Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5: Is Motorola better than LG?

The Nexus range of handsets commissioned by Google gets a new family member in the form of the Motorola Nexus 6, and the experience is set to be substantially bigger than that offered by its predecessor the LG Nexus 5.

So how do the Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5 compare?

This time around Google has chosen to pass on the baton from LG to Motorola, so let’s take a look at how the Motorola Nexus 6 compares to the LG Nexus 5 in our Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5 review.

Nexus 6 design vs Nexus 5 design

More space to explore

The Nexus 6 presents us with a cutting edge curvaceous design that gets thinner at the edges- curving from 3.8mm to just over 10mm at its centre. Maximum depth is slightly greater than the 8.5mm thickness of the Nexus 5 but this can be forgiven due to the better ergonomics of the new handset.

This means that the Nexus 6 boasts far more space to explore with a 5.96-inch Quad HD display and a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels at 493 pixels per inch.

This beats the 4.95-inch full HD display of its older cousin hands-down in terms of size, resolution and pixel density.

Specs

The water resistant Nexus 6 now incorporates dual front-facing speakers for an improved media experience and there is more internal memory (32 or 64GB) for saving media, pictures and videos compared to the 16 or 32GB memory options on the Nexus 5.

Processing power has also been beefed up from 2.26GHz with 2GB RAM to a new quad-core Snapdragon 805 2.7GHz processor with 3GB RAM.

The combination of new tech and larger display does come at a cost in the weight department, however, as the 130g shell of old swells to 184g on the Nexus 6. Once in hand though, this cost seems of little consequence as the extra weight adds to the overall feel of this top notch smartphone.

The black or white colour choices have been replaced by midnight blue or cloudy white and these new colour schemes house a 3220mAh battery, up from 2300mAh on the Nexus 5. This growth in battery size sees the Nexus 6 lasting for a complete 24 hour period, dwarfing the performance of the Nexus 5.

Faster charging is also on the cards with just 15 minutes providing an extra 6 hours of usage on the new Nexus.

Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5 features

Android Lollipop

The new features that the Motorola Nexus 6 boasts are all down to the new Android v5.0 Lollipop operating system.

Android 5.0 Lollipop offers a better multitasking experience as well as an intuitive vertically scrolling carousel, making it far easier to switch between apps. Edge-to-edge imagery is accompanied by a bold new design which features realistic lighting, shadows and a more vivid colour palette.

It also promises up to 4x better performance, and this is complimented by fewer disruptions thanks to priority notification settings, controlling who gets through when interruptions are not desired. All notifications are kept in one place and are accessed by tapping the top of the screen.

The Android Lollipop experience improves on KitKat found in the Nexus 5. Now, you can wake up your mobile phone by picking it up or double tapping the screen. Activate Voice Search even when the screen is off by saying ‘OK Google’ and keep your stuff private with guest user profiles for when somebody else wants to use your phone.

Camera: 8MP vs 13MP

The 8 megapixel camera from the Nexus 5 apparently no longer meets the grade and so the Nexus 6 gets an all new 13 megapixel lens with optical image stabilisation, 4x digital zoom and a twin LED ring flash.

Panorama shots, PhotoSphere and Lens Blur features let you explore your creative side and there are 3 levels of video recording at 30fps. The highest quality is 4K 2160p and this is followed on by less memory demanding resolutions of either UHD 1080p or HD 720p.

The secondary 1.3 megapixel camera from the Nexus 5 is also out, replaced by the Google Nexus 6’s new 2 megapixel snapper, capable of providing HD video conferencing.

Nexus 6 verdict

The Motorola Nexus 6 presents you with the opportunity to purchase a high-end, larger than life smartphone, but the real benefits come from the new Android v5.0 OS which will, on launch, be exclusive to the Nexus 6.

Overall improved visuals and performance levels are ready to be enjoyed and the less hungry Lollipop OS extends the battery life further, despite the handset’s 6-inch screen requiring more power.