Should I get an N5? - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi, I've been wanting to get a Nexus 5 for ages now and well I'm having tons of trouble resisting. This phone just gets to me, I currently have a Nexus 7 and well it feels all out like it was made by the Gods and I can't shake the urge to wanna have an N5. The downside with this for me is I have Verizon so sadly I can't use this device to its fullest extent, would it be worth it to maybe buy one just for a week or so (wifi use) just to shake this urge to wanna use a Nexus phone? I absolutely adore how the Nexus line comes with stock Android and is just perfect out of the box and I also loveee the back of the phones/tablets in the Nexus line, just so perfect! & Yes I know there may be a Nexus 6 (most likely will be along with an N8) but if there isn't? Would it be worth it? I'd have to sell it back in the end but aye, at least I got to use one.
Sooo? Worth it? Also does this phone have the build quality the tablets have? I adore the quality of my N7 and wish my M8 had the same quality/materials and plus besides just that I'm dying to try out the Android L dev preview and just all the other things the N5 offers whether it be for a week or for a year. Ah honestly I could rant on for ages about why I wanna try one so bad so I'll just leave it here, worth it yeah? no? Am I retarded for wanting one so badly over my current phone?
Oh and one last question, does the N5 have the snappiness that the M8/iPhone 5s has or is it just like your average modern (1 yr or earlier) smartphone in terms of speed/snappiness and ALSO what is the highest it can be overclocked (CPU & GPU)?
Sorry for the overwhelming number of questions and <3'ing of this, I adore this phone and want one so badly I mean it's honestly horrible how bad I want to try one LOL.

S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
Also does this phone have the build quality the tablets have?
Oh and one last question, does the N5 have the snappiness that the M8/iPhone 5s has or is it just like your average modern (1 yr or earlier) smartphone in terms of speed/snappiness
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I have both (N5 and N7) and the Nexus 5 has a better build quality than the Nexus 7, definitely snappier, better touchscreen, less issues than the N7, etc.
About the snappiness of the N5. I can't compare to the iPhone (It is always hard to tell if an iOS phone is snappy when we all know it is using screenshots to fake its smoothness) however, well, it's common knowledge that the N5 (using ART) is, overall , the snappiest phone ever made in the android world.

Matrix_19 said:
I have both (N5 and N7) and the Nexus 5 has a better build quality than the Nexus 7, definitely snappier, better touchscreen, less issues than the N7, etc.
About the snappiness of the N5. I can't compare to the iPhone (It is always hard to tell if an iOS phone is snappy when we all know it is using screenshots to fake its smoothness) however, well, it's common knowledge that the N5 (using ART) is, overall , the snappiest phone ever made in the android world.
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I figured the phone would be better than the tablet considering its got the superior hardware. I have a disassembled iPhone im working on and it's quite snappy and I also have an HTC one M8 and it's snappy too, even snappier than the iPhone 5s. I would use ART too but that means no Xposed and no Xposed means no ease of use features soo sort of ruins it for me.

Matrix_19 said:
I have both (N5 and N7) and the Nexus 5 has a better build quality than the Nexus 7, definitely snappier, better touchscreen, less issues than the N7, etc.
About the snappiness of the N5. I can't compare to the iPhone (It is always hard to tell if an iOS phone is snappy when we all know it is using screenshots to fake its smoothness) however, well, it's common knowledge that the N5 (using ART) is, overall , the snappiest phone ever made in the android world.
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How do you figure the iPhone uses screenshots to fake its smoothness? That is the first time I have ever heard anyone say that, and forgive me but that doesn't really make any sense, unless I'm missing something. It uses hardware acceleration, and seeing as though iOS only runs on one device, it's heavily optimized for the hardware. That's why it's so smooth.
I had the iPhone 5s for a while and can say that it is only slightly smoother than the N5, but it is noticeable, especially when scrolling in 3rd party apps. As far as snappiness/speed is concerned, I actually think the N5 feels just a little faster, but that is likely due to iOS's animations.
@OP- as much as I love the N5, it's hard for me to recommend it to you for a couple reasons- first, you can't even use it to its fullest since you're on Verizon and that alone makes it hard to justify. Second, there's a few other phones coming out soon that I would wait to check out first, mainly the new Moto X and the upcoming Nexus phone, whatever the naming convention is going to be this time around. But, if you have your heart set on the N5, it's not like it's going to break your bank.

Why do people ask us to tell them what phone to buy? There are 2 obvious issues with this.
1) We are biased. 95% of us would recommend an N5. We have one and we like it.
2) We are not you.
Come on guys, make your own decisions. Read the forums of all the phones you want and see what issues there are and which you "could live with", then decide which phone you want.
Try this...
Score every pro as a 1.
Score every amazing pro as a 2.
Score every known issue as a -1
Score every major known issue as a -2
Score the cheapest phone as a 0
Score every $100 that another handset is over the price of the cheapest phone as a -1
If "latest technology" is an issue for you, score every month the phone is old as a -1
Whichever has the highest score, buy... or dont.

True, sometimes flipping a coin works!

@op - dont buy a nexy now... Wait for newer sexy nexy....

on verizon, you can connect to lte and get data on a nexus 5. but phone calls do not work.

Buying one to use as a wifi only device for a week, then selling it, sounds pretty stupid to me. But to each their own I guess.

Lokke9191 said:
Buying one to use as a wifi only device for a week, then selling it, sounds pretty stupid to me. But to each their own I guess.
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I would go for a Nexus 5 cause its rumoured that the Nexus X will have a HUGE 5.9 inch screen but its also rumoured that they will make another 5.2 inch one, so wait and see

Get a coin. Look back and forth twice then flip it. While its flipping decide head or tale. Wait for it... (Still spinning)...f#ck it.. slap the coin hard to the ground. Voila!

Related

[Q] If not a Nexus 5, then what?

