After all of the speculation, rumors, and leaks, the Nexus 5 is here! LG was selected again to craft the 2013 Google phone and has been available since last week in the Google Play Store. After spending some time with it, I decided to share my notes with you guys on it.
Nexus 5 Specs:
Display: 4.95? 1920 × 1080 display (445 ppi)
Processor: 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 processor | GPU Adreno 330, 450MHz
Cameras: 8 Megapixel rear-facing camera with Optical Image Stabilization / 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
Storage: 16GB / 32GB
OS: Android Kit Kat 4.4 (first device to officially carry the OS)
Battery: 2,300 mAH with Qi Wireless Charging built-in and NFC
Nexus 5 Build
LG provided a simple yet beautiful design that mirrors that of the 2013 Nexus 7 tablet. Shifting away from last year’s all-glass back, LG changed their design language up a bit for this year’s model. It sports a soft matte plastic materials with ceramic buttons – all in a lightweight body. In the case of the Nexus 5, less is definitely more. You can get it in either all matte black or a black front face and a rear back plate combination. It has a nice small frame that fits nicely in your hand and in your pocket because of its curved corners.
Nexus 5 Display
The 4.95 inch display reveals the brilliance of LG and they way they create screens. The Nexus 5 touts a superior 445 ppi on an IPS LCD display + Gorilla Glass 3. Hopefully that means great protection. We’re big fans of the LG screens. These ingredients combined makes everything bright, clear, and sharp. It’s always a pleasure to look at the screen of the Nexus 5. The LED is located on the bottom of the display.
Inner
Like every other device running Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU – nothing but speed. Blazing through anything you can throw at it with absolute zero lag. Combined with the 2GB of RAM, you have a winner on the performance end of things. The Nexus 5 flows smoothly between screens and apps.
Camera
The camera ring around the Nexus 5 looks nice. One of the only standout designs of the phone. The rear-facing 8 megapixel camera offers a nice feature that many smartphone cameras do not have: optical image stabilization. This feature helps center and focus your subjects even when they or you are in motion to get a better minus the motion blur. The shooters on the iPhone 5s, LG G2, & Lumia 1020 are probably the only cameras that can top this one. While sometimes the contrast and coloring is a bit off we expect Google to bring out a software update to fix the issue, similar to what Motorola did with the Moto X.
Finally Android KitKat 4.4
The Nexus 5 runs Android 4.4. KitKat as feel like a more complete version of Jelly Bean with many subtle touches & larger icons. Google Now now plays an even bigger role into the OS as it now has its own page when you swipe to the right from the homescreen. While it doesn’t offer Voice Control like on the Moto X, you can do voice searches by simply saying, “OK, Google” from the homescreen. The new software update also gives Android built-in pedometer + IR blaster support along with improved NFC Tap To Pay support as well (Google Wallet). It’s not blocked by the carrier on the Nexus 5, and you can see the future of paying come to life when using Google Wallet.
Android KitKat is everything we were hoping for and more. Google seems to be getting it right with the integration of Google Now features. Google Now is located on the left screen. You can use Google Hangouts as part for both chatting and SMS. While some may not like it, it’s beneficial to make using the Nexus 5 easier. It makes sense to have SMS as part of their main chatting client. It’s the main attraction of the Nexus 5 and if you learn and love to use it, you will get the most out of the phone. Just like the main experience with the Moto X, little to no bloatware makes using the phone a joy.
Wrap Up
The Nexus 5 is easily one of the best Android devices you can pick up off contract for either $349 for the 16GB model and $399 for the 32GB model. The Nexus 5 also offers AT&T SIM card support as Sprint + T-Mobile will offer the device directly on contract as well.
The Nexus 5 is a must for those who need to have the latest version of Android. It’s nearly guaranteed by owning a Nexus device that you will have access to the latest Android software. It’s a great combination of simplicity and efficiency, something that is somewhat missed in this market full with Android phones with a million features that don’t execute well. The overall look of Android 4.4 is appealing and fresh. The software is efficient while the hardware is simple. We find that to be a great combination!
You can purchase the Nexus 5 from:
and soon at T-Mobile
Did you order one and if so, how do you like or dislike your Nexus 5? Are you for the simple Android features or do you want more?
