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Google Nexus 5x and 6P

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Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#301

The placement of the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone strikes me as a bit odd. I get that they had to not copy iPhone placement, but this means you have to pickup the phone to unlock it, as opposed to just touch it. Wonder how phone cases are going to handle that placement.

Why is it odd? That's where your fingers are - the back of the phone when holding it.

What if the phone is on your desk or holder in the car?

You can always unlock it the normal way with pin or pattern, but it's not as convenient as the fingerprint reader.

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#302
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Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Nexus 4 had great battery life initially - you could get through nearly 2 days with it. After a lot of use, mine is not so great any more, but still quite usable - I don't have to worry about whether it'll make it through the day.

My N4's battery life is really hit-and-miss. If I wander into an area with poor HSPA+ coverage the battery just tanks .

Same here - actually the Nexus 4 still is a great solid phone. But besides the battery life, storage space for apps is a problem for me. Since the latest Android updates, apps got a lot bigger and I regularly need to delete stuff to be able to get all the app updates. Maybe it's time for a new phone now.

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#303
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Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The markup in Germany, and presumably the other EUR-countries, is enormous. Elections have consequences. Presumably the great mass of your countrymen are happy getting additional social services in return for higher taxes.

Your tone is uncalled for. I included the 20% VAT which results in ~405 EUR, and I'm fine with it. I do mind the remaining 75 EUR that go on top of it. Though I just found out that about half of that goes to the copyright industry[1]. [1] http://www.giga.de/unternehmen/gema/news/smartphone-abgabe-3... (German)

I'd guess the other half is going towards things like localizing text and dealing with getting the device certified for the market, etc. You could say the same about the initial English version and USA certifications - but those are generally bundled into the core product while the German part would be extras. Yeah that does mean you're paying for both the English version and USA certifications when you buy the device in Germany even though you aren't using those, but that's life.

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#304
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because most people don't need that much, especially with the new auto-delete of photos that have been copied to the cloud in Google Photo, love this feature.

I listen to music on my (underground, subway) commute to work, so I really need that storage.

Agreed. I have a 64 GB iPhone 6 and over 1k songs synced to mobile on rdio. Rdio only takes up 8.4 GB, but total I have 31.1 GB used. I would have to go back to the radio if I didn't have that space, as I would probably be out of my 4 GB data plan half way through the month.

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same thing happened to my battery, so I bought a new one and followed a YouTube video to replace it myself. Although the battery isn't meant to be replaceable, the process was not too terribly difficult. Maybe consider that as an option, too.

I've read others describe the same, but when I went to look for a part I've been overwhelmed by the purchasing process. There seem to be several sources for this part and I have no idea how to guarantee its quality. I know the replacement is easy enough, having already had to disassemble the phone to replace the display. Can you tell me where you found the battery you are using now? I'm disappointed by the 5X. I was…

To be honest I didn't spend a lot of shopping around on batteries. I bought the one I found on Amazon that seemed to be made for Nexus 5, and it works: http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00NCJMQXK

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#306

As an owner of Nexus 5 I must say I'm a bit disappointed with this announcement. I was looking forwards to upgrading my almost two year old phone to Nexus 5x, but there doesn't seem to be a good reason unless Nexus 5 stops getting new Android updates. They have the same resolution, same amount of memory, same amount of storage. I don't shoot video, and I probably won't use fingerprint reader - but I do use wireless c…

The problem is smartphones are stagnating. Let's see: * CPU: Processor evolution is stagnating, and processors are so powerful that they can handle most typical workloads with ease. Efficiency is now the order of the day, not raw power. * Screen: Densities are so high it that not only does it become difficult to manufacture higher density panels, but it actually hurts the device by draining more energy and killing pe…

Stagnating or just the market approaching maturity? I personally don't miss the old PC days of having to upgrade my GPU every 12 months. Although I'm sure there are still some people that do, hopefully this means that most of us can keep our older phones without a significant performance deficit