I keep dithering back and forth between buying the Nexus 5 or "something else." My wife has the Nexus 4, and I'm looking to replace our outmoded land-line with a cellphone of my own now. We use T-Mobile and I'm quite the technology addict, so I'm always on the lookout for something "high end."
Google is currently saying 2-3 weeks for Nexus 5 orders, which unfortunately gives me plenty of time to consider other options. Are there any? Does the Galaxy S4 or HTC One even come close to the Nexus 5, technologically speaking? I've also read good things about the Galaxy Note 3. If you could pick something "not the Nexus 5," what would it be?
Any opinion is appreciated!
elias4444 said:
I keep dithering back and forth between buying the Nexus 5 or "something else." My wife has the Nexus 4, and I'm looking to replace our outmoded land-line with a cellphone of my own now. We use T-Mobile and I'm quite the technology addict, so I'm always on the lookout for something "high end."
Google is currently saying 2-3 weeks for Nexus 5 orders, which unfortunately gives me plenty of time to consider other options. Are there any? Does the Galaxy S4 or HTC One even come close to the Nexus 5, technologically speaking? I've also read good things about the Galaxy Note 3. If you could pick something "not the Nexus 5," what would it be?
Any opinion is appreciated!
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If you like the Nexus 5 32GB White, it's shipping pretty quickly (within a couple days), although it says 2-3 weeks.
LG-G2 obviously
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app
elias4444 said:
I keep dithering back and forth between buying the Nexus 5 or "something else." My wife has the Nexus 4, and I'm looking to replace our outmoded land-line with a cellphone of my own now. We use T-Mobile and I'm quite the technology addict, so I'm always on the lookout for something "high end."
Google is currently saying 2-3 weeks for Nexus 5 orders, which unfortunately gives me plenty of time to consider other options. Are there any? Does the Galaxy S4 or HTC One even come close to the Nexus 5, technologically speaking? I've also read good things about the Galaxy Note 3. If you could pick something "not the Nexus 5," what would it be?
Any opinion is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my humble opinion, the only other phone to even consider right now besides the Nexus 5 is the Moto X. I have both phones, and still prefer the Moto X over the N5 for a variety of reasons. It really is the ultimate smartphone to me. The N5 is great and has its own merits, don't get me wrong, but the Moto X is the complete package. Motorola absolutely nailed it with that thing. I've also owned the HTC One and GS4, and neither can touch the X.
elias4444 said:
I keep dithering back and forth between buying the Nexus 5 or "something else." My wife has the Nexus 4, and I'm looking to replace our outmoded land-line with a cellphone of my own now. We use T-Mobile and I'm quite the technology addict, so I'm always on the lookout for something "high end."
Google is currently saying 2-3 weeks for Nexus 5 orders, which unfortunately gives me plenty of time to consider other options. Are there any? Does the Galaxy S4 or HTC One even come close to the Nexus 5, technologically speaking? I've also read good things about the Galaxy Note 3. If you could pick something "not the Nexus 5," what would it be?
Any opinion is appreciated!
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Click to collapse
I'd say the s4 and HTC one are as good or better than the n5. With that said I have an n5 in the mail. I didn't get the s4 or one mainly because the bootloaders are locked and you can't do much with them with out a lot of mickey mouse. If you're into messing with your phone and having fun with it the n5 is hands down the winner. I looked at the s4 for a long time and with all the crap Samsung and the carriers were doing with it I wouldn't get it for the world.
elias4444 said:
I keep dithering back and forth between buying the Nexus 5 or "something else." My wife has the Nexus 4, and I'm looking to replace our outmoded land-line with a cellphone of my own now. We use T-Mobile and I'm quite the technology addict, so I'm always on the lookout for something "high end."
Google is currently saying 2-3 weeks for Nexus 5 orders, which unfortunately gives me plenty of time to consider other options. Are there any? Does the Galaxy S4 or HTC One even come close to the Nexus 5, technologically speaking? I've also read good things about the Galaxy Note 3. If you could pick something "not the Nexus 5," what would it be?
Any opinion is appreciated!
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Click to collapse
Warning: A lot of writing
Well, we're in a Nexus 5 forum and bias is to be expected. However, I've had a Gnex, Nexus S, and am currently rocking a Galaxy Note 2. A Nexus 5 is due to arrive today for me. I've somewhat been at a cross for the last couple of days. I am pretty sure it's because I keep reading about the defects, faults, and comparisons of the N5 to others.
But, because of this, I am wondering if I've made the right choice. There are two other choices that cannot leave my head and that's the LG G2 and the Moto X. The two are completely different phones and it's almost like the Nexus 5 is the perfect balance between the two. Perfect isn't what I'm looking for, more like an even balance of the two.
On one side, the G2, you have an exceptional device with many internals similar to the Nexus 5 but with specs such as higher batter capacity, higher megapixel camera, IR blaster, larger size screen, etc. However, with the G2 comes the four different variants for US carriers, LG's skin, and minimal developer support. I don't even know if it'll be updated for long. It's what drove me nuts about my Note 2 although I loved its hardware. My problem with the G2 is the unknown support lifetime and small developer community. I consider it due to its superior (especially battery) hardware aspects of it.
Then, you have the Moto X. I can't say there's much of a difference in terms of software development due to locked bootloaders, but the stock software is amazing. No one has any complaints of it. It's either you love it and can't live without it or you simply have no use for the feautures. It's not a bad phone at all. It has lower end specs, but performs CLOSE, but not as fast as a Nexus 5. It has been confirmed to be updating to KitKat. The problem with the Moto X is a much smaller, yet friendly, developer community. There also seems to be a huge lack of accessories for the two devices and that's a bit of a big deal.
It seemed like the Nexus would acquire some features of the Moto X like touchless controls and an extermely efficient battery. But, that wasn't the case. We know because it's a Nexus device that it's going to get support from its userbase for quite some times and that means a lot for me. But it seems like there is just so much wrong with the phone hardware wise that I'm stuck. I don't want a crap battery (coming from Note 2 of course) and a lower-output speaker but I'd really appreciate constant developer support and guaranteed updates.
TL;DR There is no perfect device at the moment. Each device will require you to sacrifice something that you believe is worth sacrificing. You sacrifice accessories, developer community, update lifetime, and other small things for the Moto/G2. But, with each of those devices you gain something a Nexus can't give you with a larger battery and better battery life, smaller or bigger screen size, handy software features (touchless, knock knock, etc.).
Price isn't a factor for me either and I know you can root these devices but that comes with broken features and instability. I'd be great to have a G2 with stable 4.4 and touchless controls. That's the perfect device, IMO.
I know I rambled a bit too much and a little off topic, but I needed to kind of let this out somewhere. Heh. Seriously though, it's an amazing time for us smartphone lovers. You don't lose in either choice you make. We're just picky. Good luck!
elias4444 said:
I keep dithering back and forth between buying the Nexus 5 or "something else." My wife has the Nexus 4, and I'm looking to replace our outmoded land-line with a cellphone of my own now. We use T-Mobile and I'm quite the technology addict, so I'm always on the lookout for something "high end."
Google is currently saying 2-3 weeks for Nexus 5 orders, which unfortunately gives me plenty of time to consider other options. Are there any? Does the Galaxy S4 or HTC One even come close to the Nexus 5, technologically speaking? I've also read good things about the Galaxy Note 3. If you could pick something "not the Nexus 5," what would it be?
Any opinion is appreciated!
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Click to collapse
Well, you've dithered this long, what's another 2-3w?
For the longest I decided to get the Moto X. I had seen the specs for Nexus 5 and all the leaks but I was set on the X. That was until the Nexus 5 was launched and I made my decision in less than 30 minutes of launch. I'm in love with my Nexus 5 and don't regret my decision at all. Loving the bigger screen but if I could not have gotten the Nexus 5 I definitely would've gotten the Moto X. Love the form fit. Never would have considered the S4 or HTC One. I prefer as close to vanilla android as I can get and the Moto X is pretty amazing. But then again so is the Nexus 5. I would've waited for either.
elias4444 said:
I keep dithering back and forth between buying the Nexus 5 or "something else." My wife has the Nexus 4, and I'm looking to replace our outmoded land-line with a cellphone of my own now. We use T-Mobile and I'm quite the technology addict, so I'm always on the lookout for something "high end."
Google is currently saying 2-3 weeks for Nexus 5 orders, which unfortunately gives me plenty of time to consider other options. Are there any? Does the Galaxy S4 or HTC One even come close to the Nexus 5, technologically speaking? I've also read good things about the Galaxy Note 3. If you could pick something "not the Nexus 5," what would it be?
Any opinion is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone loves the HTC One. I think the GS4 is better. Technologically speaking, the GS4 is as good as the Nexus 5. I just prefer the Nexus 5. My girlfriend prefers her GS4 to my N5. They are both great phones. Also, as someone else mentioned, the G2 is supposed to be pretty good, but I haven't given it a try. "Technologically speaking," you will not find a better device than the Note 3. It's huge, though, so you should make sure you're comfortable with it. I would rather have the Nexus 5 for my phone and a Nexus 7 as a tablet rather than a single phablet like the Note 3. Funny thing is, the N5 + the N7 is about the same price as the Note 3.
_MetalHead_ said:
In my humble opinion, the only other phone to even consider right now besides the Nexus 5 is the Moto X. I have both phones, and still prefer the Moto X over the N5 for a variety of reasons. It really is the ultimate smartphone to me. The N5 is great and has its own merits, don't get me wrong, but the Moto X is the complete package. Motorola absolutely nailed it with that thing. I've also owned the HTC One and GS4, and neither can touch the X.
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ms0chez said:
For the longest I decided to get the Moto X. I had seen the specs for Nexus 5 and all the leaks but I was set on the X. That was until the Nexus 5 was launched and I made my decision in less than 30 minutes of launch. I'm in love with my Nexus 5 and don't regret my decision at all. Loving the bigger screen but if I could not have gotten the Nexus 5 I definitely would've gotten the Moto X. Love the form fit. Never would have considered the S4 or HTC One. I prefer as close to vanilla android as I can get and the Moto X is pretty amazing. But then again so is the Nexus 5. I would've waited for either.
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I personally hated the Moto X. I found it poorly made and laggy. It is definitely not a future-proof device. It's behind the GS4 and HTC One, both of which predate it by 4-5 months. But if you are looking for something future proof, you should either get the Nexus 5, which is guaranteed to receive the latest software updates for at least two years, or the Note 3, which has better hardware than any other phone on the market. Or, if you can wait until April, get the GS5 when it comes out.
got-killed: you make some good points for each phone. But i have to say the things that really led me to get the Nexus 5 (aside from really wanting a new phone and having no upgrades available yet through AT&T) to upgrade from my Galaxy S3 are:
1) Developer support, as you mentioned, but also updates direct from Google, without any software really being locked down and the source always available, which also means BETTER custom ROM's.
2) The screen is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
3) .... did i mention updates directly from Google?
But in all seriousness... yes, the Moto X has some nice features.... but i honestly can't imagine myself using them very often. Touchless operation.... I had enough trouble with Touchwiz waking my phone when i received a text message, and accidentally unlocking the phone through my pocket (which you'd be surprised just how well these screens work through a layer of cotton and denim). Kinda like the whole "Pocket Detect" feature the S3 has, where it'll automatically lock the phone if it seems like you've put the phone in your pocket. Nice... but yea... easier to just hit the button on the side of the phone and not worry about IF it locked.
Not sure what you mean by the Nexus 5 not having an energy efficient battery. The battery in the Nexus 5 is ever so slightly bigger than what's in the Moto X, and also has an ultra-low power bonus CPU core to greatly minimize battery usage while the phone is asleep. I can't say i use my phone heavily... but it's already doing much better than my GS3 ever really did. Can get 14 hours on a charge with nearly an hour of screen time, and still have upwards of 20% battery life left, depending what i was doing with the phone.... and that was only on it's second charge so far.
And yes... the speaker is a fair bit quieter than on that of something like my previous Galaxy S3.... but the side-by-side comparison between the two, it's no contest. I'd MUCH rather have the superior sound quality from the Nexus 5's speaker than what the S3 has. The sound is rather tinny on the S3. Watching a video of Sungha Jung playing his acoustic guitar is not only practically ear-splittingly high pitched on the S3, but the lower tones when he's drumming on the side of the guitar with his wrist while playing are for the most part non-existent from the speaker. The Nexus 5's speaker can output tones a fair bit deeper than the S3's speaker can, and the highs aren't as squeal-y. And i'm sure, either be it from the development community or from Google themselves, we'll probably see some sort of mod to make the volume louder from the N5's speaker.
Picking a phone is very personal choice. Go to the store and play with the models you can, go to an AT&T store to check out the Moto X.
Personally it comes down to this, if I were to buy a phone on a subsidized, or JUMP, plan it would be the Moto X. But being that I usually buy a phone and hold onto it for a couple of years, and I am buying in cash, the nexus made much more sense to me.
While the moto x is great, imho, it isn't future proof. How will it perform in a year or two, what about the developer community. Add to that, you couldn't get the 32 gb model on T-Mobile, and I went with the Nexus 5.
But, I will admit, it is much more comfortable in my hand and pocket than the Nexus 5.
I don't regret my decision at all.
Thank you everyone for your input and ideas! You're a GREAT community here!
After thinking about it some more, I actually cancelled my Nexus 5 order. Not because I don't want the phone anymore, but because I realized my real issue here is that I'm just not comfortable with brand new tech that barely hit the market. I've felt a little let-down with my 1st gen Nexus 7 getting slower and slower over time and it's made me a bit gun shy to run out and buy the "next big thing" the moment it hits the market (like I did with my tablet).
I'll spend some time researching all the suggestions posted here before I dive back in. Honestly, the MotoX never even crossed my radar, but it sounds like it has a solid following and deserves some consideration.
Thank you again! And please feel free to keep posting your ideas! I'll keep coming back and reading them.
As per sig i have 3 devices. .just got the nexus 5 today and its going back tomorrow and I will buy the G2...I should have went with it in the first place but I couldnt resist the white nexus.
Nice device just not for me..if you want a 5 inch device...s4 hands down..or if you want to go a bit bigger G2.
Note 3 is a beast of a device...nuff said there.
Sent from my S4,Note 3 or Nexus 5
elias4444 said:
Thank you everyone for your input and ideas! You're a GREAT community here!
After thinking about it some more, I actually cancelled my Nexus 5 order. Not because I don't want the phone anymore, but because I realized my real issue here is that I'm just not comfortable with brand new tech that barely hit the market. I've felt a little let-down with my 1st gen Nexus 7 getting slower and slower over time and it's made me a bit gun shy to run out and buy the "next big thing" the moment it hits the market (like I did with my tablet).
I'll spend some time researching all the suggestions posted here before I dive back in. Honestly, the MotoX never even crossed my radar, but it sounds like it has a solid following and deserves some consideration.
Thank you again! And please feel free to keep posting your ideas! I'll keep coming back and reading them.
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Just remember someone like you, I gather, will be stuck with what you get out of the box(OOB). The nexus/playstore editions have the least bloat and get OS updates the quickest... that is IF you decide to go with an Android device, but as I intimated before, you've dithered so long now, why hurry? Go look around some more until you're sure of what you want/need/are comfortable with.
Personally, I REALLY like nexuses for their non-bloatwareness, although when I bought my last phone the nexus 4 there was nothing but the n4 really, the the One and S4 hit the play store, but I decided to go with the n5 again. Maybe next time something different especially if mfgs. like ASUS step into the ring and also limit bloat plus update fairly regularly(I have shield(tegra 4) FYI which has already gotten one OS update so far, I also have the n7(2013 version snapdragon v. your tegra3 2012 version), also most of my desktop and home networking is also ASUS(motherboard(P9X79, I build my own), router(AC66U), monitor))...
Good luck, and I'll just re-iterate you've waited this long, so just don't jump into anything willynilly, but also I'd suggest not terminally procrastinating...
elias4444 said:
Thank you everyone for your input and ideas! You're a GREAT community here!
After thinking about it some more, I actually cancelled my Nexus 5 order. Not because I don't want the phone anymore, but because I realized my real issue here is that I'm just not comfortable with brand new tech that barely hit the market. I've felt a little let-down with my 1st gen Nexus 7 getting slower and slower over time and it's made me a bit gun shy to run out and buy the "next big thing" the moment it hits the market (like I did with my tablet).
I'll spend some time researching all the suggestions posted here before I dive back in. Honestly, the MotoX never even crossed my radar, but it sounds like it has a solid following and deserves some consideration.
Thank you again! And please feel free to keep posting your ideas! I'll keep coming back and reading them.
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I owned the first generation Nexus 7. Bought it the day it was released. It is the only device I've owned that really did slow down like you said. It is too early to speak for the Nexus 5, but this problem did not exist on the GNex, Nexus 4, Nexus 10, or second generation Nexus 7. I ran into the problem with AOSP based custom ROMs on my GS3, but not with stock TW or TW based custom ROMs. The first generation Nexus 7 just didn't have great hardware, and it showed after lots of use, especially on the 8gb version. I don't think you should have that fear going into the N5, but I think you're being smart holding off until you're sure. I jumped the gun with the Moto X and got just above half of what I paid when I resold the PoS.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I bought a N5 for experiment and I will stick with my Z1. Better camera, quality, waterproofness, better screen even though z1 is bad for yellow tint N5 is worse. With the N5 you simply get what you pay for but I would pay a little more for the premium glass/aluminum finish phones like the One or my Z1
I have had the HTC One and I currently have the Note 3 and the Nexus 5 (My 3rd Nexus over the past few years). I really enjoyed the Note 3 but the size got to me. I have not had the N5 long enough to really form an opinion other than the battery life sucks compared to the Note 3. Also the N5 seems a little less polished than the One or Note. So far the best every day phone was the HTC One that opinion might change with more time with the N5. Just my .02.
force70 said:
As per sig i have 3 devices. .just got the nexus 5 today and its going back tomorrow and I will buy the G2...I should have went with it in the first place but I couldnt resist the white nexus.
Nice device just not for me..if you want a 5 inch device...s4 hands down..or if you want to go a bit bigger G2.
Note 3 is a beast of a device...nuff said there.
Sent from my S4,Note 3 or Nexus 5
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So wait.... you're saying if you want a 5" device, you shouldn't even consider the 4.95" Nexus 5 and instead get the 5" GS4... but if you want something a bit bigger, you should get the 5.2" LG G2? Really nitpicking over .25", aren't we?
And i'm really loving the people who insist on constantly pointing out the battery life of the Nexus 5 sucks in comparison to *insert phone here*.... especially when that phone is the Note 3. Yes, the Note 3's screen is nearly an inch larger than the Nexus 5's.... but the battery is also 39% larger. That's like somehow expecting a V6 Jeep Cherokee to perform just as well as a V8.
Don't get why everyone's saying the battery is crap, anyway. I don't think it's THAT bad... and i'm coming from a Galaxy S3.... where it seemed if you did anything more than some texting and web browsing, you would basically be lucky to make it through an 8-hour work day and still have a decent amount of battery life left. first two days with the N5, and i've gone 14 hours with similar usage as i had on my GS3, and still had 20-40% battery life remaining.

