Sorry Google, But I'm not impressed with the nexus 5.

[sean76]

OK so finally got my nexus 5 today and have put it through some paces today and have to say firmly...I am not impressed!

In the current state that its in with 4.4 I'm very let down. I doubt a software update will fix the things I'm down about, like the speaker, camera, dull screen. Well maybe the camera a little bit, but those other things are definitely hardware based. How on earth can anyone live with this speaker? Its absolutely terrible, low and muffled. How can LG and Google even expect this to be passable by today's standards ?

Honestly I don't feel like going into a full blown rant but I think I'm going back to a lag free moto x...shame!!!

 

[MotoTriumphant]

OK so finally got my nexus 5 today and have put it through some paces today and have to say firmly...I am not impressed!

In the current state that its in with 4.4 I'm very let down. I doubt a software update will fix the things I'm down about, like the speaker, camera, dull screen. Well maybe the camera a little bit, but those other things are definitely hardware based. How on earth can anyone live with this speaker? Its absolutely terrible, low and muffled. How can LG and Google even expect this to be passable by today's standards ?

Honestly I don't feel like going into a full blown rant but I think I'm going back to a lag free moto x...shame!!!

There is a software update in about phone it's 4.4.2 check it out

 

[sean76]

There is a software update in about phone it's 4.4.2 check it out

Got it at 1pm today and haven't gotten a prompt to update ....when I check says I'm up to date? I would imagine Google is rolling out in small phases...why I have no idea.

 

[yfan]

The 4.4.2 update does make the speaker louder and the camera fantastic. But you know what? The Moto X is a good phone, and if that works better for you, go for it. I just don't get the need to make a big splash of a complain and berate the Nexus 5. It's just fine by "today's standards."

 

[Rxpert83]

Speaker and camera have both improved in the last update, and there are already mods out there for increasing speaker output, tweaking the screen or improving sound quality.

Your issues seem to be with the software, not the hardware.

If your nexus 5 is laggy... Somethings wrong. This thing kills in performance.

 

[Rxpert83]

I would imagine Google is rolling out in small phases...why I have no idea.

To make sure they dont roll out a massive update that bricks devices.

Every manufacturer/carrier does this

 

[sean76]

To make sure they dont roll out a massive update that bricks devices.

Every manufacturer/carrier does this

OK here's my take, and those who know me haven't heard me fly of the cliff in a while, but this experience is irritating to me.

The nexus 5 is Google's flagship right? Well priced at $399 for a 32gb version?

BS...gimme a flagship for $600 without these issues, I'll pony up the other $200 for a great quality product. However I just don't get the notion of people saying hey what do you expect for $399, I expect a good phone!

So Google is dropping this update In phases? Don't take this the wrong way but how many nexus 5's are out there? They act like there's millions upon millions out there. I know a ton of phone centric people and none have a nexus 5, actually its a sad excuse to even use if that's what Google is saying. There a like a billion iPhones out there and apple does software ota's for the masses? So why can't Google. It's a joke that I bought a phone (their flagship) because of this update and I'm still rocking the old software. Its just not cool at all!

Oh well...it is what it is....

 

[desktop]

Honestly I don't feel like going into a full blown rant but I think I'm going back to a lag free Moto x...

Well, if anything, thanks for making me go look at the Moto X

 

[andy66]

The speaker is defo louder, can't say I've used the camera much.
I had an sgs3 before this and when I first turned it on I was gutted.what have I gone and bought was my first thought. no flashy gallery, no s voice to control music when I've got my helmet on, on my bike.... And the screen looked all dull and washed out.
But after playing with it for a day it grew on me and the screen on my old s3 looks all false and cartoon like when I look now.
As for lag, I don't think the nexus 5 knows what that is, it's blazing fast.
My only moan I've got now is that after the 442 update ,mixing that I was testing doesn't come on.... But I like Google play music, and widget locker doesn't work. Just connects me to the internet when I press the app.
But I'm sure that will be updated.
I was all ready to snatch my s3 back off my wife but I'm glad I stuck with it now. It's a cool bit of kit.

 

[breadnatty08]

Sean, you're never happy with any phone you've owned!
Have you given the G2 a shot? I think it's a solid phone and runs stock KK pretty well.

 

[sean76]

Sean, you're never happy with any phone you've owned!
Have you given the G2 a shot? I think it's a solid phone and runs stock KK pretty well.

Lol...the G2 IMO is yuck! No offense to those who like it, I'm a stock guy, always have been since the nexus one days, I just dabble in those skinned devices when I come across some good hardware. I've owned just about every high end Android phone out there and love the tech game, but I love stock!

However I'm not a rooter, I have 2 business and work god knows how many hours and just honestly have no patience for flashing and rooting and all that, tip my hat to those that are into all that, I'm just not one of those guys, what I buy is what I use...lol, I don't even use nova or any launchers from the play store.

