The software, for the most part, felt smooth and responsive with a design language that is quite consistent across the core apps. In practice, we really liked the subtle changes that Google's made. The Nexus 5X comes out of the box with Google's latest major version of Android, Marshmallow. In Use Marshmallow-y goodness (hold the fluff) Similarly, the home button and volume rocker are so close together that you'll often hit the wrong one by mistake.Įven though its placement is not ideal, the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner works reliably and quickly. The fingerprint sensor and the camera, for example, feel basically the same, so we were constantly wiping smudges off of the lens. We also wish there had been more attention paid to making things feel different. It's a convenient feature to have, to be sure, but it's in an inconvenient place. First of all, on both the 5X and the larger 6P the Nexus Imprint fingerprint readers are on the back, which takes some getting used to. There are a couple of design quirks we weren't happy with, though. USB-C also provides for much faster data throughput and charging speed, though you'll likely need new chargers and accessories. For one, it's bidirectional, so there's no "wrong" way to insert a cable. The USB port is a newfangled USB-C connector, which gives you a lot of nice perks. Of course, there's a headphone jack and a single USB port on the bottom. Other than that, the Nexus 5X focuses your attention on the display and away from the plastic rectangle you're holding in your hands. There's a power button, a volume rocker, and a fingerprint reader on the back. There are very few physical controls on the phone's body, which is pretty common nowadays. Embedded in that bottom speaker is a green notification light that blinks when you get a text, tweet, or Facebook message. Unfortunately, the top speaker is only good for phone calls as an earpiece, while audio from YouTube videos and the like are piped in exclusively through the phone's bottom speaker. It's flanked on top and bottom by two small bars both containing front-facing speakers-something we were really excited to see and hear, given the Nexus 5's anemic audio output. The Nexus 5X is a welcome return to form that feels like a slightly bigger Nexus 5, with a simple plastic body, squared-off sides, and rounded edges that are easy to grip.įront and center is a 5.2-inch HD IPS LCD screen that is nearly bezel-free on the sides. Phablets aren't for everyone, and Google's decision to release only a giant phone put a lot of people out. The Nexus 6 was huge, heavy, and it was the only Nexus phone Google put out last year. While we ended up really liking last year's Nexus 6 for a lot of reasons, there's one thing that might not have appealed to some phone shoppers: the size. The Nexus 5X may not be the biggest, flashiest phone on the shelf, but it's packed with simple touches that show just how far Android has come. This year's batch of Nexus phones-including the new Nexus 5X (MSRP $379.00)-reiterate the core values that made the Nexus 5 so popular, with straightforward designs that don't get bogged down with a bunch of junk. The highlight to date has been the LG-made Nexus 5, a flagship-quality phone that cost right around $300 but provided a stock, no-nonsense Android experience. Google's answer to this has been the Nexus program. Sometimes these are good, but mostly they're just redundant and bloated. What does that mean for you as a smartphone-toting human? It means that often, Google's legitimate design improvements get buried underneath a veneer of features.
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