Thinking of Trading for HTC One

Like the title says, I've wanted a One for a while now, and I'm somewhat bored with the Nexus 5 for some reason. Does anyone own both of these, I'm curious what people think if they have both in their hands.
Take this with a grain of salt....
My buddy hated his HTC one he switched to the s4. His camera sensor went out. Everything was like this pink color when he would take pictures in low light. Apparently it was a rather common problem.
How can you be bored with a nexus 5? What makes you think the HTC won't be boring after a while?
I've used Sense and TouchWiz and I will never go back to either. Switching to the N5 was the best thing I've done OS wise.
I understand that this is just my personal preference. I also havent used sense in a couple of years, so I'm sure it has matured.
HTC One is the most worst phone i've had. good thing i swapped with iPhone 5 on CL and then sold the iPhone 5 again its because this is the quickest way to sold on CL then ordered N5. i am a happy man right now lol
If you're bored with a Nexus you're doing it wrong.
You can emulate virtually every aspect of Sense with Play Store widgets.
You can flash TouchWiz UI with working clock and everything.
You can modify every aspect of everything on this phone with custom ROMs, such as size / quantity / color / shape of Nav Keys. You can modify the UI, battery, use functions like S2W and DT2W, notification drawer, custom launchers, etc.
So you want to downgrade your SoC and screen size and available development options and that will ease your boredom?
I've used both and the One is a great phone, but not sure how it is less "boring" than the Nexus 5.
Didn't expect the berating of the One, but I guess the main reason is for build quality. I RARELY use the camera on any phone I've owned, and I just like to switch it up a bit. The screen size is negligible, the on screen buttons of Nexus phones take up screen relestate anyway. The One is still considered the best built Android phone at this time, and the front speakers are really intriguing to me.
I'd still be using 4.4 Kitkat on the One, it's a build quality thing, mostly.
stevew84 said:
Like the title says, I've wanted a One for a while now, and I'm somewhat bored with the Nexus 5 for some reason. Does anyone own both of these, I'm curious what people think if they have both in their hands.
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I had the galaxy nexus, switched to the HTC One cause it seemed like a solid device. With in one week I traded it in for a Nexus 5. I will never own a non nexus device again. Nexus 5 is a much better device then the HTC One over all. If your not wanting to tinker with your device and just have a solid all around device, get the Moto X.
It's really all a matter of preference really. If you want it, go for it regardless of what anyone says. I mean it's your $$ right?
I agree that the build quality from my limit use of it and the reviews I've read is great.
stevew84 said:
Didn't expect the berating of the One, but I guess the main reason is for build quality. I RARELY use the camera on any phone I've owned, and I just like to switch it up a bit. The screen size is negligible, the on screen buttons of Nexus phones take up screen relestate anyway. The One is still considered the best built Android phone at this time, and the front speakers are really intriguing to me.
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True, it depends on what you want.
There can be no doubt the speakers on the One are better and the actual build quality I would agree with you.
The nav keys I have set at 24dpi so they take up a tiny amount of my screen.
I guess for me the more powerful CPU and awesome LED and kernel / ROM options for AOSP trump anything the One has to offer, but it is a very nice phone.
Better build quality, better speakers, and arguably better camera. Plus you can get a 64GB version if you really need more space.
Now if Cotulla actually gets Windows Phone 8 and/or WM6.5 booting on the One like he's been working on then I probably will trade my Nexus 5 for a One.
Honestly you cannot go wrong with either phone, if you want a One, just go for it.
orangekid said:
True, it depends on what you want.
There can be no doubt the speakers on the One are better and the actual build quality I would agree with you.
The nav keys I have set at 24dpi so they take up a tiny amount of my screen.
I guess for me the more powerful CPU and awesome LED and kernel / ROM options for AOSP trump anything the One has to offer, but it is a very nice phone.
Better build quality, better speakers, and arguably better camera. Plus you can get a 64GB version if you really need more space.
Now if Cotulla actually gets Windows Phone 8 and/or WM6.5 booting on the One like he's been working on then I probably will trade my Nexus 5 for a One.
Honestly you cannot go wrong with either phone, if you want a One, just go for it.
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Another important thing to remember is that the N5 is dirt cheap, in comparison to other phones. I get bored playing with the same device, and if I ever wanted an N5, i'll pick up a 16gb, right now I have the white 32gb.
I've owned both so I can give you a little perspective. The hardware of the HTC One is definitely outstanding. It looks good and feels good. The speakers are great, but like you with smartphone cameras...smartphone speakers are irrelevant to me. I don't listen to music on phone speaks as no matter how loud, they don't have a bottom end. Speed wise, the N5 is definitely snappier but the One holds its own.
That said, I don't think the hardware of the N5 is significantly worse. The N5 is a solidly built device and the screen is great. The screen on the One is probably slightly better in terms of vibrancy and black levels, but the N5 screen is nothing to scoff at.
In terms of camera (even if it isn't important to you), the One camera isn't great. Almost everyone complains of some level of purple tint unless they RMA their device many times.
Where the real difference lies between these phones is in the software. Personally, I'm not a fan of Sense. It looks okay, but it slows down updates to the device and HTC will stop updating the One sooner rather than later. It may not sound like a big deal but when you're stuck on 4.3 and the N5 is already on 5.1 or something, it'll make a difference. There is the option to root and take advantage of all XDA One forums have to offer but development over will pale in comparison to the development for the N5. The N5 will always have the latest, greatest, and most choices...by a long shot...and for a long time.
TL;DNR They're both great phones and it really comes down to what's most important to you. If update support, development community, and speed are important to you the N5 is the way to go. If sexier hardware, better speakers, and Sense are your thing go for the One. Like any device though, hardware gets "boring" after awhile and you're left with software experience to keep you preoccupied and that's where the N5 excels.
Another suggestion is keep the nexus 5 invest in a one from eBay. Then you can really compare the two. I forget where I saw somewhere on here but, use the one for two weeks then use the nexus 5 for two weeks and then go back and if the nexus 5 drives you nuts or vise versa you know what you have to do.
Sent from my Nexus 5
orangekid said:
If you're bored with a Nexus you're doing it wrong.
You can emulate virtually every aspect of Sense with Play Store widgets.
You can flash TouchWiz UI with working clock and everything.
You can modify every aspect of everything on this phone with custom ROMs, such as size / quantity / color / shape of Nav Keys. You can modify the UI, battery, use functions like S2W and DT2W, notification drawer, custom launchers, etc.
So you want to downgrade your SoC and screen size and available development options and that will ease your boredom?
I've used both and the One is a great phone, but not sure how it is less "boring" than the Nexus 5.
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THIS!!!
Seriously peeps if you come to nexus branding thinking you want a "ready phone", just.. DON'T.
HTC One is sexy
Sent from my Nexus 5
Seadra said:
THIS!!!
Seriously peeps if you come to nexus branding thinking you want a "ready phone", just.. DON'T.
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I think the N5 is a superb "ready phone", anyone can buy one and be perfectly happy with it stock. I really don't get why they wouldn't be. Feel free to explain it to me.
I also don't get all the hate for the HTC One, a family member has one and it's awesome, though I do dislike some things in Sense.
If you want to trade up to something special, currently I think the Moto X is the only phone worth having besides the N5. I had the HTC One, and then the S4, and now I have both the N5 and the Moto X. The X is my favorite of the bunch.
nemtan said:
I think the N5 is a superb "ready phone", anyone can buy one and be perfectly happy with it stock. I really don't get why they wouldn't be. Feel free to explain it to me.
I also don't get all the hate for the HTC One, a family member has one and it's awesome, though I do dislike some things in Sense.
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People who think touchwiz looks sexy and nexus is plain. Also people who think air gestures of s4 is super cool and having a camera called "ultrapixel"gimmick **** is cool.
Nexus phones don't have that, and frankly those things are not needed anyways. Nexus phones rock (oh and Moto X too). Period.
I plan on running a GPE ROM, since the One I'm getting is S-Off, I don't like sense or TW, it's a build quality thing.
I'd stay away from the One now. It is a really nice bit of kit, and sense is now a half decent skin if you like that kind of thing. But the M8 is coming out in February which will take the HTC dev focus off the M7. You'll probably get 4.4.2 on the One sometime after May next year, and that's going to be a big issue.
If someone here wants to trade me their HTC One for my 32gb white Nexus 5 pm me
Sent from my Nexus 5

which phone offers the most similar experiecne?