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#307
The Nexus 5 was the best Android phone I've owned. I upgraded from a Nexus One which was an upgrade from the original G1. The only reason I'm upgrading to a 5x is because my Nexus 5 died and is no longer covered under LG's warranty. Coming from the Nexus One (Cyanogen) and loosing SD expansion was a bit unsettling at first but the automated camera backups were a huge win. Wireless charging was an added bonus from a usability perspective but non-essential. The best part though is Nexus Protect - to some this might seem unnecessary but for heavy users is a must. Almost a year to the day I purchased my Nexus 5 my battery died. Google replaced it for free. The SIM card slot on the replacement stopped working a few weeks ago and it would've been nice to be covered under a plan like Nexus Protect. For me Nexus Protect makes up for the lack of SD or wireless charging. My only hesitation pulling the purchase trigger is fingerprinting which IMO, whether encrypted or hashed locally, is simply an invasion of privacy.

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#308

Why did Google bother with all of that work to fix SD storage in Android M[0] if they're still not going to put an SD card in their Nexus phones!?! I was holding out hope that I would finally have a reason to buy a Nexus phone with the 5X or 6P, but now that we have the final spec sheet, I think I'm going to just grab an HTC One M9 or something. The lack of expandable storage really kills it for me. [0] http://www.an…

It simplifies managing storage for users. Per Matias Duarte, who I think was Director of Android User Experience at the time: [1] Everybody likes the idea of having an SD card, but in reality it's just confusing for users. If you’re saving photos, videos or music, where does it go? Is it on your phone? Or on your card? ... We take a different approach. Your Nexus has a fixed amount of space and your apps just seamles…

You could say the same thing about cloud storage, couldn't you? As with extra local storage, that has additional UI baggage, which comes along with extra utility for the user. To be able to bring with you all of your music or photos, without requiring a connection, is a massive benefit.

That also doesn't explain sticking with the same storage options from two years ago, even though prices have plummeted in the meantime.

It's clearly about what benefits Google.

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#309

Why did Google bother with all of that work to fix SD storage in Android M[0] if they're still not going to put an SD card in their Nexus phones!?! I was holding out hope that I would finally have a reason to buy a Nexus phone with the 5X or 6P, but now that we have the final spec sheet, I think I'm going to just grab an HTC One M9 or something. The lack of expandable storage really kills it for me. [0] http://www.an…

They did the work for third parties to keep it an an option for the lower end market. The higher end market has shown it doesn't care about SD cards and, honestly, I think for good reason: their user experience has always been terrible. Internal storage is faster and more reliable so I think you're always going to see more and more phones, especially flagships, not offer expandable options.

The thing is, internal storage isn't necessarily faster. Sure, it is on the top tier $750 and up premium-priced phones like the iPhone 6s (which has very fast internal storage). But we're talking about a much less expensive phone here. Let's compare:

64GB Nexus 6P: $549

64GB iPhone 6S+: $849

So, you really shouldn't expect the Nexus 6P to be using the top-tier internal storage solutions Samsung rolls out as used in the iPhone and Samsung phones. Yes, a lot of that $300 price difference is for the Apple name, especially when you factor in the lower resolution 6S+ 1080p screen. But quite a bit of it is used for the polishing bits that make the phone faster... like much faster storage.

As a data point, the high-end Sandisk 64GB microSD cards are about $50 and are around 3x faster than the internal storage in my Nexus 6. They're hitting 95 MB/s read, 90 MB/s write now.

While a microSD won't top out at the 200 MB/s you get from last year's top-tier storage available in the Samsung S6 and iPhone 6 (not to mention the twice as fast Samsung storage in the new iPhone 6s and upcoming Samsung phone), they'll perform better than the internal storage in most mid-tier phones and all low-tier phones, which is all most folks need for photos and videos.

Re: Google Nexus 5x and 6P

#310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard nothing but compliments about the photos from my Nexus 5 camera. They're very high resolution and look great. I'll post some from Imgur if you want. What problems are you having with yours?

You kidding right? Maybe your have the art of taking photos with that phone down or something but pictures I take with it always seems to washed out compared to my Moto X(another bad one)

Make sure you have HDR mode turned on and your hands are steady. I have taken some great pictures with this phone.
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