Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
There was once a time when the Nexus badge on a device meant a truly unique Android experience that was months, and sometimes a year ahead of what most Android smartphones were pushing. Cutting edge features, impressive specs and the promise of Pure Google experience were a big draw to developers and alpha geeks alike.
This year's Nexus 5 smartphone, created by LG under Google's strict supervision is, in many ways, just the right device to represent the KitKat-powered future of Android. But boy, how things have changed.
There are easily a dozen Android flagship smartphones and phablets in the market today that bring a unique spin to consumers. Features, and most importantly, screen size are now matters worth considering. Buyers are also more aware of the choices, they have a better idea of the features that they want.
Google has also sanctioned various Developer Editions of some of today's most popular phones like the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 and even its very own Motorola Moto X.
So, the Nexus 5 has come into a world that's pretty darned crowded. Still, it is the first device running KitKat and it is also one of the best deals in unlocked smartphones today. That is, if you're willing to buy directly from Google.
My online purchase experience was much improved from last year's lugubrious Nexus 4 buying experience. I was able to easily purchase a white Nexus 5. The return process, done over the phone, when I decided I did not want to keep the Nexus 5, was even smoother. Kudos to Google for great customer service and hassle free return.
Design
It seems some are torn about the design direction of the Nexus 5.
Some find it too plain. they say it looks like a prototype, something that's been rushed to market. I completely disagree.
While the 5 isn't as flamboyant as the mirrorball-clad Nexus 4, it does present an understated elegance that's welcome and refreshing.
The LG G2, which shares many of the Nexus 5's features, looks like a knock off of something Samsung pushed to market last year. While it does bring some notable features, the LG G2 isn't going to win any awards for good looks or originality.
Thankfully, the Nexus 5 looks and feels nothing like the LG G2.
It has more in common with the Nexus 7 tablet (2013 edition) than any recent LG device. The Nexus 5 comes in two colours (Black and White) and two sizes 16GB and 32GB.
The Black version has a soft touch rubber-like finish while the White version has a mix of shiny piano black plastic and a white eggshell-like matte finish.
Having tested both, I personally prefer the look and feel of the White variant. Google says the power button as well as the volume rocker are made out of ceramic, a material that's more resilient than one would think and ideal for parts that take a lot of abuse.
The complete lack of screws or latches on the Nexus 5 gives an impression of solidity and similar to some unibody devices.
The entire expanse of the nexus 5's front is swathed in Gorilla Glass 3, which is thinner yet stronger and more resilient that previous versions. The Nexus 5 is curved yet angular with chiseled corners that poke into the flesh of your palm.
The Nexus 5 feels a bit wide to me, I keep inadvertently toggling the volume rocker which is situated on the left hand side. Aside from this, the device feels good in the hand is surprisingly light for a 5-inch screen device.
The largest Nexus smartphone yet features a 5-inch screen and is also the first to offer true 4G LTE connectivity. I placed my TELUS MicroSIM Card into my review unit and it worked great.
The display has been heavily criticised for being a bit washed out and I tend to agree with this observation. Looking at similar-sized 5-inch displays from competitors show that the Nexus 5's display is clear and bright but lacks punch and saturation. Next to something like the BlackBerry Z30 or the HTC One, the difference is clear. Might this be because of KitKat's look and feel? That's doubtful but we'll have to see how KitKat looks on other devices.
Another annoyance is the softness of the volume both when making calls using the earpiece and also when playing back audio on the loudspeaker. I've had to put my volume rocker pretty close to max to be comfortable with the volume levels on the Nexus 5 to get the most out of call and videos.
The camera quality is also a mixed bag. Nexus devices have historically fallen behind the competition and while the Nexus 5 offers a decent enough camera with image stabilization built in, the stock software is a bit sluggish. It is no speed demon either in terms of taking photos so it can be a bit of a hit or miss affair.
The Nexus 5 camera pales in comparison to devices like the Moto X, the HTC One and it feels two generations behind the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the iPhone 5s.
The Nexus 5 also manages to include wireless charging, which is truly remarkable for such a thin device. I was able to successfully use my Nokia 1020 wireless charging pad without any issue.
The Nexus 5's spec sheet is very impressive. The quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, 2.26GHz processor and Adreno 330 GPU clocked at 450MHz are pretty much state of the art and more than capable of running Android KitKat.
The new OS factors into performance since it has been rejigged to run on lower specs, less RAM and older hardware. This means that the Nexus 5 can be expected to offer top performance for the future.
Battery life is a bit erratic for me as sometimes I'll get 10-hours of use and other times it just seems to drain really fast.
After three weeks of use, battery life is really disappointing, even with all the usual battery saving precautions (low screen brightness, GPS and WiFi turned off when not in use, no location, no auto-backup to Google servers), I find myself at 40 per cent battery life by 2:00 PM after taking it off the charger at 7:00 AM.
The Nexus 5 is a great deal as an unlocked LTE-enabled 5-inch flagship phone, there's no doubt about that. I find the washed out display, poor audio and speakerphone volume plus atrocious camera performance to be disturbing. Unfortunately, these are three major aspects of the device that can't be 'fixed' by software.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5