Motorola Nexus 6

Introduction

Nexus 6 is Google's phone that's a year-and-a-half old that was solid, but has since been replaced by the even better Nexus 6P. This review has been updated regarding Motorola's design decisions.
Google Nexus 6 is a supersized version of the Moto X 2014 that has been given a two-handed booster shot and, appropriately, received a post-surgery Lollipop. The results? It was briefly part of our best phones list in 2014 and into 2015.
This phablet-sized smartphone was the first to run Android 5.0 Lollipop and, really, there is no better way to experience all of the changes Google has made to its Android N operating system beta, too.
It parades the colorful Material Design interface on a massive 6-inch display, moves seamlessly between apps thanks to a Snapdragon processor and 3GB of RAM, and lasts one day with a large, Qi-chargeable 3220 mAh battery.
These Nexus 6 specs are enough to edge-to-edge out Apple's mighty iPhone 6 Plus, and it feels better to hold in my hand, and typing is easier thanks to Androids always-superior keyboards options.

Motorola Nexus 6: key features.

5.96" QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) AMOLED display with 493ppi; Corning Gorilla Glass 3

2.7GHz quad-core Krait 450 CPU; Adreno 420GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset; 3GB of RAM

13MP f/2.0 camera with dual-LED flash; optical image stabilization; HDR+; 4K video capture; 2MP front-facing unit with 1.4 um pixels

3,220mAh battery; bundled Motorola Turbo Charger; Qi wireless charging support

Android 5.0 Lollipop with material design; brand new ART runtime for improved performance and responsiveness

32/64GB of built-in memory

Cat. 6 LTE (300Mbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.1; GPS/GLONASS; microUSB

Front-facing stereo speakers

Splash-resistant curved body with aluminum chassis

camera

The Nexus series of smartphones has been a consistent let down on the photography side of things but Google has tried to address this on the Nexus 6 with a 13Mp rear facing camera which is a step up from the Nexus 5's 8 Mp camera in more than just resolution.

That's because the camera benefits from optical image stabilisation (something sorely missing from the Moto X), a dual-LED ring flash and the ability to record 4K video at 30fps. There's also HDR+ which combines multiple images for a better result but takes them all at the same exposure rather than different value (so it's pseudo-HDR, rather than the real thing). This is available on the Nexus 5, though.

Like most phones do, the Nexus 6 crops in on the image if you want photos with a 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning you get 9.7Mp instead of the full 13Mp when you switch to 4:3. Image quality is a big step up from the Nexus 5 with OIS making a noticeable difference particularly in video recording and low light.

Camera Test

Display

Motorola Nexus 6 packs a 5.96" AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. The aforementioned resolution results in the rather impressive pixel density of 493ppi.

Battery

Battery Test

Performance

Google and Motorola have matched its Android phablet rivals with a Quad HD screen meaning a whopping pixel density of 1440x2560. The pixel density is a little lower because of the screen size at 493ppi but at this end of scale it really makes no difference.

The AMOLED screen is gorgeous offering amazing viewing angles, popping colours which make Android Lollipop look even better and decent brightness. This is a top-quality display but the big problem is the size. Even attempting a text message using the swipe feature of the built-in keyboard is almost impossible one-handed.

The premium theme continues with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC – that's quad-core 2.7GHz Krait 450 with an Adreno 420 GPU. There's also a generous 3 GB of RAM and although the 805 is not 64-bit – an odd decision since Android Lollipop now supports it - we weren't surprised to find the device out-pacing rivals in raw benchmark numbers

Performance Test

THE GOOD

The Google Nexus 6 has a razor-sharp and expansive display, a powerful Snapdragon 805 processor, the Android Lollipop OS and an OIS-equipped camera that takes great photos.

THE BAD

Broad and bulky, the Nexus may be too big -- in size and price -- for some users.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Nexus 6 is a powerful plus-sized Android handset, though the slimmer Samsung Galaxy Note 4 delivers superior overall performance and native productivity features.

8.6 DESIGN --------------------------------------------------------------7.5

Total FEATURES ----------------------------------------------------------------9.2

PERFORMANCE-----------------------------------------------------------------9.1