Anyway in this day and age all these excuses are something I don't buy. The nexus 5 should have come with a good camera out of the box, software updates should not be deal breakers for a Google flagship these days, a good camera is a must have on any flagship phone these days, as is a good speaker! Seriously this speaker is something out of a $50 flip phone from 5 years ago. It's a joke! Listen I don't mean to rant, but that's just my nature when I get bent. It's all good, I wait a few days for the update (which honestly I should have had already) and we'll see if it improves some things. If not, back to a moto x until the next great android unicorn strolls in...lol

 

[desktop]

If not, back to a moto x until the next great android unicorn strolls in...

What carrier do you have?

 

[MartinS]

You're the first I've seen complain about a dull screen, what's wrong with it? What phone did you come from? AMOLED...? IMO the screen is brilliant, bright and colourful, it almost looks like it's on paper that's how close it is to the surface.

I agree, the speaker could be better but for me it is adequate and I always hear my ringtone when indoors.

The camera in 4.4 (where I'm still at because I can't be arsed to adb) is horrible and it's the only thing I need fixing.

If you are honestly seeing lag, then something is wrong. My N5 flies.

 

[charliecc]

Don't wait for the update, I think you should go back to the Moto X, you're a Moto X kind of a guy.

Oh, and you can buy 2 of these for the price of other high end phones, so not every component is going to be top notch. I got the 4.4.2 OTA update this morning, the camera is now v fast.

 

[sean76]

What carrier do you have?

at&t

 

[sean76]

Don't wait for the update, I think you should go back to the Moto X, you're a Moto X kind of a guy.

Oh, and you can buy 2 of these for the price of other high end phones, so not every component is going to be top notch. I got the 4.4.2 OTA update this morning, the camera is now v fast.

$440 with tax for an n5 isn't pocket change and doesn't give reason for...

Crappy camera

Crappy speaker

Build quality - rattling, its a common flaw and you'd think they could figure out how to make a power button snug.

Battery- I haven't had enough time with the phone but my reading tells me its not to dependable ...I'll see after a few days to really make a final call.

Washed out and not vibrant screen- a brilliant screen? I've had a lot of phones and I would not call this screen brilliant. Have you seen the screen on the G2? The HTC one? IPhone 5s? Those are all non amoled screens and are pretty brilliant IMO. Also the white balance on the n5 is way to warm.

Updates- OK like we can all agree on, this is a nexus device straight from Google right? Why on earth are any of us on 4.4 today? If this update fixes some issues, which honestly I feel are more hardware related then software, then why on earth isn't this roll out hitting everyone with a nexus? Your going to tell me they are scared to roll out in high numbers? I have never even ran into anyone really with a nexus device, not even a nexus 4, and were going to sit here and say high numbers? Apple should be worried about high numbers, not Google with a nexus 5. And honestly if someone can explain to me how the moto x even got kit Kat before the n4 I'd be willing to listen.

See this isn't faring well for me because for the price of the phone I think things should be a little bit better, not worlds better, but better. How is it that the moto x has a speaker that basically blows the nexus and a few other very expensive phones out of the water? Listen i'm not asking for a Nokia type camera either, but come on, this is not too good at all, even if they fix the shutter and quickness of taking a shot it should have been a lot better out of the box IMO.

I know I know, if your not happy get another phone. I probably will and go back to a moto x and rock that until something with near stock and better hardware comes out. However I'm a pretty big supporter of the nexus program and have owned them all, and I'm just pretty peeved that in all honesty that this device wasn't just a little bit better, not asking for HTC one type speakers, or even iPhone 5 type sound. But something in the middle would have been worlds better.

Lol...like I said for a nexus I'll spend what's needed for a quality device.

That's my rant...lol. Its not directed at anyone its just how I feel at this point because I know Google could do better and id love to see them really blow everyone else out of the water.

 

[BynoUK]

Everyone has different opinions, I'm personally very happy with the N5. The camera now works to my satisfaction & I've always heard the speaker ok.

I think the screen is beautiful!

 

[MartinS]

You could wait and see what the update does for your device once you have 4.4.2 - since I doubt you are fully qualified to say that your issues are all hardware defects then it may make a difference.

You may wish to read the below which discusses the complexities of balancing the camera attributes:

Fixing the Nexus 5: with a new version of Android, Google tackles the camera | The Verge

As for the speaker, well let's see - I'm skeptical that it will get any better as updates often give a placebo effect. However, I find mine acceptable as I said.

For me, the screen is comparable to the HTC One, the phone I had previously. Seeing an AMOLED next to the N5 or HTC One is a different experience and I can see why people like or dislike them. The GNex tended to go towards a green hue for me, especially on grays.

