A lot of new phones came out since Google and Motorola released the Nexus 6 back in October 2014. We are talking about 19 months. In technology terms, this is like a century. So why would I buy the 19 months old Nexus 6 in 2016? Follow me into my journey to find my next phone and I will try to explain.
Liked this Post? For more Check Out TechWith.me
To fully understand where I am coming from, we need to go back to April of 2014. I was browsing forums everywhere and rumors were coming out about a new LG phone being released with the first ever QHD screen. Now, everyone agreed that 1080p was enough, but I was always one to be opened to new tech and I couldn’t wait to see what a QHD screen was bringing to the table. It was announced in May 2014… the LG G3! What a beauty. 75.3% screen-to-body ratio, QHD screen, removable battery, SD card slot, latest processor and ram size with 32GB of storage. I was in heaven. Only problem was that I was in Canada and we get phones LATE. So what did I do? I drove 6 hours to New Jersey in the US and I purchased the LG G3 full price. I unlocked it and was very happy. My only pet peeve, was the size. I went from an iPhone 4 to a 5 to a HTC M7. I never had a screen bigger than 4.7 inches. To my surprise, LG’s phone was amazing in hand and they managed to squeeze a 5.5 inch screen in a 5 inch phone body. Of course, that same year, Google announced the Nexus 6, but I was unimpressed and I always told myself I would never buy a stock android phone. Too boring, or so I had convinced myself.
The Huawei temptation
Fast forward to October of 2015. I went on a trip to the Philippines (where my wife is from) and I was using my unlocked LG G3 (now a year and a half old) with Globe Mobile. It was working well but the screen had scratches and the phone kept rebooting every time I put a sim card from Globe in it. That’s when I made the discovery that I wanted a bigger screen. I met my soulmate, the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. WOW. 6 Inch phone in a body only slightly bigger than my LG G3 with updated specs. My only fear, was the bands. Would it work in Canada and would it work with my small regional carrier? Ultimately, the price and fear made me pass on the purchase, which I regretted painfully. When it came time to upgrade my LG (the battery was dead), I searched for the Mate 7, but the only version available in North America was the 16GB storage + 2 GB RAM version (as opposed to Asia’s 32/3 combo) and it was even more expensive than the one I saw in the Philippines! I decided not to buy it.
Changing my habits
Fast forward again to March of 2016. Something happened. I was waiting for my LG G3 to be updated to 6.0.1 Marshmallow. I was waiting for my wife’s Note 4 to be updated too. Nothing. Meanwhile, Google shocked the world and released the first preview of Android N to developers. That was it. I had to make a change. I wanted a Nexus phone to get the latest and greatest Android had to offer. My only issue was storage. See, in my G3, I was rocking 32GB + a 64GB Micro SD card that was about 52GB full. I had about 45GB of music and the rest was photos and videos. That’s when I decided to change my habits. I enrolled in Google Photos and backed up everything I had to the cloud. I then decided to fully use my Google Play Music subscription (which I used only when my 52GB of music didn’t have a recent album I wanted). I no longer needed the SD card. Shopping started.
Liked this Post? For more Check Out TechWith.me
Choosing my Nexus
So I went to the store and was set on getting the newest device from Google. I had previously realized I wanted a bigger screen. LG had converted me and made me comfortable with something bigger. So with that, the Nexus 5X was out of the question. Also, pretty much all the carriers in Canada had already dropped the Nexus 6 from their lineup since it was so old and outdated. So I was almost sure I would walk out with the Nexus 6P.
Reality was much different. When I walked into the store, I found out my carrier was the only one who had the Nexus 6 (2014) still in stock. The difference was the Nexus 6P would cost me money up front and the Nexus 6 would be free with my contract. So I narrowed it down to specs to compare them in my head. QHD screen on both. 32GB of storage on both. 3GB of RAM on both. Cameras are similar (although a bit better on the 6p). One point that really mattered to me was screen size. Google decided to lower the size on the 6P to 5.7 inches. The old Nexus 6 had a 5.96 inches screen. But the really weird part about this is… even with a slightly small screen, the 6P was BIGGER than the 6. What the hell Google? I took that as a huge step backwards. Matter of fact, let me take this opportunity to say this while I can, huge top and bottom bezels are not cool. The phones look ugly, especially since it’s almost always combined with super slim side bezels, and it makes the overall phone way too big for nothing! Back to the subject at hand. I thought to myself, the Nexus 6 might have less horse power but let’s be honest, we pretty much topped on the performance side. Nowadays, we are calculating the difference in loading apps and pages in micro seconds. I wouldn’t see the difference between the two. I had my bigger screen in a better looking body on a Nexus phone.
