood the eye. Although high quality in general, whites bleached out in some scenarios and low light shots weren't as good as rival phones like the Microsoft Lumia (nee Nokia) line can produce.
HDR mode rescued some landscape scenes, especially when combatting harsh sunlight angles, and indoor pictures were generally good. We found that the lens wouldn't always focus on extreme closeups, like flower petals, before starting to fuzz the edges.

The device's 13-megapixel camera can shoot up to 4K video and features an encircling dual flash. Josh Miller/CNET

Front-facing photos on the 2-megapixel camera were good both indoors and out, with faithful color representation and enough detail to satisfy without realizing every facial cranny and nook.
Android 5.0 Lollipop brings with it its own layout and tool set for the native camera, most of which you access by swiping to the right. These are basics, like Panorama and HDR mode, plus a lens-blur feature and photo sphere. You'll be able to turn grid lines on and hop into the settings to turn on manual exposure (in advanced settings). Even better would be an auto-HDR mode or onscreen toggle like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has.
You won't, however, find filters and tinker with white balance presets in the default controls. Google saves these for its thorough editing tools in the Photos gallery. Here, there's auto-editing and cropping, and all sorts of tuning adjustments for things like brightness and saturation. You'll also be able to add a ton of filters and post-processing computing like tilt-shift and HDR Scape.

Novices to this sort of editing will need to embrace the philosophy of trial and error as they dig deeper into the adjustment sliders and sub-menu tools. Google has a generic visual tutorial, but could probably have added some helpful text-driven tool tips as well.
One last comment for the photo apps: it would be better if the Photos app had a simple, clear way of separating out photos from screenshots right off the bat, without you having to tinker with albums yourself.
Here's a sampling of the Nexus 6 image quality below. You can click images for full resolution, but be forewarned: they're large.


As for the video camera, clip quality was very high using the phone's UHD 4K default video capture. Color and sharpness were spot on, and the way that the software adjusted focus and detail in changing light scenarios within a video was impressive. When 4K video files are too large for your needs or just plain overkill, you can also drop down to 1080p and 720p resolutions, but not below.
Similarly, the front-facing camera shoots in 1080p HD clips, though you can select 720p or 480p resolutions for smaller, less razor-sharp videos that are easier to share.

Performance: Call quality

We tested the Nexus 6 in our San Francisco office using T-Mobile's network. Call quality in both indoor and outdoor settings were great -- none of our calls dropped, audio remained consistent, and we didn't hear any extraneous buzzing or static. Our calling partner sounded clear with no distortion, and volume range were at adequate levels. As for the other line, we were told that we also sounded clear. Our partner didn't hear any background noises when we carried our conversation outdoors near a busy street and heavy construction.

Google Nexus 6 (T-Mobile) call quality sample

Call quality for the audio speaker was similar to what we heard through the in-ear speaker. However, maximum volume range could be louder. Although we could hear our calling partner clearly, her voice was quieter than expected, even when we cranked the volume all the way up. We also had to keep the device relatively near our faces (about a foot and a half away) to keep the handset within earshot. This was surprising, since the phone is equipped with dual front-facing speakers grilles that have no problem playing booming sound with songs and video.

Data speeds, processing speed and battery life

Data speeds on T-Mobile's LTE network were decent, and were consistent from what we've seen before from the carrier. At this point, it's important to keep in mind that data speeds depend on a number of variables, such as one's location and time of day. According to Ookla's speed test app, the Nexus' had an average rate of 10.11Mbps down and 8.97Mbps up. It also usually took about 2 minutes and 53 seconds for the 43.70MB game Temple Run 2 to download and install.
As for browsing the Internet, the device took 10 seconds to download CNET's desktop site. Both the mobile and desktop site for the New York Times needed about 7 seconds to load, and ESPN's mobile and desktop site finished loading after 4 and 15 seconds, respectively.

