My thoughts on the Nexus 5

[ajdroidx]

So, I have had the device a little over a week and the long and short, I am a bit conflicted over the thing.

First some background.

My daily driver for the most part has been a galaxy note 2 from AT&T, one device I have had issues with from pretty much the get go, I feel the multi window was misrepresented to me, well, I suspect I just misunderstood it, but I was sold on the thing being able to run two different apps side by side. My thinking was: wow, I can run a radar app and twitter together! Well, this is was not case.

I figured root and custom rom would fix those issues, and this ended up a large fiasco that has given me a headache since I decided to root, but enough of this type of talk.

The note II offered a large screen and large battery and since I work in a place where my signal is all over the place, mostly in the toilet, I can sometimes barely get a text message sent or received. So, its a good thing for the large battery. Not only that, the battery can be swapped. Indeed, I have a spare in case I forget to put the thing on to charge early in the morning.

So, with my need to tinker, and make the device more mine, the samsung was really not my friend. Sure, I could do somethings with it, but it was met with resistance. I got tired of needing to change the settings for my choice of keyboard every time I needed a reboot, the stock sammy keyboard sucks. Okay, minor annoyance.

Software updates, still waiting for 4.2. the blasted thing is still on 4.1.2. The only updates I see are a couple minor ones and the bloat gets updates. A lot of updates and I don't even use this garbage.

So, its looking like the Nexus 5 will fill the bill.

I ordered the black 32gb version. When I got it, I removed the sim card from my note II and inserted it into the nexus. No issues doing this.

Right off the bat, I pretty much knew what I was getting into with the device. Smaller screen, higher resolution screen, smaller battery and a camera that, well, I guess is better then nothing, but the software running the camera. Its more click and wait, even more so in HDR+ mode. Speaking of HDR+ mode, I have bought a camera app called HDR+, but it don't run on the device. Got one shot off, hit the settings menu as the image was processing so I can make changes, and it did not do anything. The second shot, the app force closed, so it could be a compatibility issue right now.

Still, the camera does work in a pinch.

Battery life? Well, I also have a USB myCharger stick (2000) and do carry the phones charging cable as well at work. Have not needed either, yet, but I don't use the phone too often. A couple days it cut real close and was in the red by the time my shift was over. Again, I suspected this due to the smaller battery and crap signal at work. It does make me kind of conservative on the usage however.

The device seems snappy, responsive. The scrolling is nice, the glass is really smooth. I like the grippy back, real nice step up from the slick Note II, however, it does seem to "snag" in my pocket when trying to put the device back in.

With the screen being a bit smaller, I do find the keyboard a bit cramped and awkward to type on. The keyboard is also in a slightly different spot due to the soft keys. I feel I can type faster on the note II, but I am used to it.

Volume. Kind of disappointed here. I suppose there is some sort of volume limiter here. My note II and III had this (the III I could click "remember this" and get rid of it) where it would warn me about high volumes. But it would go louder. The Nexus 5 don't. The volume in head phones (and high decibel output ones at that) is rather weak. I guess this is to keep me from blowing my ears out with high volumes, but some albums are rather quieter and could stand to be a bit louder. Not a huge issue here.

The ring tones suck. I cannot hear notifications most of the time. At least with my note II I could at least catch most of them. The nexus 5 at work in my pocket? Easily drowned out by the ambient noise around the job.

Call quality did seem decent, but I don't make many calls.

Overall, what I see here, what I experienced so far is "average".

I had a Galaxy nexus on verizon when it came out. I found the thing utter garbage. This new nexus 5. I find average. Probably what the Gnex should have been.

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So, there you have it. I find the new Nexus 5 Average. Average speakers, camera, battery, handling.

Now, before anyone gets upset about this and say I am not this phones target audience, I will tell you I am. I like to tinkerer. On day one, I had the bootloader unlocked and the device rooted. Granted, this is probably about as far as I will go in terms of modifications to the device, it is nice to have a clean device. No bloatware shoved down my throat that needs updated even though I don't use it. Software that I cannot disable or remove or use. Software that slows the device down, uses up battery and gets in the way. In this way, the Nexus 5 is just what I wanted.

A snappy zippy device that is not locked down, or "leased" from the carrier and or manufacturer of the hardware.

I would actually take touchwiz on this thing for the use of the s pen and possibly multiwindow (though I would prefer floating apps) on the nexus 5 if that was possible. Yes, I would take this, provided samsung kept its bloat off the device. Chat on, samsung hub and other junk can stay off.

I would not mind a larger device. A 5.5 inch nexus 5 would be awesome. But I am digressing a bit.

