When Google bought Android back in 2005, the company was eyeing the hardware space which turned into reality with the Nexus in 2010. Earlier seen as the value-for-money flagship, the brand somehow lost its way last year when it released the Motorola-made Nexus 6 which was a costly affair.
LG has made its way back into the Nexus arena with the Nexus 5X, which seeks to redeem Google’s vision to provide Android in its purest form.
Key Specifications: Google LG Nexus 5X
- Display: 5.2-inch full-HD oleophobic coating with Corning Glass 3
- Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Processor: Hexa-Core Snapdragon 808
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 16/32GB
- Rear Camera: 12.3MP
- Front Camera: 5MP
- Battery: 2,700mAh
- Price: Rs 31,999 (16GB), Rs 35,999 (32GB)
What’s Good?
First and foremost, we’re absolutely delighted to see a Nexus phone with a conventional 5.2-inch display size. Sticking to full-HD resolution makes a lot of sense, even though we have already been treated to a 2K display on the previous iteration.
Colours look vivid and the content on offer is sharp but falls short on the outdoor visibility factor because of its reflective display. The Nexus 5X is lightweight and slim enough to fit in your palm with relative ease.
The best thing about the Nexus is that it comes with the Android promise. It’s fair to say that the Nexus 5X manages to stand apart from the crowd thanks to its software prowess. Running on stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow seems to have made a huge difference to the way the phone performs in all conditions.
The fact that you get a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor with 2GB RAM definitely helps as well.
Another first for a Nexus device is the quality of the camera that is undoubtedly the best we have seen on any Nexus phone till date (excluding the Nexus 6P). The level of clarity and detail on the snappers has changed for good and in comparison to the Nexus 5, we felt the stark difference.
The Nexus 5X has a fingerprint scanner, just like every other phone coming out in the market. But the difference is that the Nexus has one of the best of the lot. Yes, LG has done a fairly decent job with the scanner: It responds quickly and is quite intuitive.
We would go to the extent of saying that the scanner is at par with the Apple Touch ID and that says a lot.
What’s Bad?
For a phone which is priced starting from Rs 31,999, we’d expect better phone construction. The Nexus 5X borrows the matte finish elements of the Nexus 5 that look and feel cheaper than the value LG places it at.
While the black variant might satisfy, the white Nexus 5X is a huge disappointment. Don’t be surprised if you end up with a colour-faded phone in less than 6 months.
Also, the quality of the front-facing speaker is downright horrible.
The Nexus 5X continues the policy of simplifying the device by skipping the microSD slot for storage expansion. LG may argue that most flagship phones these days come with built-in storage, but you’re bound to miss the option to expand.
Frankly speaking, the Nexus 5X’s battery isn’t too bad but it’s not excellent. While you’ll easily manage to get a typical day’s use with a single charge, we expect more from a device looking to match the best.
Having a Type-C port is a painful exercise right now since you also need to have a power adapter which is Type-C friendly and if you want to transfer data (and 4K videos) from phone-to-PC then Bluetooth is your sole option. How on earth did LG miss out on the Type C-to-USB adapter?
Why Buy It?
The LG Nexus 5X has the right size, competent hardware, an excellent set of cameras as well as features that match up to most of the competition in the market. It’s got the best fingerprint scanner we’ve come across and a pure Android experience that will be loved by everyone.
The Nexus 5X is also the first Nexus phone to get a Type-C port, which can be bothersome especially when you have a cable with a Type-C port on both sides. Nobody wants a cheap build phone for big money which doesn’t rank as a power horse.
Why go for the Nexus 5X when you have a glass body-laden Samsung Galaxy S6 selling at the same price? The choice is yours between value or the sheer experience that the Nexus offers. But go for the 32GB variant if you wish to get one.
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