I'm sure you will get the update imminently, and if you still don't like it then you can stick with it or get a Moto X if you like... If I'm honest, if the Moto X had been available in the UK I would have had a difficult choice. I like it, and I can see past the dual core/quad core arguments...

 

[charliecc]

The Nexus hasn't been designed for someone like you. Please return it and go and get yourself a Moto X or an HTC One.

 

[sean76]

The Nexus hasn't been designed for someone like you. Please return it and go and get yourself a Moto X or an HTC One.

hahahahahahaha....Take it easy killa! I've been in these depths of Android land since the G1. Do you know what a G1 is? Its definitely not the first version of the G2 from LG...lol.

See your statement right there is so unthought? Who's it made for? For people who don't care to spend $400 on a phone that has a crappy speaker, crappy camera, crappy battery life, etc, etc, but comes directly from Google?

Sorry man, I've had every nexus put out and think your statement is the reason why a phone like this is made the way it is, because Google thinks its ok to half bake it because the sheep won't care. I'm not a sheep and I care, and if it costs a little bit more I will spend it. I'm not a supporter of cheaping out on a phones internals to make it cheaper. Charge me more and give me a better product.

If the update fixes the camera and makes the sound better I will keep it and call it a day. However here is my issue. I ordered this phone on Thursday of last week. That's when news broke that 4.4.1 was rolling out and will fix the camera and speaker issues along with white balance and battery issues to a certain extant. So I ordered it. I get it Monday and have no update? Why don't I have the update? I don't know? This is a nexus right? The phone that gets updates quickly straight from Google right? So where's my update? They are rolling out in phases, why's that? Its BS, they can update every nexus on the planet today and the number will be teny tiny compared to what others do with updates on a huge scale.

Come on man, stop that talk... The nexus is for anyone who likes Stock android and wants timely updates, and who supports the whole nexus idea, that's me!

 

[techrider62]

He needs to return it and walk away.

 

[sean76]

You could wait and see what the update does for your device once you have 4.4.2 - since I doubt you are fully qualified to say that your issues are all hardware defects then it may make a difference.

You may wish to read the below which discusses the complexities of balancing the camera attributes:

Fixing the Nexus 5: with a new version of Android, Google tackles the camera | The Verge

As for the speaker, well let's see - I'm skeptical that it will get any better as updates often give a placebo effect. However, I find mine acceptable as I said.

For me, the screen is comparable to the HTC One, the phone I had previously. Seeing an AMOLED next to the N5 or HTC One is a different experience and I can see why people like or dislike them. The GNex tended to go towards a green hue for me, especially on grays.

I'm sure you will get the update imminently, and if you still don't like it then you can stick with it or get a Moto X if you like... If I'm honest, if the Moto X had been available in the UK I would have had a difficult choice. I like it, and I can see past the dual core/quad core arguments...

Agreed...if the update doesn't fix the issues I will shoot back to the moto x. Its a little bit of an easier choice for me because for me on my android phone two pretty important things to me are speaker/phone quality, and battery life....the x does both in fantastic fashion. However the camera is ehhhh, its ok! On the x the update to kit Kat made the camera better, not great but a lot better. But battery life and sound quality are just fantastic. If the nexus 5 can give me those 2 things and a better, faster camera then what I'm seeing here...I'll simply keep it.

However I'm pretty pissed that I'm actually stuck waiting for an update when I own the phone that's supposed to be the king of android updates when it comes down to getting fast timely updates from Google.

 

[sean76]

He need to return it and walk away.

What was the score from last night's game? Lmaoooo.

 

[MartinS]

You do know it's only Tuesday right? Relax man.

As for all the other arguments around quality and so on, I can honestly say that I don't miss anything from the HTC One. Sure the HTC One is loud but actually it was too loud even on the lowest volume. I had it on silent most evenings so it wouldn't wake my son up asleep in the room above our living room, or from one bedroom to another.

Have you checked your speaker holes for signs of glue? This has been reported.

The screen is great, most reviews say so - maybe you have a faulty one.

As for timely updates, what is a timely update. Maybe 4.4.1 has been paused because of issues with it that 4.2.2 has recovered. In which case, that was first seen today by my reckoning. Would you not rather have a correct update than one potentially with bugs?

As for quick updates and everyone getting them as soon as they are available - check Apples history of QC with this approach.

This is the problem with people these days - everything has to be now, or they moan about it on the internet.

 

[jhawkkw]

Install the update manually using this zip if you're still on 4.4. Should take you all of 10 minutes. Then you can make your decision on if the volume level and camera will be sufficient. As for battery, it seems to vary all over the place from user to user. I'm seen horrible battery life, and I've seen Rxpert83 clock in a 7+hour screen time day.

Let's all take a deep breath an calm down in here before things get ugly and posts need to be cleaned up.