My contract is coming up for renewal in late February and I'm thinking of replacing my phone with a new Android device. I realize this might be the wrong forum section to post in, but who better to ask than my fellow Shield lovers.
I had a Galaxy Note (original) and a Galaxy S2 prior, and they weren't bad. For the time Touchwiz, and a poor email client really put me off of Android as a phone primarily for me is a communication device, but I still like to have fun with it.
I ended up going back to Blackberry and have been rocking a Z10 for a long time. But won an iphone 5s through work and have been using that for about the past year. I bought a Z30 recently as it was being sold at a stupidly low price new in box from factory and I am sick and tired of the small screens and piss poor battery life of the iphone.
I also have a first gen Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, and I've been complaining about it for the past 6-10 months because of it's size and weight and now that apps are being optimized for newer OS versions it's getting really slow. So my wife bought me a Shield for Christmas and I absoltuley love it!
I love how the UI is on this tablet and now know what all the fuss is about for Andorid. Touchwiz ruins the experience in my opinion. So I'm thinking for my new phone I'm going to get a Lollipop device for sure...the question is which one?
I don't want a Nexus as I don't like the idea of non-expandable memory and my 64gb card in my Sheild is getting pretty full, no way I could survive with a device that isn't at least 64gb (my iphone is 64gb and is usually between 50-60gb loaded up with music and media.)
So which device has a UI that is as close to the Shield as possible with expandable memory and isn't the size of a house. 5" is about my max screen size. There is no need to go larger as I already have the Sheild, and I want it to be pocketable. I got rid of my Note because I just kept leaving it on my desk. I would also love to get a 16-20 hour day with heavy use. FWIW my iphone 5s is completley dead by the time 2:00pm rolls around when it comes off the charger at 5:30am. I'm usually not near a charger again until 6:30-7:00pm on average. It's going to be a lot to ask but a 5:30am to 10:00pm battery life would be fantastic...
If you want a stock OS look and MicroSD, get the HTC M8 Google Play Edition. Stock Android, front speakers, and MicroSD support just like the ST.
Not going to be a popular opinion around here but the iPhone 6 gets much much better battery life than the older ones, if you are already invested into iTunes that may be a valid option for you. For me I have the 6 plus and it is cool because I get awesome battery life and then I get completely different games then the ones that are available on my shield tab so I have pretty much the best of both worlds.
Also my reason for going to the iPhone is because I have ATT and needed a carrier subsidized phone, tried the Nexus 6 it is utter crap build quality and the Note 4 is not even rootable, there is not much else that is really modern on ATT.
As far as gaming ready devices, all Qualcomm Snapdragon devices fall into a mediocre range. None of them are really "smooth" at gaming and all of them work hard to provide perpetual fluidity. Bad video drivers and non-existent high clock efficiency mean those devices scale vey poorly, and gaming takes a monstrous drain on the battery for even simple 2D games. If you are looking for a device which can handle gaming in a manner similar to the shield (and aren't too concerned with what you might lose) then tegra phones and iPhones are your best option objectively. It's impossible to recommend a Qualcomm device as better for gaming. If you are just looking for a simple phone with light gaming, then something like the upcoming HTC M9 or a likewise lollipop based device would be fine. But if gaming is your concern (which you don't seem to mention) then my above statements hold very true.
All "stock" suggestions should definitely fly with "but shall include excessive Google bloatware that wouldn't be accepted from Samsung or any other OEM." That much said, crap like Drive Earth Docs Sheets Slides Newsstand Books Music Movies Plus Fit Now Wallet Keyboard Chrome and the ever constant location stalker CAN be disabled quite easily.
Preliminary reports say the S5 is shaping up to perform amazingly on Lollipop. A simple comparison of this tablet and the Nexus 7 and the iPad-Mini-esque Nexus 9, has shown me that it's all about the implementation of lollipop, not comparing who has the biggest version number, that is essential in determining which device is best.
Google Play Edition phones like HTC One M8 or Galaxy S4.
The Moto G and X phones also offer nearly stock OS.
Gaming is not a concern for me with a phone, thats what the Tablet is for. a Pretty stock non-bloated with manufacture crud OS is whats most important I think. Touchwiz was just annoying when I was test driving a Note 3 and on my S2 when I had it. Just didn't enjoy it. I also don't like how big the S5 and such has gotten.
I'll take a closer look at the Google Play edition phones. I wanted to get something direct from carrier to get the subsidy and save some cash... I'm on Rogers in Canada... No Moto X is avaialble, and it doesn't appear to have a micro SD. However the Sony Z3 seems to have a pretty stock version of Android... what are peoples opinions on that device?
Well I wouldn't say it's stock by any means. It's actually fairly heavy on skinning, but it does look nice. Updates will be very slow for Sony phones. But the battery life is fantastic, and the overall hardware is nice. Sony phones can be problematic, but since it's a carrier device you can always yell at Rogers.
Nintonito said:
Well I wouldn't say it's stock by any means. It's actually fairly heavy on skinning, but it does look nice. Updates will be very slow for Sony phones. But the battery life is fantastic, and the overall hardware is nice. Sony phones can be problematic, but since it's a carrier device you can always yell at Rogers.
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Yea, I'm reading more on the Z3 forums and seeing stuff I'm not overly happy with.
One thing that is ever important to me is the speed and quality of the camera, something I'm addicted to on my iphone. I'm a part-time professional photographer along with my day job. So I got a camera for manual control and taking beautiful shot. I love my iphone for the quick burst that I can do within a couple of seconds on the fly (and thats about it that I've found as a pro over Android). I don't know if there is an Android phone out there that can compete, which is very unfortunate. When I was test driving the Note 3, one of the few major reasons I returned it was due to the crappy camera speed/AF. (The others were size and touchwiz)
Moto X, Moto G, Nexus 5, Nexus 6 or the Google Play Edition phones from the play store. Thats about it. I guess the OnePlus One fits the bill also.
I can't recommend the Moto X enough. Mine is absolutely amazing and I've owned QUITE a few different phones over the past few years including Samsung, HTC, Sony, Nexus, ZTE. The Motorola lineup of the past year or so has been nothing short of phenomenal.
I disagree on the basis that the battery life is pretty bad. Like iPhone levels of battery life frankly. I'm surprised people just glaze over that. 2300mah battery with lollipop+amoled is battery hell.
Nintonito said:
I disagree on the basis that the battery life is pretty bad. Like iPhone levels of battery life frankly. I'm surprised people just glaze over that. 2300mah battery with lollipop+amoled is battery hell.
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Do you own one? Because I do. And I routinely hit 18-19 hours with 2.5-3 hours of screen time. Everyone I see complaining about battery life doesn't own one, and are just parroting FUD.
Nintonito said:
I disagree on the basis that the battery life is pretty bad. Like iPhone levels of battery life frankly. I'm surprised people just glaze over that. 2300mah battery with lollipop+amoled is battery hell.
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icase81 said:
Do you own one? Because I do. And I routinely hit 18-19 hours with 2.5-3 hours of screen time. Everyone I see complaining about battery life doesn't own one, and are just parroting FUD.
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I'd also have to agree. I was hesitant about the phone when it was first announced because of the battery and held off buying one until the Cyber Monday coupon deal. Since then, I've added a wireless charging module (thread in the accessories sub-forum for the phone) and I couldn't be happier. Not saying you need a wireless mod, I just missed that from the Nexus 5. But even so, the battery has been above and beyond what I expected, the phone's performance is top notch, Active Display or whatever its called has no second best and Motorola's adherence to near stock Android is the cherry on top.
Like icase said, unless you have one and have something to back up your comment, you're just blowing FUD. My go to devices today are my 2014 Moto X and my Nvidia Shield Tablet.
wired335 said:
My contract is coming up for renewal in late February and I'm thinking of replacing my phone with a new Android device. I realize this might be the wrong forum section to post in, but who better to ask than my fellow Shield lovers.
I had a Galaxy Note (original) and a Galaxy S2 prior, and they weren't bad. For the time Touchwiz, and a poor email client really put me off of Android as a phone primarily for me is a communication device, but I still like to have fun with it.
I ended up going back to Blackberry and have been rocking a Z10 for a long time. But won an iphone 5s through work and have been using that for about the past year. I bought a Z30 recently as it was being sold at a stupidly low price new in box from factory and I am sick and tired of the small screens and piss poor battery life of the iphone.
I also have a first gen Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, and I've been complaining about it for the past 6-10 months because of it's size and weight and now that apps are being optimized for newer OS versions it's getting really slow. So my wife bought me a Shield for Christmas and I absoltuley love it!
I love how the UI is on this tablet and now know what all the fuss is about for Andorid. Touchwiz ruins the experience in my opinion. So I'm thinking for my new phone I'm going to get a Lollipop device for sure...the question is which one?
I don't want a Nexus as I don't like the idea of non-expandable memory and my 64gb card in my Sheild is getting pretty full, no way I could survive with a device that isn't at least 64gb (my iphone is 64gb and is usually between 50-60gb loaded up with music and media.)
So which device has a UI that is as close to the Shield as possible with expandable memory and isn't the size of a house. 5" is about my max screen size. There is no need to go larger as I already have the Sheild, and I want it to be pocketable. I got rid of my Note because I just kept leaving it on my desk. I would also love to get a 16-20 hour day with heavy use. FWIW my iphone 5s is completley dead by the time 2:00pm rolls around when it comes off the charger at 5:30am. I'm usually not near a charger again until 6:30-7:00pm on average. It's going to be a lot to ask but a 5:30am to 10:00pm battery life would be fantastic...
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Hi, just my two cents, IMHO the Nvidia Shield is a great tablet but to play PC games you have to stream to Nvidia, so if I want to recommend to you a similar device, the closest phone you can get is the Sony Experia Z3, Android 5 Lollipop, battery levels are very good, beautiful design and you can connect it to a playstation and play the games wireless on your phone with the PS controller. You even get the sound from your controller by connecting the headphones to it.
I have a couple of ideas.
If you can wait, the HTC Hima promises to be a beast. A Snapdragon 810 with a 1080p screen means that it will probably crush every other phone in terms of performace, thanks to every other phone jumping on the pointless 4K train. Look it up. It looks pretty nice. *drool*
If you need something now, then....I know you want a smaller phone, but....I can't recommend the Oneplus One enough.
-It is actually thinner than and not as wide as the Note, dispite its slightly larger screen.
-Even though it has no expandable storage, 64 gigs of internal storage has actually proven more useful to me. I never have to worry about limited storage for application data.
-The battery life on this thing is nuts. I'm a heavy user and I only need to charge it every other day.
-1080p screen. This is a plus because it it uses less resources than a 4k display. And honestly, most, if not all people, cannot tell the difference.
-Snapdragon 801 with 3 gigs of RAM. This thing flies, and multitasks like a champ. I remember a time not too long ago when more than 2gb RAM was considered excessive for most DESKTOP computers. I think its more than the specs that make this thing fly, though. Something in the hardware implementation must be special, because people have been reporting some pretty unbelievable benchmarks. Oh, and Sonic Adventure 2 runs smoothly in Reicast.
-The XDA scene is HUGE for this device. Its the most popular device on the forums. There are, like, 73 billion ROMs for it and maybe 2.5 billion kernels. I've never owned such a popular device. This is my favorite feature.
Its also the one of the only devices I have right now that isn't defective in some way. I tend to have horrible luck when purchasing electronics.
I hope I've helped you reach some sort of conclusion. Good luck. :good:
thanks guys,
I went into my Rogers store and manhandled what they had on display as well as a few open box units. I also took at look at Telus, but they can't meet me on my plan so no point in switching over. But the Moto X seemed like the best device.
I found the Z3 to be the best value for me right now. As I originally mentioned I'm not looking at the phone for gaming, but to be a workhorse and get me through a very heavy use work day. Not having Touch-Wiz was a huge plus for me, and I really enjoyed some of the things they changed in the skin. The camera performed a lot better than the other phones I tried in store. the HTC M8 was a very close contender, but the camera just sucks so horribly it got kicked out of the running faster than I could blink. I honestly think that Nokia/Windows Phone has the best camera interface after playing around with phones the past week, but the Z3 does a pretty good job.
For me it was the battery power, the UI, and the pretty impressive spec sheet that (hopefuly) will not force me to upgrade in the next 18 months that caused me to go with the Z3 overall. Rogers has a pretty limited offering right now which is annoying. I almost went with the Samsung S5, but remembered how much Touch-Wiz pozioned me the first time.
If they had a Nexus 5 32gb in stock I would have probably gone with that instead...and dealt with the size limitiation...but none left for corporate customers.
So my Black Z3 is in the mail and I'm really looking forward to it. Especially since my time frame for getting a new device really escallated with an unexpected smashy smashy of my iphone (dropped it and ran it over with a stroller by complete accident. One of the only times it wasn't cased!) now I need a case for my Z3

