Google shows how Android phones should be done
Google, whose Android software is used by the majority of phones and tablets not made by Apple, only makes two phones itself. Actually, it doesn’t even make them, just sticks its Nexus logo on them. The Nexus 5X is manufactured by LG in South Korea. Its big brother, the 6P, comes courtesy of Huawei in China. We still can’t adequately explain how to pronounce ‘Huawei’, but if you have children who leave toys lying around on the stairs, you’ll say it eventually.
Not only is it bigger, with a huge 5.7in screen, but the 6P feels completely different from the cheaper 5X. Just 7.3mm thick and clad in aluminium, it’s reminiscent of an iPhone at the front and sides, but the back is something else: smoothly curved, and with a protruding black camera bar that forms a sort of snorkel. It’s a bold move to include a ‘love it or hate it’ feature like this on a flagship phone. Below that is a fingerprint scanner that unlocks the device.
The camera itself takes an Apple-like approach, with a modest 12.3-megapixel resolution but plenty of features, including 240-frames-per-second slow motion, and excellent automatic exposure. Video is limited to Full HD rather than 4K. Our pictures were well balanced and detailed, even indoors, and there’s a two-tone LED flash. The 8-megapixel front camera is also good. Colour balance has also been improved on the high-resolution screen, which looks more natural than the old Nexus 6 and covers the whole sRGB spectrum.
The Nexus 6P’s eight-core Snapdragon processor runs the latest version of Android (6.0, also known as Marshmallow), very smoothly, and 3D games are no problem. Unlike some devices, it doesn’t get hot in normal use. However, despite its large battery, we barely managed 12 hours of video playback, which is mediocre for a big phone. At least the USB Type-C port means charging is simple and quick – taking about 90 minutes to charge fully. You’ll need an adapter cable to attach standard USB chargers or other accessories, and data transfer is only at USB 2.0 speeds.
More disappointingly, there’s no microSD slot for memory cards, so the basic 32GB of storage – of which Android takes up 7GB – might not be enough if you like to keep a lot of photos, videos and apps. But the 64GB version is still good value at £50 extra.
VERDICT
The slightly retro design won’t be for everyone, but this is a topclass Android phone at a very competitive price.
SPECIFICATIONS
5.7in 2560x1440-pixel screen • 12.3-megapixel rear camera • 8-megapixel front camera • 32GB flash storage • 802.11ac Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.2 • 3G/4G • Android 6.0 • 160x78x7.3mm (HxWxD) • 178g • One-year warranty