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The long and short of it, the Nexus 5, to me, as is, is an average device. And I guess that is okay, but its kind of sad at the same time. The camera app and volume could possibly be tweaked better with some software. The battery, well, as I said, I have the charging cable and a mycharge stick.

In the mean time, the N5 has my usual number, and the note II, I have taken the sim card out of my sisters SIII and using that more for other stuff while at work, like listening to music, social media and so one. The N5 is mostly a phone I guess.

 

[MartinS]

Fair enough. Each to their own I say.

A couple of points...

Camera. I agree about the camera, the capture speed is awful. This is "supposed" to be fixed in an upcoming bug fix.

Battery. People's opinions seem a real mixed bag on this. Personally I'm getting way better life than I did on the N4 or GNex so I'm happy. I'm willing to charge overnight every night so as long as it get's through the day I'm OK.

Screen/Keyboard. So we've entered an age where a 5 inch touch screen is too cramped to type on? Mental!7

Volume. I would say adequate for me. I've come from an HTC One which was too loud even on the lowest setting so I actually appreciate a lower low. It could be a little louder at the top end though. Call quality is also average.

I love the N5 and the size and build are perfect for me.

 

[awidawad]

Excellent review. Thanks for info!

 

[Hook]

All personal reviews tend to be subjective. My glowing review of the N5 would be equally subjective and probably equally lacking a standard to act as an anchor for either your "average" or my "exceptional" (for no other reason than the one that matters most to me-- it does what I want faster and easier than any phone I have ever used).

The sound thing is apparently quite subjective because I don't have volume problems at all, either on audio playback or ringtones. Call quality seems fine, but, I also don't make many calls. The battery and screen size dings are things you knew going in, so I'm not sure how they are "disappointing." The camera, agreed, but mostly doesn't affect me.

I think that different designs are appealing to different people for different reasons. Your input is valuable because it gives people different perspectives to consider the phone from so they can make an informed decision.

However I would hesitate to call a phone "average" based on whether it met your expectations. I would also hesitate to call it exceptional because it exceeded mine.

This isn't a criticism of the OP. Just letting the curious shopper reading this thread know there are other perspectives.

It's always possible I'm just not discerning enough.

 

[Orion]

I would not mind a larger device. A 5.5 inch nexus 5 would be awesome.

Dude, that would be like my dream phone!

 

[jhawkkw]

I would not mind a larger device. A 5.5 inch nexus 5 would be awesome.

See, I feel the exact opposite. While I like the the device overall, I would have been happier with it staying 4.7 inches Overall though, very detailed review.

I think this common complaint I hear about volume level is that AOSP by itself has a limiter on volume. You also hear this complaint about devices that sell in multiple countries and not just the US, so I think it has something to do with regulations in certain countries. Your model Note II was only sold in 2 countries(US & Canada), so Samsung was allowed to make the volume louder since it didn't have to cater to the countries that do have these restrictions. You hear the volume complaint though on plenty of the SIM unlocked Euro models though.

 

[CrystalSC]

I take all reviews with a grain of salt. They are, after all, subjective and people who tend to bother with a review are generally more critical (myself included) so you have to be aware that many issues pointed out may be nitpicky or not neccessarily an issue for yourself.

I'm brand new to Android so I'm still trying to figure my way around the device.

My biggest frustration so far wasn't with the N5 itself but rather, Google/Android. I had to do a web search today and watch a YouTube video to figure out how to access my voicemail. This system is not as user-friendly for the general masses (or less tech-saavy). And that's fine, but if the phone isn't as easy to look at and understand, I think you need some sort of instruction manual.

I still don't know what many of the notification icons mean because I can't find any explanation of them anywhere.

I agree about the volume. It seems a little on the low side to me and rather shallow. Low volume would be endurable if the tone were rich. I would rather have a really loud device that I could set the volume lower than have a device that's never loud enough.
It's bearable though and I'm sure I'll get used to it. It's not so bad that it's a deal-breaker for me.

I had read about the camera quality before ordering so I have hopes pinned on a software update for that. It was one of those things that I knew about, but when trying to take a picture of my dogs and I clicked to take the picture and then actually saw how long it took the shutter to work, I was like, "Dang. That really is a serious lag." As in, it was worse than I had expected even with the warnings.
The picture quality seems to be a little uneven. Some are pretty good, some are just okay. The really weird thing, whenever I send a picture via Hangouts or SMS on my N5, it diminishes the quality BIG TIME.