[Q] Replacement for Nexus 5 (2017 edition)

Hey all, I've seen a few posts out here similar that were older. My wife has a Nexus 5. It has been alright but she runs into space issues and hasn't been super thrilled with the battery. I have a 5x that I've loved (except it does a weird thing now where the screen won't come on when its in a call, but that's a whole other matter). She's dropped the phone and it's old enough to make me not want to mess with that, so it's time to look for something else.
I was wondering currently in June 2017, what a decent replacement would be for a Nexus 5. I would imagine there are all kinds of options out there that should be decent quality and cheap. Main goals at this point are 32 gig and a good battery. Wouldn't mind SD card capability and replaceable battery but from what I understand, you can't get as many replaceable battery phones anymore.
I'm not 100% opposed to buying one used if there are some that hold up well, but obviously new would be nice. I'm not looking for latest/greatest, just something she will appreciate that will work for awhile. Before we had our Nexus phones, we had the Moto G line, which obviously are kind of bargain basement types and it showed, so I hate to make that mistake again.
Lenovo P2: SD 625, 5100mAh battery and 32/64GB storge with dual sim or single sim + sd card.
hipsterdo0fus said:
Hey all, I've seen a few posts out here similar that were older. My wife has a Nexus 5. It has been alright but she runs into space issues and hasn't been super thrilled with the battery. I have a 5x that I've loved (except it does a weird thing now where the screen won't come on when its in a call, but that's a whole other matter). She's dropped the phone and it's old enough to make me not want to mess with that, so it's time to look for something else.
I was wondering currently in June 2017, what a decent replacement would be for a Nexus 5. I would imagine there are all kinds of options out there that should be decent quality and cheap. Main goals at this point are 32 gig and a good battery. Wouldn't mind SD card capability and replaceable battery but from what I understand, you can't get as many replaceable battery phones anymore.
I'm not 100% opposed to buying one used if there are some that hold up well, but obviously new would be nice. I'm not looking for latest/greatest, just something she will appreciate that will work for awhile. Before we had our Nexus phones, we had the Moto G line, which obviously are kind of bargain basement types and it showed, so I hate to make that mistake again.
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Pragmatically and from my perspective, since I am in the same situation searching for a replacement, the short answer is no. Never. I came over from Apple due to the easier customization ability of Android at the time.
I bought the N5 I have now, second-hand, originally for a family member (but they wanted an Apple), so I got stuck with it. Already rom'd. After getting used to the Android system, I said fine, I'm ditching Apple. Not say their stuff is bad. It just wasn't for me.
A broken screen, a new battery, and constantly rebooting to get a signal and nearly 3 years later and updating through first CM and now Pure Nexus.
I run this thing like a nuclear reactor especially during semester months.
Nothing beats it's simplicity. Nothing. It's one of the best pieces of tech I have ever owned and continues to be my daily driver. I did jump ship to an M9 and while a very impressive device. I yearned for my N5 (I thought it was dead). Got it back to functionality and haven't been back. Needless to say, here's what I am mulling over.
Pixel
Nexus 6p
Htc u11
Samsung S7 (or if I hit the lotto S8)
The Moto's. Since the Pure Nexus community is giving them a lot of love right now, especially the one with the crazy battery life but the 625 processor (if it was Daydream compatible I would've gotten it already).
One plus 3t
The high end xiaomi (I forget the model name)
An HTC 10. Another nice and underrated phone.
I can wax poetic about the N5 for days. Nothing beats it's flexibility, simplicity (aforementioned), and usability. Us N5 users do not need the bells and whistles and yet that's nice but we do more with less. I, too, will lament the day my hammerhead finally goes. In the meantime​, I hope my long-winded account helps you out.
Edit: I forgot about the Axon 7.
Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately most of them are quite a bit higher in price than we paid for this Nexus. We had actually used the Moto G line prior to this.
I also have to say that since this is for my wife, I may need to watch out on the screen size being overly gigantor. She may not want something that is too much bigger than the N5. That Lenovo is the best in price so far, but for some reason it doesn't have very good rating on Phone Arena. Wonder why?
I still have my nexus, but upgraded to a Huawei Nova, not the Nova Plus, mainly due to spec improvements and similar screen size. Got 4gb memory and 64gb storage, about the exact same size as the Nexus. I hate the Huawei UI, but CM is available for it now, so not really an issue. It might be a bit pricey though. The Huawei Honor, I think 6x, also has a model that is 5.5in screen.
Not trying to sell Huawei, was just checking the price in the US of the one I have and noticed the Honor was similar. I got the Nova CAZ-AL10 for the specs, price, size, and because it is compatible with the mobile networks here in China. The Nexus was not unfortunately.
I think an Asus Zenfone 3 might not be a bad option. It has great battery life and it's not too expensive
I had a nexus 5x and just came back to my nexus 5 with a custom rom and I am loving it!!!
After the lost of my N5, I got an OP 3T and not even rooted it, sweet and fast on stock.
Edit: Actually rooted it and still sweet and fast, the best; more than 8 hours SOT
What about leeco pro 3. I own one and it is for sure one of the best phones for its price if not the best (USD 199, might be even lower now) the stock ROM isn't much to chant for but put a custom ROM on it and you're golden. They were running a sale on amazon a few weeks back but I'm not sure about its current availability. Snapdragon 821 with 4 to 6gb of ram and 64gb of storage. The camera is its weakest point but it's honestly not that bad. Battery life is also great averaging 6 SOT on nougat and around 8 on stock. 100% recommend.
How about OnePlus 5? I was considering replacing my N5 with it, but I'm not convinced by their previous software support.
gr__or said:
How about OnePlus 5? I was considering replacing my N5 with it, but I'm not convinced by their previous software support.
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Can it be rooted?
maybeme2 said:
Can it be rooted?
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Is there a device that can't be rooted? I think so far all of the OnePlus devices where pretty open and got root quickly. Given that the OP5 has just been announced today, there is no root yet, but I'd be surprised if there isn't a root mid-july.
I don't know. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know. I think some devices are said to be easier to root than others which is what I meant to ask. I own a couple of nexus 5s and an old nexus 7 and they are easy to root. Just don't know enough about the op5.
Sorry I dig up the subject
I think to replace my nexus 5 and I hesitate between the nexus 6p (I find one at 190 euros used) or a nexus 5x (has 100 euros used too) what would be the best choice for you?
Thank you for your answers

