WhatisaNexus?When it was originally
conceived, the idea of a Nexus device was for
Google to work with manufacturers to
demonstrate how to deliver the best Android
experience for a particular segment, be that
high-end devices, mid-range devices or a tablet.
With the latest generation, Google has returned
to this approach – the Nexus 5X demonstrates
how to deliver a great device at a sub-fl agship
price and the Nexus 6P hopes to demonstrate
how to build a premium Android phone. Huawei’s
Nexus should be the very best that Android has
to offer, bar none. No pressure then.
There are a few things you need to do to
make the ultimate Android phone: you need to
excel on design and build, raid the parts bin for
the best components on offer, provide a perfect
software experience and, for extra bonus points,
price it competitively.
2014’s big Nexus fl agship was the Nexus 6. It
had a 6-inch screen, a metal frame and a plastic
back; while it wasn’t a bad device, it wasn’t
fantastic either. The enlarged Moto X design
made it excessively chunky and the 6-inch
screen was simply too large for most users. The
good news is that Google seems to have learnt
its lesson from the release of the Nexus 6, as it
has scaled down the size while scaling up both
the quality and design. The metal now includes
the back of the device, the phone is thinner and
easier to hold and the downsized 5.7 inches
makes the width of the device more
manageable. So far so good then.
With the Nexus 6P you won’t be left wanting
for raw power. The Snapdragon 810 features
and, once again, it appears the heat issues have
been tamed here by the manufacturer coming
late to the party. The 3GB RAM keeps things
running smoothly (less than the 4GB on the
Samsung Galaxy Note 5, but certainly ample).
There’s no memory expansion, but the device is
offered in 32, 64 and 128GB varieties. All the
appropriate boxes are ticked on the specifi cation
sheet with the exception of the Nexus’ new
favourite: wireless charging. Google has decided
that the increase in thickness wasn’t worth the
benefi ts. Right or wrong? You decide.
As you’d expect, Google’s latest phone runs
Google’s most recent operating system, Android
6.0 Marshmallow. This OS feels a lot like a
refi nement of Lollipop, which is no bad thing as it
still feels fresh and on the powerful hardware ofReviews
Nexus 6P
Nexus devices have always offered great promise, but
they have ultimately been a compromise too far. Can
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