Google Nexus 6 By Motorola With Android Lollipop Review

Large screen smartphones, a.k.a. phablets, are expected to account for nearly 25% of all smartphone shipments this year. Given the popularity and prevalence of these large-screen devices which includes LG’s G3, Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4, and HTC’s One Max, it’s not surprising that Google is also going big with its latest flagship phone, the Nexus 6.

Even before the Nexus 6 was announced, its codename of Shamu (named after the whale at SeaWorld) pretty much gave away the fact that this flagship smartphone was going to be a large-screen device. The Nexus 6 has the largest screen we’ve seen from Google yet at 5.96-inches. This screen is also larger than Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus by 0.4 inches and by 0.2 inches versus Samsung's Galaxy Note 4.

The Nexus 6 is manufactured by Motorola. Although Motorola and Google may have parted ways, Motorola and its new owner Lenovo are making it clear that the company still plans to compete, and compete well, in the smartphone space.

One of the allures of Nexus-branded devices is that they typically receive the latest version of Android before any other smartphone, and the Nexus 6 is no exception. Featuring Android 5.0 Lollipop, the Nexus 6 introduces new ways to control notifications, a new battery saving feature, automatic encryption, improved performance and responsiveness, and much more. Because this is a Nexus device, you also get a pure Android experience without a lot of manufacturer modifications. 

Nexus 6 Specifications & Features

OS	Android 5.0 Lollipop
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor with 2.7GHz quad-core CPU
GPU	Adreno 420
Memory	32GB & 64GB
Screen	5.96” 2560x1440 QHD AMOLED display (493 ppi) 16:9 aspect ratio Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Rear Camera	13MP with optical image stabilization Dual LED ring flash f/2.0 aperture 4K video capture at 30fps
Front Camera	2MP HD Video Conferencing
Audio Output	Dual front-facing speakers
Network	North America: GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz CDMA Band Class: 0/1/10 WCDMA Bands: 1/2/4/5/8 LTE Bands: 2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/25/26/29/41 CA DL Bands: B2-B13, B2-B17, B2-29, B4-B5, B4-B13, B4-B17, B4-B29 Rest of World: GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz CDMA: not supported WCDMA Bands: 1/2/4/5/6/8/9/19 LTE Bands: 1/3/5/7/8/9/19/20/28/41 CA DL: B3-B5, B3-B8
Wireless	802.11ac 2x2 (MIMO) Bluetooth 4.1 NFC
Ports	Micro USB 2.0 Nano SIM 3.5mm audio
Sensors	GPS Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer Ambient light sensor Barometer
Size	82.98mm x 159.26mm x 10.06mm
Weight	184g
Color	Midnight Blue, Cloud White
Battery	3220mAh Qi wireless charging Standby time (Ambient Display on) up to 250 hours Standby time (Ambient Display off) up to 330 hours Internet use time (Wi-Fi) up to 9.5 hours Internet use time (LTE) up to 10 hours Talk time up to 24 hours Video playback up to 10 hours
Color Options	Midnight Blue and Cloud White
Price	AT&T $249.99 (32 GB) with a two-year contract T-Mobile $649.92 (32 GB) or $699.84 (64GB) Sprint $249.99 (32 GB) with a two-year contract Google Play $649 (32GB) or $699 (64GB) Verizon Wireless TBD US Cellular TBD

In addition to its new OS, the Nexus 6 features top-of-the-line hardware inside including a 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor and Adreno 420 graphics. The phone also features 3GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, 32GB or 64GB of on-board storage, a 3,220mAh battery, and dual front-facing speakers.

The Nexus 6 has an attractive combination of the latest hardware and software. Before we explore everything else the Nexus 6 has to offer, take a look at the full specifications and hands-on video preview above, and then we'll dive right in on the pages ahead...