Why so much hate for the 3 XL ?

Wow the Pixel 3 XL is getting bagged and dogged on left and right as if it's the worst smartphone ever made. Yes it could have been designed better for sure. Try to go the more minimal notch like Essential or something, and no bottom chin, do the stereo speakers like the HTC 10, or and the iPhone XS, and Note 9's, do, etc... to allow a more full screen design. Yes give us 6GB RAM.
Mainly in tech forums I keep reading so much hate for the Pixel 3 XL;
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/pixel-3-pixel-3-xl.2106788/page-68#post-26666374
And YouTube channels dogging on the phone big time
But I still wouldn't go iPhone, just not an iOS fan whatsoever. And Samsung Touchwiz not my thing either. So if I hate the iPhone, don't like Galaxy phones and the Pixel 3 is sub par, what's the other options? I wish we had a third option, a Windows Surface phone or something.
Oh well, I still have my White Pixel 3 XL on order, and not changing. Yes the notch is ugly, and more RAM would have been nice, but I still value stock Android, updated directly and quickly from Google, and the smooth fluid vanilla UI, and the amazing camera, and A+ rated display, and IP68 rating, and wireless charging. Maybe I'm a sucker, but that's my choice.
Honestly, I didn't even notice the notch when I was checking out the display phone at Verizon. I love the feel of the phone, very well balanced and light compared to my old Nexus 6. Can't wait to get my phone call on Thursday (I hope) to come and pick up my phone.
I think manly they are charging Flagship prices but not delivering on flagship hardware /specs compared to whats already on the market and instead are betting on software to carry them. Now i love pure android how its meant to be not a fan of all tweaks each manufacture adds to the phone, If Samsung offered a note 9 /S9 pure (ie stock android no mods) i think the pixel would be left in its dust. The Pixel's have always seemed to be a generation behind. I love my pixel 2 xl i know i just wanted something more to go with the great feel of stock android and what not. maybe next year, i have my 3 XL ordered and will use it for a week or two to see if its worth the upgrade over my 2 XL
How would I have like to see Google design the Pixel 3 XL? Well on a realistic manner not some unrealistic futuristic design but a realistic version could have been a cross between like the LG V30 shape and size with the minimal bezels but give it the Essential notch and stretch the screen out on the top and bottom. And then do the stereo speakers like on the Note 9 or iPhone so they don't have to be front-facing, and allow for full display with almost no bezels at like 6.2" or so. And give it 6GB RAM. And a bigger 4,000MaH battery.
At the end of the day, for October 2018, I still think FOR ME, the Pixel 3 XL is the best phone out.
- Stock vanilla Android is my bread and butter OS. I go back to owning the Nexus-One when it was new, then waiting in line for the Nexus-S at launch. I just have a thing for stock Android, all other versions of Android just irritate me, or frustrate me.
- Updates first and quickly
- A+ rated display
- Best camera
- Wireless charging now
- IP68 rating is nice
- Phone can easily be rooted, mainly for the best ad blocking and Substratum themes
No other phone right now interests me. The Note 9 or S9+ ? Not at all, no way, Lagwiz still exists no matter what people say. The LG V40, yeah that's cool, but not a fan of the LG skin, and they suck at updates. iPhone XS Max looks super cool, a very beautifully built device, really liked it a lot, but man I hate iOS, and on the XS Max the OS looks out of place, dated like something from a decade ago. OnePlus 6T, yeah will be a great phone, but they always skimp somehow.
Is the Pixel 3 XL the best phone of 2018 ? NO, not at all. But for me a stock Android nerd, it's really the only option.
Yeah if the Iphone XS Max ran android it would be a dream phone lol IMO ... That said i do think the Note 9 Running stock android with all the software options of the pixel 3 would be a great option as well .
PSA:
Don't read Mac/Apple websites for reviews on Android devices. They are quite happy being locked into their apple ecosystem and will never appreciate the open source model of a pixel device.
No hate here, just wish the display was LARGER......Note9/V40 temp me with their larger displays......but I can't get away from pure google... C'mon google, 6.5 next year!!!
Why the hate? Did you notice that big black malignancy at the top of the screen? What about specs that are less than impressive? My guess is the answer is right there between those two things. Flagship means flagship, you want to charge this kinda money you need some wow factor and the ability to say you're second to none and have that hold water.
These devices don't give me that vibe. Too me they're like the second toughest guy on the block saying "Look, I can juggle!" As to the former enough has been said about it. I personally found my Best Buy experience to fall between what some said. At points when I was busy manipulating the GUI I forgot about it completely. Any time I stepped back from specific tasks the thing jumped out at me, it was like getting mugged with an ugly stick every timei looked at the phone as an object.
Yeah, I'm stupid so I'm still thinking about buying even though I'm not convinced I won't be sorry.
razor237 said:
I think manly they are charging Flagship prices but not delivering on flagship hardware /specs compared to whats already on the market and instead are betting on software to carry them. Now i love pure android how its meant to be not a fan of all tweaks each manufacture adds to the phone, If Samsung offered a note 9 /S9 pure (ie stock android no mods) i think the pixel would be left in its dust. The Pixel's have always seemed to be a generation behind. I love my pixel 2 xl i know i just wanted something more to go with the great feel of stock android and what not. maybe next year, i have my 3 XL ordered and will use it for a week or two to see if its worth the upgrade over my 2 XL
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I don't agree with this at all. The pixel 3 xl has a Samsung screen which looks amazing (and I bet is par or at least close to what you see on a Samsung phone), it has the latest Quallcom processor, the best cameras and software, same day updates, wireless charging, front facing speakers, I mean, what else does it need to be 'flagship specs' to you? What, because it only has 4 GB of RAM? That's literally the ONLY thing I can come up with, and that's only because many OEM's have stuffed more RAM in their phones this year. And honestly, it's not really necessary, at least not for 90% of people who use smartphones. Sheet, iPhones only have 4 GB or RAM. They only had ONE GB or RAM for a looonnnggg time. No one complained about that.
To me, this is a premium flagship, no question. The hate is mostly the RAM and notch. It's superficial. Last year it was the blue shift. Which, I think that plus the terrible quality control was actually warranted. This year, it's not much to hate on. Either you like it, or don't get it. And you can hide the notch. Either way, I'm excited about it coming today. I LOVE 2 xl, but I'm definitely ready for this upgrade, even though I was very on the fence before I checked one out in the store. My point here is, people are going to hate on something every time. Every time. If you don't like something, don't get it. It's really that simple.
My $0.02
gettinwicked said:
I don't agree with this at all. The pixel 3 xl has a Samsung screen which looks amazing (and I bet is par or at least close to what you see on a Samsung phone), it has the latest Quallcom processor, the best cameras and software, same day updates, wireless charging, front facing speakers, I mean, what else does it need to be 'flagship specs' to you? What, because it only has 4 GB of RAM? That's literally the ONLY thing I can come up with, and that's only because many OEM's have stuffed more RAM in their phones this year. And honestly, it's not really necessary, at least not for 90% of people who use smartphones. Sheet, iPhones only have 4 GB or RAM. They only had ONE GB or RAM for a looonnnggg time. No one complained about that.
To me, this is a premium flagship, no question. The hate is mostly the RAM and notch. It's superficial. Last year it was the blue shift. Which, I think that plus the terrible quality control was actually warranted. This year, it's not much to hate on. Either you like it, or don't get it. And you can hide the notch. Either way, I'm excited about it coming today. I LOVE 2 xl, but I'm definitely ready for this upgrade, even though I was very on the fence before I checked one out in the store. My point here is, people are going to hate on something every time. Every time. If you don't like something, don't get it. It's really that simple.
