The Google Nexus 5 is arguably the best smartphone deal in the land
right now, with its combination of high-end specs and very affordable
pricing. But is it the right Android smartphone for you?
Design
As with previous Nexus handsets, the latest flagship embraces a
minimalist aesthetic. The design, however, manages to give it just a
bit more premium feel compared to its predecessors. While it takes over
your whole hand, it does have a comfortable hold, complete with a soft
touch back and a very sturdy feel.
Display
Screen is a 4.95-inch IPS LCD, with 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution
and 445 ppi screen density. On a side by side comparison, I don't think
it matches up to the overall quality of either the HTC One's, the
Galaxy S4's or the iPhone 5S' respective displays. That said, it's an
excellent screen, one that will likely put everything else other than
those big three to task on a direct head-to-head.
Camera
An 8.0 megapixel camera sits in the rear, boasting full optical image
stabilization and HDR+. The rest of the feature set remain the same,
although camera operation is as fast as I've seen on any handset.
Outdoor photo quality is great and even better with HDR+ onboard; same
with indoor shots, which are impressively accurate and sharp. Do note,
capture quality isn't really that astounding, considering we've seen a
number of really good smartphone cameras this year (e.g. Nokia Lumias,
HTC One). Recordings of 1080p video were good and crisp, but not
particularly impressive compared to other phones.
Features
As with every Nexus phone, it runs the latest version of Google's
mobile platform. In this case, it's Android 4.4 KitKat. In terms of
features, it isn't the biggest Android update, although there are some
new stuff to play with (e.g. screen recording, smart dialer search, even
more improved Google Now) -- KitKat is, basically, Google's effort to
create a single OS version that all future phones, regardless of
processing power, can run. Of course, it has all the usual wireless
connectivity options (including LTE), along with all the Android
standards from previous versions.
Performance
Running on a 2.26GHz Snapdragon 800, it's a performance powerhouse,
zipping through every task with ease. I tried a couple of
resource-heavy games and, as expected, they performed admirably on the
device.
Call quality is topnotch. Both ends of calls reported crystal clear
natural sound with plenty of volume. The dual speakers allowed
hands-free calls to perform just as well. The 2,300 mAh battery should
last you most of the day, but expect to require charging early in the
evening.
Overall
Is the Nexus 5 the best high-end Android smartphone out there? Heck,
no. At $349 for the unlocked 16GB version, though, it just might offer
the best value. And for a lot of folks, that's darn good enough.
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