Google Nexus 6 (T-Mobile) performance times

Average 4G LTE download speed	10.11Mbps
Average 4G LTE upload speed	8.97Mbps
Temple Run 2 app download (43.70MB)	2 minutes and 53 seconds
CNET desktop site load	10 seconds
Restart time	1 minute and 16 seconds
Camera boot time	2.48 seconds

With its Snapdragon 805 processor, the phone is lightning fast and operates swiftly. Daily and necessary tasks like opening the app drawer, scrolling down Web pages, and returning to the homescreen were all done without delay. Graphics intensive games such as Riptide GP 2 and Kill Shot loaded in a reasonable amount of time, showed high frame rates, and played effortlessly with smooth graphics.
Benchmark tests mirrored our real world findings, and it's easy to see that the phone is indeed powerful. It can certainly hold its own against its rivals, though we did notice that the Galaxy Note 4 slightly, but consistently, edged out the Nexus and iPhone on benchmark results. (Take these scores with a grain of salt, however, as manufacturers have been known to manipulate scores based on well-known benchmarking software.)

3D Mark Ice Storm -- Unlimited

Google Nexus 6

20,721

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

21,007

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

18,054

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Geekbench 3

Google Nexus 6

1,052

3,263

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

1,110

3,283

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

1,626

2,922

Legend:

Single-core score

Multi-core score

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

 For example, we ran our usual 3D Mark Ice Storm (unlimited) app on the Nexus 6, Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus three times each, pulling the highest score out of the three trials. The Note 4's score of 21,007 is indicative of having the faster performance and higher frame rates, with the Google device and iPhone following afterward. The results were the same when we used Geekbench 3 and gathered both single-core and multi-core scores: the Nexus scored right in between the Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone.

In addition, the phone's highest Quadrant result was 13,553, and its best multi-thread Linpack score was 386.85 MFLOPS in 0.44-second. The Quadrant score was oddly low, given its other benchmark scores and the fact that other phones its caliber usually score around the 20,000+ mark. On average, it took about 1 minute and 16 seconds to power off and restart the handset and 2.48 seconds to launch the camera.

Some of the phone's data times on T-Mobile (left) and its best Quadrant result. Screenshots by Lynn La/CNET

The 3,220 mAh battery offers an estimated 8.5 hours of Internet browsing on Wi-Fi and 7 hours on LTE. It also has a reported talk time of up to 24 hours and a standby time of 300 hours. During our own battery drain test for continuous video playback, the phone lasted 11 hours and 56 minutes. Anecdotal observation showed that with medium usage on LTE and brightness cranked all the way up, it still had about 30 percent juice at the end of the work day.
We also measured how long the Nexus took to recharge with a fully drained battery. Using the Turbo charger the device came packaged with, it took 43 minutes to regain 50 percent of its battery life, and 1 hour and 50 minutes to fully charge. According to FCC radiation measurements, the device has a SAR rating on 0.93W/kg.

Conclusion: Is it the right size for you?

It's rare to see a flagship make such a dramatic jump in size by itself. These days, it's more common for manufacturers to make incremental increases with every new iteration, or release a separate "mega" version of their marquee handset. So, when Google increased its Nexus by a whole inch, we knew it was a bold move. It took its charmingly affordable handset and turned it into a niche big-screen phablet with a price jump to match. It expands the Nexus line, but without advancing it all that much.
For that reason, the Nexus will prove to be too big for some users eagerly looking for Google's next flagship. And not just in a how-is-this-thing-going-to-fit-in-my-pocket-and-tiny-hands sort of way. Rather, I mean "too big" because the accompanying high price may push it out of their budget completely.

As a phablet, the Nexus 6 faces some tough competition. Josh Miller/CNET

If you're in that camp and you're looking for a "Nexus 6 Mini" then the Moto X is your answer. Its core design is the same as the Nexus, and though it doesn't have Lollipop yet, it's still powerful, reliable, and better yet, customizable. Plus, give or take a few tweaks from Motorola, it runs as close to stock Android as you can get outside the Nexus brand.
However, if you welcome the expansive size and pure Android experience, the Nexus 6 delivers the goods with only a few minor drawbacks. And if you're open to more screen real estate, the Nexus 6 isn't your only option. Although we prefer Google's phablet over the iPhone 6 Plus, the latter is still a more elegantly crafted device that has a fantastic camera and a user-friendly OS.
Ultimately though, a better alternative to both handsets is the Galaxy Note 4. Like the Moto X, it hasn't received the Lollipop update yet, and it won't get future OS updates as fast as the Nexus would. It does, however, have a slimmer design than the Nexus, a powerful processor that performs just as well, a suite of native productivity tools, and most importantly, a built-in S Pen stylus that gives users plenty of prowess. Android loyalists may not dig its TouchWiz UI, but it packs more features inside a sleeker body.