My $0.02
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I was simply stating why i think so many people hate the new pixel 3 xl from reading it sure does seem like a lot don't like it.
I agree the screen looks great but it should since they woke up and used a Samsung panel this time yay , my issue with it is its basically the same size as the 2 xl when you look at the usable part of the display and that is kinda disappointing to me i wanted a screen the size of the note 9 / XS max on the pixel 3 xl instead they went with a huge notch that takes away from the phone in stead of adding to it i honestly think they would have been better with out it at all, in person the notch isn't bad at all its big but once you play with it for a bit i didn't notice it as much and i don't mind the bottom chin as people call it since i love front firing speakers always hated cupping the end of the phone to direct the sound lol . They added an extra front camera and notch but no type of face id another missing feature that would have been a great addition to the pixel but we got wireless charging back so i guess its a trade off.
I said nothing about the ram because i think that's a mute point for most for the exact reason you said, apple has had little ram for a long time there is a difference between the two since apple designs the cpu they can help optimize it for the amount of ram they are using but mostly they iOS optimized for how it can handle the ram. google does the same with the pixel, most of the other phones need the extra ram because all the bs they add uses so much of it. for me as of now my daily usage on my 2 XL is 2.4-3.2 or so, 4gb is enough for me in 6 months that may not be the case but i doubt it
everyone has different ideas of what makes a phone flag ship quality or not, so this is just my opinion and you can agree or not for me i feel they could have done better and they came up a bit short compared to other phones only time will tell though and i still cant wait to get mine and use it to see if its worth the upgrade from the 2xl or not for me.
Nah, I don't buy it. Flagship is flagship. Almost flagship if it weren't for one big weakness is not flagship, it's second rate. I'm one of those people that can take advantage of more than 4 gigs of ram, I'm currently using 3.2 at home which is about average for me but usually hit in the upper 4s, lower 5s at work. Go ahead and name the one phone which is claiming flagship status and charging flagship prices but does not have me covered? See where I'm going?
Flagships is flagship, not second best with software optimization that every rooted oneplus will have installed not too far down the road on a phone that costs little more than half the price. Yeah, I'm talking about the camera. Still perhaps best in class overall but more than one reviewer has noted that telephoto shots lag behind other flagships including the fruit devices. They need to up their game here, flagships don't polish turds, they deliver the best hardware and polish that.
One that doesn't bother me in the slightest that I noted is the phones perceived build quality is a step behind Samsung and Apple. I cant point to one particular thing, either of those two just felt a little more expensive. As I said, I don't care because the phone will go into a case and I wont see it again until I give it to one of my kids or grand-kids in the spring.
So yeah, to me it feels like it's not quite up to flagship par except in price. It's all those things combined that give me that impression. And yeah, I'm still thinking about buying it, last night I got as far as putting it in my cart. Pixel has always been more the whole than the sum of its part, they are satisfying to own even if some things about them are underwhelming. The doubletake on the notch has me spooked though, when I was moving around the GUI it faded out of existence but when I just looked at the phone I kept doing this "whoa, what the hell were they thinking" thing. Cant figure out if that's ever going to go away or if it's going to be like a sore tooth. Still, buy in or not I'll never really consider it flagship hardware and every redraw I get will remind me of it should I start to forget.
The flagship price, the poor software utilization of the notch, the smaller battery and 4 GB RAM were the deal breakers.
The Note 9 is every bit as fast as the Pixel 3 XL, has a much better screen, better battery and SPen for the same price. The Pixel 3 XL may very well be a great phone but when priced with the Note 9, it needed SOMETHING to justify the price. Also, one can easily get a great condition LG V35 ThinQ or S9+ with better specs for hundreds less. Once the price drops, then it might be a better competitor.
For me a premium device needs to last me 2 years and be a useful companion for the duration.
The phone needs to be well built to last, have a good screen and the hardware features need to be ergonomic.
In addition to this the phone must have quick, well thought out software that ties in nicely to my favourite services.
For me, my best option is the Pixel 3 XL. I was considering the new Mate 20 pro as it is very similar in price here in the UK but there is now way I'll be putting up with their software and clutterware for two years. I'm also put off by their storage media and awful to uae, curved screen.
The pixel is getting stick for having underwhelming specs but this is a very short-sighted view unless your sole purpose for the device is to run benchmarks. People needs to evaluate what they use their phones for and what they need to achieve that.
I'm running the original Pixel XL 32Gb and it is still fantastic for all of my everyday uses. My wife is in fact selling her Samsung s9 and will be having my Pixel now that I've upgraded to the 3 XL.
Just as a side note, iPhones are brilliant for many as they offer a great experience across their devices and therefore are useful for their duration. This is more important than having a 40MP camera and 8Gb of RAM for the vast majority.
A lot of that was subjective: I find the Apple experience awful, spread it out across more devices and I call that cancer. I have to say however that your concept in general is on the mark in that the experience is what matters rather than the numbers. It's a fair summation.
for the peeps that hate on the notch and the ram .. just go buy the OnePlus 6T and be done with it
It's all just opinion as we have stayed here. The easy to pick on parts of any product is the visual appearance and listed specs. The new pixel XL appears to be poor in this area for a lot of people. Usabilit of the entire package is impossible to judge from online reviews.
If it is anything like the original Pixel, the phone will be great. If it's like my old Samsung phones or my iPhone 7, no thank you.
The phone is what it is. If you don't like it for the way it looks or a feature that it has or doesn't have, don't buy it. If all you have to say is you hate the notch, spare us. There are a lot of phones I don't like. I don't buy them and I don't seek out their communities and complain about them. This forum is here for the people that have the phone, not for those that hate it.
dmb219 said:
The phone is what it is. If you don't like it for the way it looks or a feature that it has or doesn't have, don't buy it. If all you have to say is you hate the notch, spare us. There are a lot of phones I don't like. I don't buy them and I don't seek out their communities and complain about them. This forum is here for the people that have the phone, not for those that hate it.
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This! Sooo much this! Last year with the pixel 2 xl, there were so many trolls who had zero intention of ever buying the phone who came onto the forum just to talk sheet. One thread went hundreds of pages. It was ridiculous and stupid. If people like that really have that much time on their hands that they have to go troll things that have nothing to do with them, get a hobby or a life. Seriously. I'm surprised there isn't more yet on here. But, people have only begun to start getting their phones, so, I'm not holding my breath that it won't start.
It still looks like a toy next to any Samsung phones.
My note 9 looks like a monster next to my xl3.
I hate the notch. I'm not those people that will get over it.
I never will.
Anyway, display on xl3 looks great to me.
Camera is amazing.
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