Nexus 5X, 6P Review: Marshmallow OS Shines
Google's updated Nexus line of smartphones, from LG and Huawei, shows Android 6.0 Marshmallow at its best. Google provided us with one of each model for review. Here's what we discovered.
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Google's latest Nexus phones, the LG Nexus 5X and the Huawei Nexus 6P, address the primary issue affecting Android users. The phones get updated on Google's schedule. That's not something that can be said of other Android handsets, which depend on mobile carriers and manufacturers that can be less motivated to keep Android updated.
For that reason alone, the Nexus line should be top-of-mind for anyone considering an Android device, particularly Android developers. Google provided us with one of each model for review.
The Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, an operating system update that brings a handful of significant improvements. It's not as visibly different as last year's Android 5.0 Lollipop update, but it's sweet in its own way.
[How does the iPhone 6s plus stack up? Read iPhone 6s Plus Hands On: 10 Best Features.]
The marquee feature is Now on Tap, an extension of Google's predictive assistance technology to third-party apps. By holding down the Home button on a device with Android Marshmallow, you invite Google Now to analyze the currently displayed app and augment that content with additional information.
For example, when invoked while viewing an email about an upcoming corporate trip, Now on Tap generated a card identifying the travel provider, American Express in this instance, and a card with the company's phone number, which could be useful if I wanted to call to alter my travel plans. It doesn't always come up with useful supplementary data, but it can be helpful. It's likely to become more useful as Google augments its capabilities.
The problem with Now on Tap is that it's too much of a gamble. There are times when it produces no additional information and you'd have been better off directly asking Google what you wanted to know. Google recommends Now on Tap for pulling up additional information about people, places, and movies. Perhaps in time we will all have a clearer understanding of how we can and cannot interact with such software. Knowing that in advance will make the experience more predictable.
Android Marshmallow features a just-in-time permission model. Instead of bombarding users with a list of the permissions an app requires up front, it asks as the relevant service is about to be accessed. This makes Android more pleasant for users, but it's really significant for developers because it means fewer people using apps will be scared off by lengthy permission requirements. Unfortunately, the slow rate of Android update adoption means that developers are likely to enjoy Marshmallow's features long before they trickle out to the broader Android market.
Marshmallow also includes standardized fingerprint reader support, which should help Android phones be more useful for mobile payments. Both the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P place the fingerprint reader on the back. This doesn't quite feel right to me, though that may be because I'm used to the front-facing placement of the iPhone 6's fingerprint reader. On the Nexus 5X, I sometimes touched the adjacent rear-facing camera lens by mistake. Placement aside, it's useful to have an alternative to typing a passcode.
Some of Marshmallow's features aren't obvious or commonly seen. Doze and App Standby improve power management, helping devices last longer. Verified boot mode is designed to notify you if either the firmware or the operating system has been altered. Auto Backup for Apps makes the process of setting up a new device exceedingly easy.
Marshmallow's voice command system performs very well. I sent myself an email by voice command and it worked flawlessly. Apple's Siri can perform similar feats, but I found Google's ability to make inferences more consistent across different types of data. When asking which of my multiple email addresses to use, Google could understand, "the first one." Siri did too. But when unsure about which "Claburn" to choose from my contact list, Siri, listening for a name, didn't accept a reference like "the first one."
Marshmallow contains many other features, like improved copy-and-paste, Android for Work enhancements, and APK validation. These aren't always obvious, but in all they help make Android more convenient and usable.
Now, for a hands-on examination of the hardware ...
The Nexus 5X is slightly larger than an iPhone 6 but it makes a suitable replacement. As someone who has been using an iPhone 6 over the past year, I find the two devices to be functionally equivalent. I could be happy using either, though I prefer the iPhone's curves and brushed aluminum to the Nexus 5X's edges and plastic. Being of more recent vintage, the Nexus 5X is more competitive with the iPhone 6s in terms of specs.
Made by LG, the Nexus 5X relies on a Snapdragon 808 processor (1.8 GHz hexa-core 64-bit) and an Adreno 418 GPU. It comes with a 5.2-inch FHD LCD (1920 x 1080) screen and USB 3.0 Type-C port, which works in any orientation, like Apple's Lightning connector without being proprietary. It includes 2GB of RAM, a 12.3-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, a fingerprint sensor called Nexus Imprint, and a 2700mAh battery. Color options are charcoal black, quartz white, and ice blue.
The 16GB model costs $379, while the 32GB model costs $429.
The phones are what matters, but the cords, connectors, and packaging count for something too. This other stuff, for both the 5X and 6P, is good but not great. The USB-C power adapters, for example, aren't as compact as Apple's 5W USB Power Adapter -- and being compact matters when you're plugging things into a crowded power strip.
The boxes are also nice but not exceptional. Their rounded edges don't quite convey the elegance that Apple's packaging conveys. They remind me of egg cartons more than conveyances for electronics.
The Nexus 6P is a lovely phone as well. Its aluminum frame surpasses the Nexus 5X as a matter of aesthetics. But I'm not a fan of the size. Like the iPhone 6s Plus, it's too large for me. Many will feel otherwise, and for those people, Huawei has made a terrific phone.
The Nexus 6P relies on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 processor (2.0 GHz octa-core 64-bit) and an Adreno 430 GPU. It comes with a 5.7-inch AMOLED (2560 x 1440) screen and a USB 3.0 Type-C port. It includes 3GB of RAM, a 12.3-megapixel rear-facing camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, a rear-mounted Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor, and two front-facing speakers.
Possibly the best thing about the Nexus 5X and 6P is Project Fi, Google's affordable cellular service that switches between Sprint, T-Mobile, and WiFi. Despite the many impressive capabilities of these devices, they are first and foremost phones, even if we use our cellular hardware more for messaging than voice calls these days.
Project Fi is inexpensive as far as cellular plans go: $10 per GB of data per month, plus $20 per month for unlimited domestic talk and text, unlimited international texts, the ability to use your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, and coverage in 120+ countries (calls cost $0.20 per minute abroad).
Better still, Google will only bill you for data used, and will credit back the cost of unused data toward your next bill. Project Fi is well-suited for people who use their phones where they have Wi-Fi access much of the time.
In the brief time I had to test the service, I found it to be much the same as T-Mobile in terms of audio quality. That isn't surprising, since calls may go over T-Mobile's network.
Then there are all of Google's own apps -- Google Search, Gmail, Maps, Hangouts, Drive, Calendar, YouTube, and Photos -- which many find invaluable.
On Android, Google's apps shine. Gmail for Android, with its colorful material design, looks better than Gmail for iOS, for example. Android Marshmallow improves interactions with these apps thanks to Direct Share, which reduces the number of steps it takes to share content.
Google still has some work to do, however. The Android ecosystem needs a better way to handle security updates. Android is great for the amount of choice and freedom it provides, but it needs more controls to balance abuses of that freedom.
Then there are all of Google's own apps -- Google Search, Gmail, Maps, Hangouts, Drive, Calendar, YouTube, and Photos -- which many find invaluable.
On Android, Google's apps shine. Gmail for Android, with its colorful material design, looks better than Gmail for iOS, for example. Android Marshmallow improves interactions with these apps thanks to Direct Share, which reduces the number of steps it takes to share content.
Google still has some work to do, however. The Android ecosystem needs a better way to handle security updates. Android is great for the amount of choice and freedom it provides, but it needs more controls to balance abuses of that freedom.
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