Liked this Post? For more Check Out TechWith.me
Stock Android, boring?
Remember when I said “I always told myself I would never buy a stock android phone. Too boring”? Oh boy, how I was wrong! When I powered on my shiny new Nexus 6, I received a ton of updates to bring it up to date all the way to the March Security patches with Android 6.0.1. Right then and there, I knew I had made the right choice. My LG G3 still didn’t have Marshmallow! I started browsing through and configuring the phone and the lag-less experience was refreshing. I had seen so many reviews saying LG’s phone was lagging and I never believed it because to me, it worked perfectly. Using the Nexus 6 for the first time showed me what a real Android phone with no lag was like. I setup my email accounts in gmail and started using chrome (I was always a stock browser kind of guy). I setup my Google Photos and everything was there where I left it with my LG phone. It was nothing short of amazing. I started really using Google Now and the cards that came with it. Overall, I was happy with the upgrade.
Liked this Post? For more Check Out TechWith.me
2 Months on
Now, here we are. 2 Months later. I use my daily 19 months old model of a phone with a passion. The phone never lags and takes anything I throw at it without an itch. I also recently upgraded to Android N Preview 3. When I did that, I felt like my choice was finally fully justified. I had the latest and greatest from Android, months before the consumer release and probably a year before other brands of phones. I don’t miss my SD card as much as I used to. Google Play Music has a huge selection and I complete it with AccuRadio. I am very satisfied with the 6 inch screen. I still think back to that Huawei phone I almost bought and regret a bit. When that happens, I open my phone and use multi window on Android N and realize it was for the best.
My LG did receive Marshmallow and it looks nice but ultimately, now that I see how much it lags, I just can’t go back to it. My wife’s Note 4 still didn’t get the update, so… bravo Samsung, I guess?
As for the Nexus 6P, I won’t say it’s not a good device, but I am happy I didn’t pick it up. I feel like Google aimed high with the Nexus 6 and when the refresh came, they took a step backwards. A small screen with a bigger body is a big failure in my book. I am hoping the Nexus 6 or 2016 (If they announce one) has a 6 inch screen with the best body-to-screen ratio ever seen before! That way, maybe I’ll pick it up in 2018, when I upgrade my Nexus 6.
Let me know if you share my views and if you would have made a difference choice in the comments below. I’m eager to hear your opinions on the matter.
Liked this Post? For more Check Out TechWith.me
if Google drops Huawei, don’t expect much else out of them. One would suspect Google did this to make a point
Sorry, man! Here is an owner of LG G3 running Marshmallow, and I don’t think it hasn’t lagged at all.
That’s fair. The G3 definetly runs better since Marshmallow.
It’s true that the 6P is a big phone, and yes, it does have rather large bezels top and bottom. And yes, the screen is slightly smaller than the one found on the Shamu. But remember, the 6P has dual front facing speakers around it’s 5.7″ screen. Moreover, the 6P is actually SMALLER than the Shamu. 6P dimnensions are 159mm X 78mm X 7.3mm with a weight of 178g. The Nexus 6 on the other hand is 159mm X 83mm X 10.1mm with a weight of 184g. So even with the big bezels, the height of the 6P is identical to the 6, and smaller (and lighter) in every other way. But, no one knows which feels better in your hand except you, and so much of our experience with phones is subjective. At the end of the day, they’re both great phones rocking stock Android. You can’t go wrong with either.
I’m sure the 6p is an amazing phone but I just can’t get passed the bezels. I bought the G3 with that reason in mind also. The 6p, physically is a bit longer. The Nexus 6 also has front facing dual speakers paired with 6 inches so I have a hard time understanding the 6P design. But I agree with you, it depends on how it feels for you
The reason I upgraded from the 6 to the 6P was the fingerprint sensor. I like being able to unlock my phone with a finger-press rather than a pin or other screen unlock.
I’ve used 3 of the devices mentioned. The LG G3, the Nexus 6 and 6p. All great devices, Im a Moto man at heart but the Huawei Nexus 6P is a truly great device.