Review: Google Nexus 6P Is the Droid You’re Looking For
Google is finally playing in the league of high-end flagships, and the 6P is finally a Nexus without compromise.
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It may sound like a ‘P’ variant to the 5.96-inch Nexus 6 Motorola released last year, but the reality is that it couldn’t be more different. A new design and hardware collaboration between Google and Huawei, a smaller screen, a brand new Nexus Imprint fingerprint scanner – really, aside from the pure Android software that both share, the ‘Premium’ Nexus has very little in common with any Nexus before it.
Google is finally playing in the big league of high-end flagships, and the 6P is finally a Nexus without compromise.
Key Specifications: Google Nexus 6P
- Display: 5.7-inch 2560x1440 AMOLED (518 PPI) with Corning Gorilla Glass 4
- Processor: Octa-Core Snapdragon 810
- RAM: 3GB
- Operating System: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
- Rear Camera: 12.3MP
- Front Camera: 8MP
- Battery: 3,450mAh
- Price: Rs. 39,999 (32GB), Rs. 42,999 (64GB)
What’s Good?
Unlike the Nexus 5X and its plastic exterior, the Google-Huawei combine has nearly nailed the design on the 6 – for a phablet, that is. The sleek aluminium exterior, thinner bezels and clean lines help the 6P feel a lot more manageable in the hand for a device that packs in a 5.7-inch screen. But make no mistake – it’s still a bit too tall for comfort and not pocket or hand-friendly in the way the 5X is.
It’s a gorgeous take on the boring aluminium slab design, but fair warning: If you’re the sort who’s likely to wreck their phone, you may want to watch this pretty scary bend video first.
The display is a gorgeous 5.7-inch 2560x1440 pixel AMOLED screen which means text and photos are incredibly crisp and brightness is right up there, although a shade less so than the display on the Note 5. Color saturation levels aka the punchiness of the display is cranked up pretty high, but you can choose an sRGB mode if you prefer more color-accurate displays. My only gripe – the glossy Gorilla Glass 4 panel makes glare an issue outdoors.
That’s not to say the 6P is merely a pretty face – this baby is fast, with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor aided by 3GB of speedy LPDDR4 RAM, but that’s pretty much table stakes for a device aiming to rub shoulders with the flagships. Shipping with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, you get pretty snappy performance right out of the box (no bloat to disable) and the refinement and maturity in Android 6.0 makes a compelling case for the 6P. The 810 has a tendency to run hot but, in my use, it’s nothing to worry about.
Personally for me, the biggest gain on the Nexus 6P is the camera, traditionally the Achilles’ Heel for Nexus devices. Huawei’s choice of a Sony camera sensor with larger pixel sizes delivers excellent results, with rich detail and good colour balance and surprisingly good low light performance. How good, you ask? It’s a solid performer that’s far better than most other ‘droids, but it’s still outclassed by the latest range from Samsung.
What’s Bad?
Two things struck me about the design that refuse to go away – first, the large oval bulge on the rear which houses the camera, flash, NFC and a bunch of other antennae just seems out of place with the rest of the design, at least on the silver unit. Fortunately, it doesn’t stick out that far and looks bigger in photos that it does in real life.
The second – the placement of the excellent Imprint fingerprint sensor – is more bothersome. If you’re holding the phone up, the fingerprint sensor is right where your finger naturally sits a lot of the time and the speed with which it unlocks the device is impressive.
As soon as you put it down on a table, however, you realize it’s impossible to unlock the phone via fingerprint without picking it up – a minor irritant but one that bothered me almost every day.
As with the Nexus 5X and the OnePlus 2, the USB Type-C makes an appearance in the 6P and while it does support fast charging using the supplied adapter and the reversible cable, it’s still early days yet for the standard so don’t blame us if you’re running low on charge and no one’s got a Type-C cable handy.
Battery life at a shade over a day is acceptable, not exceptional – wireless charging and a solid 2-day battery life would have been nicer – but Android Marshmallow’s new Doze power-saving feature will make it last considerably longer if your phone is idle on a desk for most of the day. Also, a word of caution for media mavens, there’s no expandable storage so buy the higher 64GB capacity.
Finally, there’s the issue of availability. Most folks are reporting delays in shipment of the device, not to mention the limited stocks that are available on e-com sites.
Why Buy It?
In terms of sheer value, the 6P presents a better case than its surprisingly high-priced sibling, as long as size is not an issue for you. Premium looks, great screen, top-notch internals and an excellent camera – the 6P is a great showcase for Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and all the features work as claimed, no disappointments.
It’s easy to recommend the 6P, but bear in mind that the LG G4 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 are dropping significantly in price these days – but if you’ve held out for a no-compromise Nexus all these years, this is the one to buy.
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