I do LOVE the way it looks and feels. When someone said the touchscreen was responsive, they weren't kidding. You barely have to touch it. It feels so slick and nice when typing.
I have always wanted a phone with haptic feedback and I enjoy it. Though I may turn it off later and see how it affects my battery.

Battery seems to be similar to my iPhone 4S but I keep my phone charger with me a lot so it's never really been an issue for me.

Another thing I've noticed is that while the Google/Android icons are very pretty, most of the other icons for apps I download are not. They are smaller and blurrier. I guess that's because they haven't updated for 4.4

I'm still trying to learn my way around. There are some things I miss about my iPhone. I'm sure there is a flashlight app available for Android but I loved my quick-access flashlight button on my iPhone. I used it every single night. And just various little things like that. But those are the kinds of things that after awhile, you forget about.

I love how I can move around the icons more freely than I could on my iPhone. I still don't know what widgets are but I'll read more.

 

[mrsmumbles]

Widgets are sort of a very low resource using little app that runs on a home screen, like a clock and or weather widget. There are also all sorts of other kinds like RAM optimizer, etc etc.

I agree, they should at least include a starter guide for folks new to Android. The n5 isn't really the most newbie friendly device, though, anyway which is why I wonder about iPhone users always migrating to nexus devices but that's a side topic.

I have a flashlight app on my first Android. It can be handy and there are a few to choose from.

I'm having good luck with the battery so far. Haven't tried the camera because I rarely use it anyway. Still don't have it on a carrier so can't comment on calls.

If the speaker volume is as low as on the OF7 then it really is too low. Have not yet listened to music on the n5.

 

[ajdroidx]

Hey hey all, thought I would drop back in after another week of use with a few more thoughts

First off, I am really digging the smoothness of the thing, by smoothness, I mean the fluidity of the use of the device. Scrolling is smooth, I can really feel the butteryness of the OS.

This week, I had not really used the device to listen to music, I had been using the note 2 to do that since it is a bit louder, but, that is about all the note 2 is being used for. Yes, its been pretty much demoted down to MP3 player and sunset alarm and as a means to conserve battery at times.

The slightly smaller form factor of the Nexus 5 is starting to grow on me. Picking up the slick as snot Note 2, I fumble it around now, and really, the phone does seem to be too big for its own good, although, when I had the note III, I loved the feel of the device.

Battery still gets me through the day at work, where my signal is slim to nil in most places inside the building. It actually seems to be a bit better then the note II reception wise. Text messages seem to get through a bit better as do some notifications. I do like how the device clearly tells me I am on HSPA or 4G network.

As far as me calling the device "average" I did not mean for this to be a negative. I love how this is a clean user experience on the Nexus 5. I don't really have much to complain about.

The issues I brought up in my original review where not really issues, but rather sticking points for me coming from a different (larger) device that had different handling, so I guess some of these "issues" or "Nags" are just a learning curve

I dig the device and I feel my self lusting less after the note III and reaching less for the note II, I guess I just needed a transition phase

Now, I did have one area to note, and that is battery. Once again, going from the note II to the N5, I am giving up nearly 900mah in battery. This could come into play on very heavy use days, but as I noted, I do bring the charging cable with me as well as use a mycharge stick if needed. I found yesterday following the events in Illinois just using twitter pretty heavily, I nearly toasted my battery by the end of my shift. Had I been chasing or watching weather here in Colorado, I probably would have. Once again, not a fault of the device and not fair to knock it for that.

The only other issue I had, and this was likely more due to Falcon pro was after a couple hundred unread tweets, the app froze up (did not force close, I am using the latest version) and I had to go back to where I started. Perhaps on heavy tweet days, I need to change a couple settings to prevent 400 tweets from being displayed.

All in all, I am pretty satisfied with the Nexus 5.

 

[Drew1100]

I also switched from Note 2 to the N5. I never used my S-Pen so that seemed to be a waste of technology for me. I'm now using the Note 2 for music on my wireless network. Love the N5 and will never go back to a bloat phone.

 

[_sC]

aside from the camera (hit or miss at times even with hdr+), speaker quality, non expandable storage, OK battery life, and weak antenneas, this phone has been not bad at all.... of course, when i bought the device, I knew I was buying this phone for the 4.4 kit kat, and not a spec'd out baller phone... (that was the note 3)

overall, im happy with the phone, unfortunately because of the areas that the nexus 5 can't fulfill my needs, I feel like this phone is only going to be a "holdover" phone until something new comes out that catches my eye.

 

[Lettuce]

I enjoyed reading all the posts in this thread. Very interesting to hear different views on things, and much of it is quite simply down to what you, the consumer, needs the phone to do.

Good thread.