At the end of 2013 Google partnered up with LG (as they did the previous year) to create one of the most anticipated phones of year – The Nexus 5. With specs of equivalence to the top smartphones in the world such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, iPhone 5S, LG G2, Sony Xperia Z1 and more, the two things that set the Nexus 5 aside from the rest is it‘s ridiculously low price tag and the honour of receiving pure, “œvanilla“ Android updates almost as they are released. In this review, all the praises and shortfalls of the Nexus 5 will be discussed to provide reason as to why this phone is grabbing such attention.
Here are some of the key features:
- 4.95″ 16M-color 1080p True HD IPS Plus FullHD capacitive touchscreen
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display protection
- Android OS v4.4 KitKat
- Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 CPU, 2 GB RAM, Adreno 330 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset
- 8MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound; HDR mode
- 1.3 MP front-facing camera
- 16GB/32GB of built-in storage
- Bluetooth v4.0
- NFC
- 2300mAh Li-Po battery, wireless charging
Background Information
The Nexus range of phones are Google‘s own designed phone aimed at developers to give them the opportunity to test out their newest apps and ideas. In order for this to be done, the phone itself must have adequate specs to be able to run some of the most sophisticated creations of developers – and so the Nexus 5 has definitely brought the best it has to offer to the plate.
The Nexus range is also known for its ability to receive the latest version of Android as released by Google and with the assurance that it will not have any sort of skins or UIs over the software; just Android, as Google wants you to enjoy Android. The Nexus 5 is the first device to ship with Android‘s latest version: 4.4 KitKat, which is filled with a large handful of new features and enhancements.
Design
The Nexus 5 comes in two colour variants- black and white, both of which have a matt finish to the back casing – with the white variant being a slightly “œoff white“ colour (to prevent any pick up of dirt). On a whole, the Nexus 5 is very understated, simple and clean with only two physical buttons on the phone, namely the button volume rocker on the left of the device and power button located on the right. The 8MP camera is slightly raised on the back of the device accompanied by a single LED flash. The phone is incredibly light, weighing in at 130g, but still feeling very solid and sturdy in its completely plastic build.
What sets this phone aside from almost every smartphone of today‘s times is the very simple glass front face with only a circular earpiece centred at the top of the device, with the ambient light sensor and front facing camera hidden away by the black surrounding of the phone. There is also a multi-coloured LED notification light at the bottom, beneath the screen. And that‘s it; there are no physical buttons on the screen – carrying over traits of the “œbig brother“ and “œspec-similar“ of the LG G2.
Hardware
The Nexus 5 is without a doubt packed with the highest end specs that you will find in smartphones. It comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Processor, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB Storage with no expandable memory card slot. It has a 5“ 1080p LCD display (441PPI) meaning it is very bright in broad daylight – unlike AMOLED displays. The viewing angles are decent as well.
Rounding it off is 4G LTE capabilities, Qi Wireless Charging, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and Dual microphones for noise cancellation. The microphone is impeccable, with audio sounding better than a number of other phones. However, in a phone that holds a price that is significantly cheaper than smartphones with specs like these, shortcuts have to be made.
That is where the discussion of the camera and battery comes in. The Nexus 5 has an 8PM Camera with f2.4 and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). It isn’t the best but most certainly isn’t the worst. The low-light performance is a let-down though. Also, the camera app was slow, but the Android 4.4.2 update fixed that with much faster launch time and shutter response. Its 2300 mAh battery is average at best – it won‘t last a full day with heavy use, but moderate users should only need to charge once a day. However, we are happy to overlook those two minor issues as the price of the Nexus 5 is so low.
Software
The best part of the Nexus 5 is, without a doubt, the fact that it runs the stock version of Android 4.4 KitKat and, being a “œNexus“ device, it will receive updates almost as soon as a new version surfaces, something a large number of Android phones have an issue with. The navigation bar (which is also transparent) is located on the screen (similar to the LG G2). The software runs seamlessly on this device with new 4.4 features just adding to the flawless experience; such as the “œYellow Pages“ like phone app as it searches for nearby businesses by simply typing the name in the “œsearch“ of the phonebook.
Overall the whole user interface is flat and simplistic. The “œOK Google“ command works 99 times out of 100, even with South African accent s- something that Apple‘s Siri and Samsung‘s S Voice still, to this day, battle with. Features such as “œImmersive Mode“ – where the entire screen is filled when reading a book or watching a movie, Hangouts messaging app with SMS integration, the inclusion of Emoji in Google‘s keyboard, wireless printing and a whole list of added features make the Nexus 5 even more enjoyable.
Conclusion
The only shortfall with this device, for now, is it‘s availability, in countries such as the United States having this phone unlocked for a price of $350 makes it the best android phone you can lay your hands on, for the price tag. However, there aren’t always happy endings as the Nexus 5 isn’t available on leading South African Network Providers such as Vodacom, MTN, Cell C or Telkom Mobile. You will find it from the newly welcomed French Telecom Company, Orange and other online retailers. Most retailers have an asking price of around R6000 for the phone. Quite a markup, but if you consider all other flagships cost R8000+ to buy cash, it is still not a bad deal.
Despite a couple of shortfalls, the Nexus 5 is without a doubt one of the best Android devices that we have ever reviewed. What makes it even better and throws itself into a league of its own, is the price tag, for a price of $350 overseas and a mid-range price of approximately R6000 from Orange South Africa, this phone is without a doubt one of the most underrated phones this country potentially has to offer.
