Nexus 5x vs 6 - need help choosing

[varaonaid]

Hi All,

I need to get a new phone that is compatible with Fi. At this point, I'm looking at the 5x 32gb or the N6 64gb. I'm coming from a six month old LG G4 and a Note 3 before that. Large screen phones don't scare me off. I have small hands and I almost never use a device one-handed, even with little feature phones "back in the day".

Here's my initial thinking. I don't want to pay full price for a $650 6 month old phone that will be replaced in the fall or I'd get a 6p. If they were as discounted as the G4 was this far into it's release cycle, I'd consider it. But I think at this point, the upgrade is worth waiting for at those prices. So, I'd definitely be looking at the N6 if the 5x hadn't just gone on a great sale for Fi users. So, pricing wise, I'm looking at $249 for a 32gb 5x or around $335 for a 64gb N6.

My concerns are around a couple of things:
2gb RAM vs 3gb. I'm an admittedly heavy user with many apps open at the same time and regularly, 100+ tabs in Chrome. I have a lot ofapps installed (maxed out my 32gb Note 3 w/ microSD but still have some usable space on my G4 w/microSD) and use my phone for loads of things from the usual email, browsing, phone, text to home automation and LifeLine (emergency medical help). Obviously, in lab settings, 3gb vs 2gb RAM will have obvious "more is better" outcomes. But what about real day-to-day usage? How much difference will I see in the 2gb 5x and 3gb N6? I'm concerned enough about it that I'm taking the time to ask, research and consider both phones.

My second concern about the 5x is storage space. I can use cloud storage and get creative on an OTG USB drive/SD card reader for some things and when I'm in WiFi, I'll upload to the cloud. But I am concerned about taking photos, video, etc and having enough space on my phone. This will be the first time ever that I've not had both microSD and removable battery. How much of a problem do you foresee this being for me to make the switch to 32gb rather than 64gb?

Third concern about the 5x is the screen. I currently have a 5.5" display so going to 5.2" isn't going to be a big deal. But QHD vs HD may make a difference. In terms of everyday reading, video, browsing, other media consumption in indoor, outdoor and nighttime situations, how will these two screens differ? Obviously, the N6 PPI is much more dense and AMOLED adding more complications to the situation.

Fourth concern is against the N6 and that is the camera. The G4 has an absolutely phenomenal camera and I adore it. It has grabbed so many fantastic pictures and was an incredible upgrade from the Note 3. I realize that things could be somewhat preference based but how much worse is the N6 camera to both the 5x (same as the 6p from my understanding) and especially the N6?

I'm assuming battery life will work out to be about the same between the two.

32bit N6 vs the 64bit 5x? When will we expect to see an appreciable difference in not having a 64bit processor? How quickly are things moving to the new platform?

Resale value by the end of the year. This is another concern for me. If I want to purchase a new Nexus device in the fall, I'll obviously want to sell my current one. Give the assumed pricing of the N6 at $335+/- and the 5x at $249, which one will I be able to get the most out of for what I put in it? And, if you feel the 5x will significantly hold it's value better, do you think the trade-offs listed above will be too annoying or rather livable for the next 6-8 months?

This would probably be an easier decision towards the N6 if I could find one of the $299 deals for the 64gb size that were available a month or two back. But, I haven't seen anything like that for now. I wish budget didn't enter into but it does, especially with ongoing medical issues. I really am torn between the newer lower spec'd device and the older high end flagship that still out specs it. I could really use some advice and expertise from people who own at least one of the phones. The large size/smaller size won't really affect me. I know some felt the N6 too large but I use a bag, almost never pockets, so I don't care how actually "pocketable" the device is. If the 5x turns out to be the better value and you feel will perform adequately enough for my particular needs, I'm sure I'll be fine with that size, too. Any knowledge and insight you could share that would help me out of this quandary would be incredibly helpful. Thanks so very much!

 

[Sento]

edit: i noticed you said 6 instead of 6p - then yes 100% get the 5x.

 

[varaonaid]

Yes, you are exactly correct... Nexus 6 rather than 6p. Thanks so much for clarifying!

 

[SiempreTuna]

1. RAM - I don't keep lots of apps or tabs open in a browser but I'm assured by people who know (i.e. folks on here) that Android handles this quite well. I think that when it needs memory, it finds the open app that hasn't been used for the longest time and writes it's memory to disk. That means that switching to that app takes a few moments longer. That would therefore suggest that with 50% more RAM, fewer apps would be affected - but the affect isn't great. Not sure how Chrome works ..

2. This one's quite personal: it depends on what you use space for and how easily you can cut that down.

Photos and video shouldn't be an issue, though. I tend not to worry about photos as they take relatively little space, but I move videos to my laptop pretty frequently as they can be huge. The automatic back up of photos to Google works really well, though: I still get to see my videos on my phone - in fact, I get to see pictures and videos from my last phone, despite never having transferred them. Looking through pictures and videos is also relatively seamless - I'm never sure what's on the phone and what's in the cloud.

Note that, depending on your data plan, you might want to set the backup feature to work on WiFi only.

3. The 5x screen is actually really good - it's one of the things that reviewers love. My better half has the latest iPhone (which I think is QHD) and I can't tell that it has a higher PPI - but your eyes may be better than mine.

4. I haven't seen a 6 - ever - so I have no idea what it's camera is like but by all accounts it wasn't great. Having said that, my last phone was a Nexus 4 and the camera on that was supposedly even worse. I thought it was OK. My biggest problem with it was that the lens was too wide which, while very practical (for group pictures or videos) means it's hard to get a good portrait - you need a longer lens for portraits as they flatten things out. The N5X camera, while better the the N4 in just about every way, is equally wide. I suspect this is a Nexus feature so the N6 will be, too.

5. 64bit v 32bit. Like in the PC world, I suspect it will take some time before this makes much practical difference.

6. Given how aggressively the N5X is being discounted, resale values aren't going to be fantastic. On the other hand, you will (presumably) have benefited from the lower purchase price in the first place. Also, the N6 will be a two year old phone by then and will be out of support so I would expect resale values for it to have absolutely plummeted.

At the end of the day, phones are very personal: what works for me may not work for you. I'm perfectly happy with the N5X, I suspect you would be, too - but I can't know for sure.

 

[varaonaid]

Such wonderful information! Thanks so much, @SiempreTuna for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it.

I think you have a very balanced and well thought out reply. I agree, that resale will be lower on the 5x but seeing as how I had a higher than average discount, I think it's going to be better than where the N6 stands. It's being sold at a good price but it's still current market value where the $150 off the Nexus 5x makes it much less than the best of the other current sales. I've finally pulled the trigger on it and an counting down the time till it gets here. Just got word that it shipped out and I can't wait.

I'm equally thrilled to be leaving VZW behind. I certainly haven't had the horror stories that many people have but I've had enough. I was supposed to be getting twice the data that I am, kept being told they were fixing it and yet here I am the better part of a year later without it. Also STILL waiting on the credits that I was told would have come through before October and having to fight for what should have been automatically deducted from my account. Typical. They won't prorate the last bill (though they do for the first one) and can't use a Verizon gift card to pay off my device. Just crap. Fi clearly doesn't try to entrap you. It's refreshing. And takes a little bit of getting use to. I'll think I'll get used to it quite quickly.

 

[SiempreTuna]

Congrats on your new phone - I'm sure you'll be as happy with it as I am with mine

VZW sound like an absolute nightmare - sounds like getting rid of them will be a major bonus, too

 

[joe71]

Photos with the nexus 6 are a hit and miss. I have taken some pretty decent photos, overall the nexus 6 has been a great device,